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Seated leg press

Variation of Leg press

Also called horizontal leg press, seated leg press machine.

What is a seated leg press?

A seated leg press is a machine exercise in which you push a platform away while your back and hips remain supported. It trains the quadriceps, glutes and adductors through combined knee and hip extension.

Two-frame side-view anatomical illustration of a woman using a seated horizontal leg press with her knees bent and then extended, with the thighs and glutes highlighted.

How do you perform a seated leg press?

Set up

  1. Adjust the seat so you can begin with bent knees while your back and hips stay fully supported.
  2. Place both feet flat on the platform around shoulder width, with the knees pointing in the same direction as the toes.

Execution

  1. Press the platform away by extending the knees and hips while keeping the heels down and the pelvis against the pad.
  2. Stop with the legs nearly straight without forcing the knees into a hard lock.
  3. Return under control until you reach a comfortable depth without the pelvis curling away from the backrest.

Common mistakes

  • Lowering until the pelvis rolls up

    Use the deepest range that keeps the back and hips supported rather than forcing a machine-dependent depth.

  • Letting the knees collapse inward

    Keep each knee tracking with its foot throughout the press and return.

  • Pushing through the toes

    Keep the heels in contact so the whole foot remains stable on the platform.

Where it fits in a session

Use it as a main lower-body press or after squats and hinges for additional leg work.

Record the seat and foot settings so depth and load remain comparable.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The seated press extends the knees and hips against a guided platform; exact contribution changes with the machine, foot position and range.

Variations

  • Anatomical illustration of a 45-degree sled leg press, shown as two frames side by side. In both, a grey muscle-anatomy figure lies back on the angled seat of a plate-loaded sled machine with a weight plate on the carriage and both feet flat on the footplate. On the left the legs are almost straight at the top of the push, the sled high on the rails; on the right the carriage has come down and the knees are bent past a right angle, thighs close to the chest. The muscles of the thighs are highlighted in red along their whole length, the upper inner thigh at the hip most strongly; the buttocks are pressed against the pad and are not visible.
    45-degree leg pressUses an inclined sled rather than a horizontal seated lever.
  • Single-leg seated press — Uses the same machine one leg at a time.
  • Vertical leg press — Presses a platform upward while the torso lies beneath it.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the seated leg press work?

It trains the quadriceps, glutes and adductors as the knees and hips extend. Hamstrings assist and help control the position.

How deep should you go?

Lower until you reach a comfortable depth while the whole foot stays planted and the pelvis remains against the backrest.

Should you lock your knees?

Finish with the legs nearly straight, but do not drive into a forceful hard lock.

Is a seated leg press the same as a 45-degree leg press?

Both are guided knee-and-hip presses, but the machine angle, seat and load path differ enough that lifters usually record them separately.

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