Exercise · form guide
Seated Leg Curl
- Primary muscle
- Hamstrings (long head emphasis)
- Equipment
- Seated Leg Curl Machine
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Tempo
1-1-3-0
Seated curl loads hams in a stretched position — better long-head growth than lying.
Sets & reps
General programming defaults by goal — not specific to this lift. Pick the row that matches yours.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4–6 | 3–5 | 8–9 | 3–5 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 8–12 | 7–9 | 90–120 s |
| Endurance | 2–4 | 15–25 | 6–8 | 45–60 s |
Form
Cues
- Pad just above heel
- Full ROM, slow eccentric
- Hips stay anchored
Common mistakes
- Bouncing reps
- Using upper body to assist
Injury notes
Easier on lower back than lying version.
Progression
Add 2.5–5kg when reps hit top of range.
Indian gym reality
Machines vary wildly across Indian gyms — the same exercise on a different brand can feel completely different. Trust the movement pattern and target muscle, not the sticker on the machine.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- Use the free-weight version of the same pattern; the machine's guidance is convenience, not necessity.
Home & hostel version
Single-leg Romanian deadlifts with a filled water bottle in each hand — same hinge pattern, no bar needed.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Frequently asked
What muscles does Seated Leg Curl work?
Primarily Hamstrings (long head emphasis). Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Seated Leg Curl per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
My Indian gym doesn't have this machine — what do I do?
See the "If your gym doesn't have this equipment" section above — every variant listed is a legitimate substitute, not a compromise.
How often should I do Seated Leg Curl?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.
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