Leg Curl vs Romanian Deadlift: Two Ways to Train Your Hamstrings
Your hamstrings need both exercises — not one or the other. That might sound like a non-answer, but there's a real scientific reason why using only one leaves gains on the table. Here's the full picture.
Veröffentlicht: 2026-03-09
Lever Lying Leg Curl
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Your hamstrings have two jobs
Most muscles only do one thing. Your hamstrings do two: they bend your knee (like during a leg curl) and they extend your hip (like during a Romanian deadlift). This is important because no single exercise trains both functions equally.
The leg curl trains knee flexion — your knee bends against resistance. The Romanian deadlift trains hip extension — your hips hinge while your knees stay mostly straight. Each exercise trains a different function of the same muscle.
Stretched vs shortened position
During a Romanian deadlift, your hamstrings are stretched under load. When you lower the bar, you feel the pull in the back of your legs. Research shows that training muscles in this stretched position is excellent for muscle growth [2].
During a leg curl, your hamstrings are shortened under load — they contract as your heel pulls toward your butt. This trains the muscle at the other end of its range. Both positions contribute to full hamstring development.
Injury prevention
Hamstring strains are one of the most common injuries in sports. Research strongly suggests that training hamstrings at long muscle lengths (like during Romanian deadlifts) reduces the risk of hamstring strains [3].
But leg curls also play a role in hamstring health by strengthening the muscle through knee flexion, which is the function most often involved in hamstring injuries during sprinting. Athletes should absolutely do both.
Practical programming
Romanian deadlifts are demanding. They tire your lower back, grip, and hamstrings all at once. You typically do them with heavy weight and lower reps (6-10) early in a workout when you're fresh.
Leg curls are much less taxing on your body overall. They isolate the hamstrings without fatiguing your back or grip. You can do them later in a workout with moderate reps (10-15) and still get great stimulus.
The Bottom Line
Do both. This isn't a cop-out answer — your hamstrings literally need both exercises for complete development. Put Romanian deadlifts early in your workout for heavy hip-extension work, and leg curls later for focused knee-flexion work. If forced to pick one, the Romanian deadlift is the more functional choice, but you'll leave hamstring development on the table.
At a Glance
Lever Lying Leg Curl
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Common Questions
How often should I train hamstrings?
Twice per week works well for most people. You could do Romanian deadlifts on one day and leg curls on another, or both in the same session.
Can I do leg curls instead of Romanian deadlifts if my back hurts?
Yes, leg curls are a great option when your lower back needs a break. You'll still train your hamstrings effectively, just through a different movement pattern.
Wissenschaftliche Quellen
[1] Muscle activation during various hamstring exercises.
McAllister MJ, Hammond KG, Schilling BK et al. · Journal of strength and conditioning research (2014)
[2] Hamstring-to-quadriceps activation ratio during lower-limb strengthening exercises.
Veeck F, de Vargas JS, Godinho RAT et al. · Research in sports medicine (Print) (2024)
Al Attar WSA, Husain MA · Sports health (2023)
Die Quellen sind begutachtete wissenschaftliche Publikationen von PubMed.
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