Single Leg Leg Press

How to Perform the Single Leg Leg Press

Sit in the leg press machine with your back and head flat against the pad.
Place one foot on the center of the footplate at roughly shoulder width, and remove the other foot from the platform.
Release the safety handles and lower the platform by bending your working knee toward your chest.
Descend until your knee reaches approximately 90 degrees of flexion, keeping your lower back pressed into the pad.
Press through your heel and midfoot to drive the platform back up to the starting position.
Do not lock out your knee fully at the top to maintain constant tension on the quadriceps.
Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other leg and re-engage the safety handles when finished.

Placing the foot too high or too low on the platform

Position your foot in the center of the platform to ensure balanced engagement of the quads and glutes.

Allowing the lower back to round off the pad at the bottom

Only descend as far as your flexibility allows while keeping your lower back firmly against the backrest.

Locking out the knee aggressively at the top

Stop just short of full lockout to keep tension on the muscles and protect the knee joint.

✓Addresses strength imbalances between legs in a stable, supported environment
✓Allows heavy unilateral loading with reduced balance demands compared to free-weight alternatives
✓Builds quadriceps, glute, and hamstring strength effectively

●Start with significantly less weight than you use for the bilateral leg press, typically 40-50% of your two-leg weight.
●Place your foot higher on the platform to shift emphasis to the glutes and hamstrings.
●Control the eccentric phase for at least 2-3 seconds for increased muscle activation.

Strength

4-5 sets of 5-6 reps per leg at 80-85% effort

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per leg at 65-75% effort

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg at 50-60% effort

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