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Exercises

Machine leg exercises for quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves

Published October 19, 2026

The best machine leg exercises are the leg press or hack squat for your quads and glutes, the seated or lying leg curl for your hamstrings, the leg extension to finish your quads, the hip abduction and adduction machines for the sides of your hips, and the seated calf raise. A full machine leg day needs one press, one curl, one extension and a calf raise: four machines, about 14 hard sets, and no barbell to set up.

  1. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  2. Hack Squat Quads, Glutes
  3. 45-Degree Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  4. Seated Leg Curl Hamstrings
  5. Lying Leg Curl Hamstrings
  6. Leg Extension Quads
  7. Hip Abduction Machine Abductors
  8. Seated Calf Raise Calves

Machines for quads

Every press and squat machine here bends your knees deep under load, which is what grows the quads, and the extensions finish them with your hips still. Pick one press or the hack squat as the first exercise of the day and an extension near the end.

Quads and glutes, main machine press

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

The leg press lets you push heavy weight with your back supported and no balance to manage, so your quads and glutes, not your lower back, decide when the set ends. That makes it the machine most lifters build a leg day around.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad and set your feet hip-width in the middle of the platform.
  2. Unlock the safeties and bend your knees, letting the platform travel toward you until your knees are well past 90 degrees.
  3. Stop when your lower back starts to peel off the pad, then drive the platform away through your whole foot.
  4. Finish just short of locked knees and start the next rep without resting at the top.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the seat
  • Knees track over the toes
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the depth to a few inches to move more weight: lower it until you reach the deepest point your hips stay down.
  • Locking the knees hard at the top: keep a soft bend so the muscles, not the joint, hold the load.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Hack Squat, Single-Leg Leg Press

Build a session with Leg Press

Quads and glutes, sled press

45-Degree Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

The angled sled carries more load than a seated press and lets you pick a deep range, so it is the best choice when you want the biggest single quad and glute stimulus a machine can give you.

How to do it

  1. Sit back in the sled, shoulders against the pads, with your feet about shoulder-width apart, centered on the platform.
  2. Press the sled up a little and turn the safety catches out.
  3. Lower the sled slowly until your thighs come close to your chest without your tailbone curling up.
  4. Press back up through your midfoot and stop just before the knees lock.

Cues

  • Slow on the way down
  • Tailbone stays down
  • Whole foot on the plate

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottom: control the last few inches and drive up from a brief stop.
  • Letting the knees cave in on hard reps: push them out in line with your second toe.

Swap for: Leg Press, Hack Squat, Wide-Stance Leg Press

Build a session with 45-Degree Leg Press

Quads, machine squat

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The hack squat locks your back against a pad and lets you sink deep with an upright torso, which puts more of the work on your quads than any other squat pattern. It is the closest a machine gets to a heavy squat without the balance and back demands.

How to do it

  1. Step in, set the shoulder pads on you, and plant your feet about shoulder-width apart, a little forward on the platform.
  2. Release the handles and squat down, letting your knees travel forward over your toes.
  3. Go until your thighs are at least parallel to the platform, keeping your back flat on the pad.
  4. Stand back up by pushing through your whole foot and stop just short of lockout.

Cues

  • Back flat on the pad
  • Knees forward, heels down
  • Sit between your heels

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the heels at the bottom: move your feet a little higher on the platform.
  • Half reps to load more plates: a lighter hack squat taken deep builds more quad than a heavy one cut short.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Close-Stance Leg Press, Leg Press

Build a session with Hack Squat

Quads and glutes, one leg at a time

Single-Leg Leg Press

Quads

Pressing one leg at a time shows you right away if one side is doing more work, and it needs half the weight to tire each leg. Use it when the press stack runs out or one leg lags.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the press and set one foot in the middle of the platform, the other resting on the floor or frame.
  2. Lower the platform with control until your working knee is well bent and your hip stays on the seat.
  3. Push the platform away with that one foot without twisting your pelvis.
  4. Finish all reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Hips square
  • Same depth on both legs
  • Smooth, not jerky

Common mistakes

  • Rotating the hips to cheat the platform up: drop the weight until both hips stay flat.
  • Starting with your stronger leg and doing extra reps: match the weaker side's reps on both.

