The Seated Leg Curl is a beginner machine leg curl that primarily trains the hamstrings. It is useful for isolating the hamstrings through knee flexion.
Primary muscles
hamstrings
Secondary muscles
None
Equipment
machine
Difficulty
beginner
TARGET AREA
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
hamstrings
Secondary muscles
None
THE MOVEMENT
How to perform
Set the machine so the knee lines up comfortably with the pivot and the pad sits above the heel.
Keep the hips and thighs fixed against the pads.
Curl the lower leg down and back until the hamstrings are fully shortened.
Return slowly to a long-leg position.
IRONYOU / CORE
Core cues
Set the machine so the knee lines up comfortably with the pivot.
Keep the hips stable while curling the heel toward the body.
Control the return to a long hamstring position without letting the stack slam.
STAY SHARP
Common mistakes
Lifting or twisting the hips to finish the rep.
Using momentum instead of knee flexion.
Cutting the return short and losing the stretched position.
YOUR PROGRESS
Your strength
Use your best set to calculate your current IronYou rank and see what comes next.
IRONYOU RANK CALCULATOR
127 exercises. One ladder. Your first rank is free.
Published reference points from the production IronYou rank system.
IronYou has 13 strength ranks: Copper I–III → Silver I–III → Gold I–III → Titanium I–III → IRON. IRON is the highest IronYou rank. The public standards tables show the estimated 1RM required to enter Silver I, Gold I, Titanium I, and IRON. Standards vary by sex and bodyweight.
Logged load: machine or cable stack load. Public value: total stack/load.
Seated Leg Curl Strength Standards — Male
Male
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total stack/load.
Seated Leg Curl estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Male.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
50 kg
29.9 kg
39.6 kg
49.3 kg
69.6 kg
60 kg
32.6 kg
43.2 kg
53.7 kg
75.7 kg
70 kg
34.7 kg
45.9 kg
57.2 kg
80.6 kg
80 kg
36.3 kg
48.1 kg
59.9 kg
84.4 kg
90 kg
37.6 kg
49.8 kg
62 kg
87.4 kg
100 kg
38.6 kg
51.1 kg
63.6 kg
89.7 kg
110 kg
39.4 kg
52.2 kg
65 kg
91.6 kg
120 kg
40 kg
53 kg
66 kg
93 kg
Seated Leg Curl Strength Standards — Female
Female
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total stack/load.
Seated Leg Curl estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Female.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
40 kg
15.2 kg
20.2 kg
25.1 kg
35.4 kg
50 kg
20 kg
26.5 kg
33 kg
46.5 kg
60 kg
22.8 kg
30.1 kg
37.5 kg
52.9 kg
70 kg
24.4 kg
32.3 kg
40.2 kg
56.6 kg
80 kg
25.3 kg
33.5 kg
41.7 kg
58.7 kg
90 kg
25.8 kg
34.2 kg
42.5 kg
60 kg
100 kg
26.1 kg
34.6 kg
43.1 kg
60.7 kg
IronYou-specific standard; resistance can vary between machines/equipment.
Values are estimated 1RM thresholds required to enter the named IronYou major rank tier.
Standards are derived from the production IronYou Rank V1 model.
IronYou-specific standard; resistance can vary between machines/equipment.
KEEP EXPLORING
Variations
Related variations: Single Leg Seated Leg Curl, Single Leg Lying Leg Curl, and Standing Single Leg Curl.
Choose the version that matches your equipment, joint comfort, and the movement you can repeat consistently.
EARLY ACCESS
Track Seated Leg Curl in IronYou.
Keep your last session, progress and next target with you when you train.