Hips swinging
Keep your thigh pressed into the front pad and lower the weight if your hips kick back.
Isolation · Machine
Standing Leg Curl
The standing leg curl trains one hamstring at a time by curling the heel toward the glute while standing against a pad. It is a good way to fix side-to-side differences and get focused hamstring work, and suits anyone with access to the machine.
- Primary
- Hamstrings
- Starting rep range
- 10–15 reps
- Target effort
- 1 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 2.5 kg / one stack step
Muscles worked
The hamstrings flex the knee against the pad. Because the hip is fairly straight, the hamstrings work at a shorter length than in a seated curl, and the calf assists slightly.
How to set up
- Adjust the machine so your knee lines up with the pivot point.
- Place the roller pad just above your working heel on the back of the lower leg.
- Rest your thigh against the front pad and hold the handles.
- Stand tall on the support leg with a slight knee bend.
How to do each rep
- Curl your heel up toward your glute without letting your hips move back.
- Squeeze at the top for a moment.
- Lower over 2-3 seconds until your knee is nearly straight.
- Finish all reps on one leg, then switch.
Common standing leg curl mistakes
Arching the lower back
Brace your abs and stay upright so the hamstring, not your back, moves the pad.
Short range
Lower to near-full extension on each rep instead of bouncing in the top half.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the standing leg curl at 10–15 reps with about 1 reps in reserve. As an isolation exercise it fits well after your main compound lifts.
Use 8-15 reps per leg and add load once both legs hit the top of the range. Start each set with your weaker leg and match the reps on the stronger side.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Standing Leg Curl alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Questions
Is the standing leg curl good for hamstrings?
Yes, it is a direct hamstring isolation exercise and the single-leg setup helps even out imbalances. Pair it with a hinge movement for complete hamstring training.
Standing leg curl vs seated leg curl?
Seated curls train the hamstrings in a more stretched position; standing curls work one leg at a time. Either works well, and you can rotate them between training blocks.