What are the differences in the
Seated Leg Curl vs. Prone Leg Curl vs.
Kneeling Leg Curl vs. Hamstring Reverser
The difference in our plate loaded hamstring pieces is going to be mostly about personal preference.
The Plate-loaded Seated Leg Curl, is your traditional exercise, using both legs at the same time to preform the curl. Some would argue that it is the least effective machine, because it is not a unilateral movement (meaning you’re using both legs to perform the curl) and one leg might over compensate for the other. If you are right handed, your right leg might be stronger and might be taking on more work than your left leg.
The ISO Lateral Prone Leg Curl and the ISO Lateral Kneeling Leg Curl allow you to train each leg individually, and you know you are targeting the muscles in each leg, growing each leg the same. The argument we hear with the Prone Curl vs the Kneeling Curl, is that the prone leg curl forces you to use only your hamstring muscles to preform a curl, where as some of the other machines allow you to use your hips and glutes to preform the curl, taking away from the effectiveness of the intended exercise. You cannot feel much of a difference between the kneeling and the prone leg curls. You can feel the same effectiveness in those, because our kneeling curl does a good job of focusing on the hamstring making the movement.
The Hamstring Reverser is intended for supplementary help from your lower back and glutes. It is a great machine and exercise, one that allows you to grow the hamstring the most.