Single-Leg Press
A leg press done with one foot on the platform: you lower the sled until your knee is well bent and press it back up, training the quads and glutes of each leg separately.
- Primary muscles
- Quads, Glutes
- Secondary
- Hamstrings
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
It gives you single-leg work without the balance demand of split squats or step-ups, so you can push each leg hard with your back fully supported. That makes it a good fit for evening out a side-to-side difference, or for loading one leg when lunges feel wobbly. Start much lighter than you'd guess, since one leg handles well under half of what both legs press together, and do your weaker side first.
How to do it
Sit in the leg press and place one foot in the middle of the platform, the other foot on the floor or the frame.
Release the safety and lower the platform until your knee is bent to about 90 degrees.
Press back up through your whole foot without locking the knee out hard.
Finish all reps on one side before switching. Use well under half your two-leg weight to start.
Common mistakes
Loading it like the two-leg press
One leg can't press half your usual weight. Start well under half, as the steps say, and add load once the reps look smooth.
Lower back rolling off the pad
Going deeper than your hip allows tucks your pelvis and lifts your lower back off the seat. End the descent just before that happens.
Knee caving inward
With only one foot on the platform, the knee tends to drift in as you press. Keep it in line with your toes and push through your whole foot.
Snapping the knee straight at the top
Locking out hard parks the load on the joint and gives the leg a rest. Stop just short of straight and go into the next rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
