Hamstrings
Single Leg Seated Leg Curl
The Single Leg Seated Leg Curl is a strength exercise on a machine for your hamstrings. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: hamstrings (biceps femoris) 42%, hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) 40% and calves (gastrocnemius) 10%.
How to do it
- Set the seated curl machine with the knees at the pivot and the thigh pad locked just above the knees.
- Place only the working leg on top of the lower roller and rest the other foot beside it.
- Sit tall, hold the side handles and start with the working leg nearly straight.
- Pull the working heel down and back under the seat.
- Return slowly to the start, finish the set and switch legs.
Tips
- Start with about half the two-leg load.
- Keep both hips flat on the seat and the thigh pinned under the pad.
Common mistakes
- Shifting the body toward the working side.
- Letting the resting leg push on the roller.
- Stopping the curl before the knee passes 90 degrees.
Muscles worked by the Single Leg Seated Leg Curl
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Hip flexed: hamstrings lengthened, a larger stimulus (Maeo 2021). Knee flexion with the thigh fixed isolates the hamstrings, with gastrocnemius assisting; a flexed hip (seated) lengthens the hamstrings and grew them more than lying curls.
Single Leg Seated Leg Curl alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
No equipment
Make it harder
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Single Leg Seated Leg Curl work?
Mainly the hamstrings (biceps femoris) and hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus).
Is the Single Leg Seated Leg Curl good for beginners?
Yes. The Single Leg Seated Leg Curl is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Single Leg Seated Leg Curl?
For example the Seated Leg Curl, Kneeling Leg Curl and Band Leg Curl. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Single Leg Seated Leg Curl harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Cable Hamstring Curl and Dumbbell Single Leg Curl.
Sources
- Maeo et al. 2021, MSSE 53(4):825-837 (seated vs prone leg curl)
- Bourne et al. 2017, Br J Sports Med 51(13):1021-1028 (Nordic curl biases semitendinosus)
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