Swap for: Single-Leg 45-Degree Leg Press, Leg Press, Single-Leg Leg Extension

Build a session with Single-Leg Leg Press

Quads, isolation

Leg Extension

Quads

The leg extension is the only machine that trains your quads with your hip still, so it hits the rectus femoris, the quad muscle that leg presses and squats under-train. Put it at the end of a session, or first as a warm-up for the knees.

How to do it

  1. Set the back pad so your knees line up with the machine's pivot and the roller sits on your lower shins.
  2. Hold the handles and keep your hips on the seat.
  3. Straighten your knees until both legs are straight and squeeze your quads for a moment.
  4. Lower the weight slowly until your knees are bent past 90 degrees.

Cues

  • Knees on the pivot
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the weight up with your hips: lighten it and keep your seat down.
  • Stopping short of full extension: the top of the rep is where this exercise works the quads hardest.

Swap for: Single-Leg Leg Extension, Hack Squat, Close-Stance Leg Press

Build a session with Leg Extension

Quads, one leg isolation

Single-Leg Leg Extension

Quads

Doing extensions one leg at a time lets you push a lagging quad to the same effort as the strong one, and it is a gentler way to train a knee that complains under heavy presses.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine as you would for both legs and place one shin under the roller.
  2. Rest the other foot behind or beside the pad.
  3. Extend your working leg fully and hold the top for a second.
  4. Lower slowly, finish the set, and switch legs.

Cues

  • Weaker leg first
  • Pause at lockout
  • Sit tall

Common mistakes

  • Using the same weight you lift with two legs halved: start lighter, because one leg rarely handles half.

Swap for: Leg Extension, Single-Leg Leg Press, Hack Squat

Build a session with Single-Leg Leg Extension

Machines for hamstrings

Presses barely train the hamstrings, so a curl machine is not optional on a machine leg day. The seated curl starts the muscle more stretched; the lying curl is the one every gym has; the kneeling curl is the one-leg fallback.

Hamstrings, knee flexion seated

Seated Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Sitting bends your hips, which stretches the hamstrings before you curl. That longer starting length makes the seated curl the better hamstring builder when your gym has both curl machines.

How to do it

  1. Sit back in the seat and line up your knees with the pivot.
  2. Lock the thigh pad down snug above your knees and set the lower roller behind your ankles.
  3. Pull your heels down and back under the seat as far as you can.
  4. Let the roller rise slowly back until your legs are nearly straight.

Cues

  • Thigh pad tight
  • Lean forward slightly
  • Full stretch every rep

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the thigh pad loose so your knees lift: tighten it until your thighs cannot move.
  • Cutting the top of the rep: let the legs reach almost straight before the next curl.

Swap for: Lying Leg Curl, Kneeling Leg Curl, Single-Leg Leg Curl

Build a session with Seated Leg Curl

Hamstrings, knee flexion lying down

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Lying face down, you can curl heavy without your torso moving, and the pad pins your hips so the hamstrings do all the work. It is the default hamstring machine in most gyms.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your knees just past the bench's end and the roller above your heels.
  2. Hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Curl your heels toward your glutes as far as the machine allows.
  4. Lower under control until your legs are almost straight.

Cues

  • Hips pinned down
  • Heels to glutes
  • Fight the weight down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the hips off the pad to finish the rep: stop the rep where your hips would rise and work on the range over time.
  • Dropping the weight on the way down: two to three seconds down is where much of the growth comes from.

