The Single-Leg Press is a beginner-friendly machine strength exercise that targets the quadriceps, with the glutes, hamstrings, calves and abdominals working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesQuads
Secondary musclesGlutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs
EquipmentMachine
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Single-Leg Press
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.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
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.
03 Don't do this
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.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Single-Leg Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
