Seated Leg Curls Exercise To Activate your Hamstrings [Alternative]

Trainers in the gym focus more on compound exercises for building strength and muscles. These compound exercises like seated leg curls target multiple muscles and joints that help you gain strength and flexible joints. We strongly recommend that, don’t take this focus on compound exercise as isolation exercise that targets only specific muscle.

You can perform leg curl in standing or in a seated position – both of these variables will be required machine. We also have some suggestions where you can use sliders in place of the machine – if you don’t want to spend money in a gym membership for the machine. The leg curl is one of the best exercises that strengthens and increase the mass of hamstring. 

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How to do Seated leg curls

Like most of the exercises, the proper execution of the exercise with proper form and range of motion, is required for this seated leg curls. This exercise requires a machine that will definitely help you in developing your hamstrings. Here is the guide to perform this exercise without getting injury.

• Adjust the weights on the panel to train your hamstring.
• Sit of the chair of the machine and make sure your back is straight and your hips are touching the back support of the chair.
• Place your feet behind the front bar that will help you lift weight from your foot.
• Put your hands on the support given on the sides of the chair to keep your balance while performing this exercise
• Slowly lift the weights and establish mind-muscle connection. Lift your feet up to the knee level and slowly retrace the position of your feet,
• Repeat this rep for 10 to 12 times. And perform 3 sets for this with 30 seconds break in between.

Benefits of Seated Leg Curls

Training your legs is the one of the most required thing for muscle building. The male growth hormone testosterone can help us in growing muscle and strength. These hormones shoots up when we train our legs. Seated leg curls – according to a study – can boost the male hormone up to 200% of the current level. There many other benefits of this leg curl exercise as follow:

• This seated leg curls workout directly target your hamstring. The strength and mass building is the core focus of this exercise. Also this exercise will target your calves as secondary muscle
• To build overall leg strength and calves training, this seated leg curls exercise is the best workout to add in your routine
• In term of flexibility, your glutes and hip joints will become more flexible. Also this exercise will help you in strengthening lower back and knee joints.
• To prevent chronic diseases you can add this exercise in your routine as it can remove fats effectively and fast from thighs.

Alternative of Seated Leg Curls

Sometime we are unable to get the gym membership or don’t have leg curl machine at home. To cope up the situation, we need to find some alternative to get strong hamstrings. Here are some best alternative to seated leg curls that can you can opt for your workout:

Romanian Deadlift

Romanian deadlift basically target the whole body. This deadlift variation partially target the shoulder and the hamstring. Also this exercise require bicep and glutes to be active – so it targets these muscles also. This exercise is not specifically targets the hamstrings but also the other important muscles in the lower body. Still it can be very effective alternative to seated leg curls.

Kettlebell Swing

This alternative exercise requires kettlebell to execute the workout. In this exercise the kettlebell swings in front of the body. It targets the buttocks, hamstring, shoulder, and chest to some extent. Almost all the major muscles can be target with this exercise and you can get full benefit of it as alternative to seated leg curls.

Buttock Lift

This exercise is excellent alternative to the leg curls. This primarily target your hamstring but also activate the entire back. You do not require any additional equipment to perform this exercise, you need only your body weight. You just simply stand on your knees and lock your toes. Bend forward slowly until you hit the ground. Then retrace your position slowly. Repeat this exercise to fatigue.