Having strong and powerful hamstrings is crucial for lower-body development, lower body strength, and athletic ability. The most important and popular hamstring exercises are sitting and lying leg curls. The standing leg curl machine is another hamstring machine that targets and trains one leg at a time. A standing leg curl can be a great indicator of strength inequality between the two legs. When the standing leg curl machine exercise is done with proper technique, it can be a valuable addition to a full lower body workout.
What Is a Standing Leg Curl Machine?
The standing leg curl machine is a strength-training machine designed to isolate your hamstrings through knee flexion. It’s similar to a lying leg curl in that the move is performed while lying on a table, but instead you are standing. Usually, you have a padded lever resting against the back of your lower leg. Bending your working knee, you curl your heel towards your glutes against resistance. A single leg curl machine is always used for one leg at a time. Single leg exercises are easier to focus on the hamstring that is working, and can also help in balancing out each leg.
Single Leg Hamstring Curl Machine: target muscles
The primary muscles worked in a standing single leg hamstring curl machine are the hamstrings. The hamstrings are also involved in extending the hip. This means that while they are flexing the knee during a standing leg curl, they are also extending the hip and pulling the lower leg backward. The calf muscle is somewhat used in this workout as well because the calf crosses the knee joint. However, your abs and glutes can also take part in the action by supporting you when only one leg is used in the exercise. Since this exercise is a single-leg movement, the standing single leg curl machine can help you to target and refine the motion and range of motion of each leg.
Standing Leg Curl Machine Exercise
Using a leg curl machine standing requires correct positioning.
Start with the machine set so the pivot point is aligned properly to the knee joint. Push the working leg into the padded roller of the machine and hold the support handles.
Maintain an upright torso with tight hips. Flex your working knee and control lowering your heel to your glutes. Hold for a brief squeeze of your hamstrings at the top and then slowly control lowering your foot toward the starting position.
Don’t swing the leg or use momentum. The movement should be initiated by the bending of the knee rather than excessive movement of the hip. Conduct your repetitions in a controlled manner.
Benefits of a Standing Leg Curl
One of the best perks about a standing leg curl machine is that it's a unilateral exercise. When you train each leg one at a time, you can focus on each side. Or perhaps the standing position could offer a different training stimulus to sitting or lying leg curls. This machine is ideal for beginners to help them learn hamstring isolation. For the more advanced, it makes for a useful accessory to moves like lunges, squats, or Romanian deadlifts. And for a commercial gym, if you are shopping for a hamstring machine, the Hammer Strength Select Leg Curl is another machine worth mentioning. Its selectorized design makes it easy for users to incorporate hamstring training with a simple change in resistance.
Standing Hamstring Curl on Leg Extension Machine
One of the most commonly asked questions is whether you can do a hamstring curl standing on the leg extension machine. The one thing to consider is that this all depends on the design of your machine. A traditional leg extension machine has been designed for knee extension and primarily works the quadriceps. To train quadriceps, you can also invest in Atlantis Leg Extension MODEL C105.
Selecting a Standing Leg Curl Equipment for Sale
Many things you need to consider when buying a standing leg curl machine:
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Adjustment capabilities, padding quality, construction of the frame, range of motion, stability of the machine, and resistance.
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Adjustability and durability are specifically important for commercial facilities since the machine will be used by different people over the course of a single day. A good standing leg curl should allow taller and shorter users with varied body types to get the same effective fit.
Final Thoughts
The standing leg curl machine is a great machine to help you isolate your hamstrings. The fact that you can train one leg at a time on the machine makes it very versatile. And since you can focus the resistance on the knee flexion, it’s great for training the hamstrings independently. Regardless of whether you are using the standing single leg curl machine, doing a bodyweight variation, or doing both hamstrings and a dedicated leg extension machine, building with technique is key to training progress. For gyms looking for lower-body equipment selection can opt for True Iron Fitness, where they can get a wide range of gym equipment.
