Single-Leg Press
A machine leg press driven by one leg at a time, loading the quadriceps with the torso fully supported.
How to do it
- Set the seat so your working knee starts bent without your hips rolling off the pad.
- Place one foot flat in the center of the sled and let the other leg rest clear of it.
- Grip the handles, press your lower back into the pad, and release the safety catches.
- Lower the sled under control until the working knee reaches roughly a right angle.
- Drive the sled away by extending the knee and hip, stopping just short of lockout.
- Complete the reps on that side, reset the safeties, and switch legs.
Key technique cue
Keep the hips on the pad at the bottom; knee tracks over the foot, no lockout.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Locking the knee out forcefully at the top, which dumps tension into the joint.
- ✕ Letting the hips roll off the pad at the bottom, which rounds the lower back under load.
- ✕ Loading the sled too heavily, which is the main cause of knee and back complaints on this machine.
- ✕ Letting the working knee drift inward instead of tracking over the foot.
Benefits
- ✓ Loads the quadriceps heavily while the spine stays supported.
- ✓ Isolates one leg so strength differences cannot be masked by the stronger side.
- ✓ Offers a controlled path, which makes it easy to prescribe early in a program.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Single-Leg Press
About the exercise
The single leg press puts one foot in the center of the sled and presses it away by extending the knee and hip. Because the back and hips stay pinned to the pad, the quadriceps take the bulk of the load with the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and adductors assisting. Foot position steers the emphasis: pressing through the heel brings more glute in, pressing through the ball of the foot keeps the quadriceps dominant. Stopping just short of a hard lockout keeps tension on the muscle and keeps the knee joint out of an end-range jam.
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