Single-Leg Leg Press
oec:single-leg-leg-press
A unilateral lower-body compound exercise performed on a leg press machine to build quadriceps and glute strength while addressing side-to-side imbalances.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: One-Leg Leg Press, Unilateral Leg Press, Single leg press
How to do it
Setup
- Sit back into the leg press seat with your back and hips firmly pressed against the backrest.
- Place one foot in the middle of the footplate aligned with your hip and shoulder, with toes pointing slightly outward.
- Rest the non-working foot on the floor or machine frame away from moving parts.
- Press the sled up to unlock the safety stops and firmly grip the side handles.
Movement
- Lower the sled smoothly by bending your working knee and hip until the knee reaches approximately a 90-degree angle.
- Ensure your lower back and glutes remain flat against the pads throughout the descent.
- Drive through your midfoot and heel to press the platform back to the start position.
- Stop just short of full knee lockout to maintain muscular tension before starting the next rep.
- Complete all repetitions on one leg before switching to the other.
Breathing
Inhale as you lower the weight toward your chest, and exhale forcefully as you press the footplate away.
Cues
- Keep your lower back pinned to the pad.
- Track your knee in line with your middle toes.
- Push through the whole foot, not just the toes.
Common faults
- Allowing the pelvis to tuck or round off the backrest at the bottom of the movement.
- Limit your depth to the active range where your lower back and hips stay firmly anchored to the seat pad.
- Knee caving inward (valgus collapse) during the pressing phase.
- Reduce the load and consciously direct your knee outward over your second and third toes.
- Hyperextending or violently locking out the knee joint at the top.
- Maintain a soft knee bend at full extension to keep continuous tension on the quads and protect the joint.
Safety
- Always engage mechanical safety catches at a height that prevents the sled from crushing you in case of failure.
- Never place your free leg on the platform or cross it over the working knee.
Muscles
Joints
- Hip: Flexion, Extension
- Knee: Flexion, Extension
- Ankle: Dorsiflexion, Plantarflexion
Details
- Movement
- Squat
- Modality
- Strength, Hypertrophy
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- push
- Laterality
- unilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Leg press
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, total
Related
- variation of Leg Press
- substitute for Bulgarian Split Squat
- substitute for Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
Sources
- wger: Single leg press, by qoxivi (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.