Seated Single-Leg Leg Curl
The seated curl places the hamstring on stretch at the hip while you flex the knee, and running it unilaterally makes each side complete the full range alone. Working one leg keeps a strong side from carrying a weak one and often produces a deeper contraction. It pairs well with the standing and lying single-leg curls to cover the hamstring at every hip angle.
- Equipment
- Machine
- Body part
- Hamstring
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus
- Browse by movement
- Knee Flexion
- Target
- Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus
- Secondary
- Gastrocnemius Medial Head, Gastrocnemius Lateral Head
How to do it
- 1
Sit in the machine and set the thigh pad snug over your legs.
- 2
Place one ankle on the roller and let the other foot rest aside.
- 3
Start with the working leg extended against the pad.
- 4
Curl the heel down and back underneath the seat.
- 5
Squeeze the hamstring firmly at the bottom of the range.
- 6
Return slowly to full extension, then finish before switching legs.
Tips
- Lock the thigh pad down so your leg does not lift as you curl.
- Keep your back against the seat to keep tension on the hamstring.
- Pause briefly in the stretched position to build control at length.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Pressing the resting foot into the floor and driving through it gives the working leg a quiet assist. Park that foot to the side and keep it passive for the whole set.
- Twisting your torso toward the working side to squeeze out the last reps rotates the pelvis and takes the hip out of the flexed position this version depends on. Keep both shoulders square.
- Letting the leg come back only halfway to save effort skips the lengthened position the bent-hip setup exists to load. Return until the knee is nearly straight on every rep.
- Putting the second leg's sets at the very end of a long leg day means one side always trains tired and distracted. Run this early in your accessory work, alternating sides set by set.
- Holding your breath through a slow set with a pause in the stretched position leaves you dizzy on the last reps. Breathe out as the heel travels under the seat.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the seated single-leg leg curl should a beginner do?
- Two or three sets of 8 to 12 per leg, weaker side first, with a one-second pause in the stretched position at the top of each rep. Because the seated position keeps the hamstring long, stay conservative with load, near 40 percent of your two-leg seated curl, and lengthen the pause before you add weight. Expect more soreness than a lying curl for the first fortnight. Once or twice a week, after your main leg work.
- What can I do instead of the seated single-leg leg curl if the machine is taken?
- A seated banded leg curl on a bench keeps the hips bent and runs one leg at a time, which is the same idea with less load, and an ankle cuff on a low cable used while seated does the same. If only a lying machine is free, run it one leg at a time and add a single-leg Romanian deadlift for the stretched, hip-bent position. At home, sit on a chair with a band anchored in front of you and curl one heel back under the seat.
- What is the seated single-leg leg curl for and when is it not the right choice?
- It combines two things: the bent-hip position, which keeps the hamstring long while it works, and one-sided training, which stops a strong leg from carrying a weak one. That makes it useful after a lay-off, for lifters whose two-leg curl feels lopsided, and for anyone building hamstring size. It is not the right choice when time is short, since it doubles the sets for the same volume, and it is a poor opener on leg day, because a hamstring trained long and early feels flat under squats.
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