What Is a Seated Leg Curl?

The seated leg curl is an resistance exercise designed to tighten and build the hamstrings. Hamstrings are a set of five tendons that run along the back of the leg behind the knees. They are important to any athletic activity that requires your legs. Strong hamstrings make you more resistant to injury. They also make you a better runner, kicker and jumper.

Types

There are several different types of gym machines designed to perform the seated leg curl. It may be called "seated," but the exercise can be done from three positions. One is sitting, on is standing, the other is lying face down. How you are positioned depends on the machine you are using. They all work the hamstrings with the same motion.

Features

Seated leg curls always begin with your legs extended and your knees slightly bent. Position the rolling pad just above your ankles. This is your starting position. Bend your knees and curl both legs backwards until they are just past 90 degrees from the starting position. Squeeze your hamstrings and buttocks muscles together for a second then slowly return your legs to the starting position. This is one repetition of the seated leg curl.

Function

When performing repetitions of the seated leg curl, do not completely straighten your legs. Stop just short of allowing the weights to touch the rest of the stack. This way you keep constant pressure on your hamstrings. Do 3 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions of the seated leg curl. You should feel a good amount of burn in your hamstrings as you complete each set.

Effects

Hamstrings are not the kind of things people notice. No one ever says "nice hamstrings." However, if you have ever injured a hamstring, you know how important they are. You can not walk, run, jump or do anything with your legs without healthy hamstrings. Doing seated leg curls on a regular basis will prevent injury and improve your athletic performance.

Warning

It is very important to use a reasonable amount of weight when performing seated leg curls. Start with a light amount of weight then gradually increase the resistance until it is a challenge to do each seated leg curl. You must be able to control the weight so that you can keep your legs slightly bent when you straighten your legs. Attempting to lift too much weight could hyper extend your knees.