Machine Seated Leg Curl vs Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl
Swapping Machine Seated Leg Curl (Machine) for Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl (Machine) retains 100% overlap; expect externally braced cam track. Compare exact 17-muscle fractional recruitment before swapping equipment mid-session.
Side-by-Side 17-Muscle Recruitment Delta
How primary mover (1.0× set) and synergist (0.5× set) allocation changes when swapping Machine Seated Leg Curl for Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl.
| Muscle Group | Machine Seated Leg Curl | Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl | Leverage Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamstrings | Primary (85%) | Primary (85%) | Matched |
| Calves (Gastrocnemius & Soleus) | Secondary (15%) | Secondary (15%) | Matched |
Load & Volume Conversion: Machine Seated Leg Curl → Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl
Worked weight heuristic: a 115 kg set on Machine Seated Leg Curl (Machine) maps roughly to 115 kg on Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl (Machine; 5 kg jumps, curve: cam-matched resistance across sticking points). Calibrate set 1 at RPE 8 so e1RM history for Machine Seated Leg Curl remains unskewed. Zero anatomical muscles are dropped between Machine Seated Leg Curl and Standing Leg (Hamstring) Curl; 1:1 weekly set volume carries straight across.
Supporting Sports-Science Literature
| Study Title | Lead Author & Year | Verified Link |
|---|---|---|
| Myoelectric activity and improvements in strength and hypertrophy are unaffected by the ankle position during prone leg curl exercise - a within person randomized trial. | Cadeo (2023) | PubMed 37194431 ↗ |
| Less time, same gains: Comparison of superset vs. traditional set training on muscular adaptations | Burke (2025) | DOI ↗ |
| Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. | Maeo (2021) | PubMed 33009197 ↗ |
| Influence of exercise order on maximum strength and muscle volume in nonlinear periodized resistance training. | Spineti (2010) | PubMed 20938358 ↗ |