Swap for: Seated Leg Curl, Kneeling Leg Curl, Single-Leg Leg Curl

Build a session with Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings, one leg kneeling

Kneeling Leg Curl

Hamstrings

The kneeling curl trains one hamstring at a time with your hip slightly bent, so it fills the gap when the lying and seated machines are busy and evens out a weaker side.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on the pad with one knee and set the other ankle under the roller.
  2. Grip the handles and hold a flat back.
  3. Curl the heel toward your glute without letting your hips twist.
  4. Lower slowly to almost straight and repeat, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Hips level
  • Heel toward the glute
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back to lift more: lighten it and keep your torso still.

Swap for: Lying Leg Curl, Seated Leg Curl, Single-Leg Leg Curl

Build a session with Kneeling Leg Curl

Machines for glutes, outer hips and inner thighs

The press already loads the glutes hard at the bottom. These machines add the jobs a press cannot do: driving the leg straight back, pushing the knees apart, and pulling them together.

Glutes, standing hip extension

Multi-Hip Glute Extension

Glutes

The multi-hip machine lets you drive one leg straight back against a pad, training the glute through hip extension without loading your spine. It is the machine to reach for when you want glute work that does not also tire your quads.

How to do it

  1. Set the pad so it sits behind your thigh just above the knee, and stand side-on to the machine.
  2. Hold the handles with a slight lean forward and a flat back.
  3. Push the leg back until it lines up with your torso, squeezing your glute.
  4. Let it swing slowly forward again and repeat, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Lead with the heel
  • Squeeze at the back
  • Torso still

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to swing the leg further: stop where your hip, not your spine, stops.

Swap for: Hip Abduction Machine, Machine Glute Kickback, Cable Glute Kickback

Build a session with Multi-Hip Glute Extension

Outer hips and upper glutes

Hip Abduction Machine

Abductors

Pushing your knees apart against the pads trains the glute medius, the side of the hip that holds your knee in line on single-leg work. A few hard sets at the end of the session cover it.

How to do it

  1. Sit back in the seat with the pads on the outside of your knees.
  2. Set the start so your legs are close together.
  3. Push your knees out as far as the machine goes and hold briefly.
  4. Bring them back slowly until the weight almost touches the stack.

Cues

  • Push with the knees
  • Pause wide
  • Do not slam the stack

Common mistakes

  • Rocking your torso to move the pads: lean slightly forward and stay still.

Swap for: Multi-Hip Abduction, Multi-Hip Glute Extension, Band Seated Hip Abduction

Build a session with Hip Abduction Machine

Inner thighs

Hip Adduction Machine

Adductors

The adductors are a large muscle group that also helps in the bottom of squats and presses. The adduction machine is the simplest way to train them directly.

How to do it

  1. Sit with the pads on the inside of your knees and set the start wide enough to feel a gentle stretch.
  2. Squeeze your legs together until the pads meet.
  3. Hold for a moment and open slowly back to the stretch.

Cues

  • Start at a comfortable stretch
  • Squeeze together
  • Slow open

Common mistakes

  • Setting the start wider than you can control: open the range a notch at a time over weeks.

Swap for: Multi-Hip Adduction, Band Hip Adduction, Wide-Stance Leg Press

Build a session with Hip Adduction Machine

Machines for calves

Train calves with one bent-knee raise and one straight-knee raise across the week, because each position favors a different calf muscle. Both machines here let you pause in a deep stretch, which is the part of the rep that does the most.

Calves, bent-knee

Seated Calf Raise

Calves

With your knees bent, the soleus does most of the work. It is the calf muscle that standing raises under-train, so the seated machine belongs in any calf plan.

How to do it

  1. Sit with the balls of your feet on the platform and the pad snug on your lower thighs.
  2. Release the lever and let your heels drop as low as they go.
  3. Push up onto your toes as high as you can and hold the top a second.
  4. Lower slowly into the deep stretch and pause there before the next rep.

Cues

  • Pause in the stretch
  • Up on the big toe
  • No bouncing

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing quick, short reps: a one-second pause at the bottom removes the spring and makes the calves work.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press Calf Raise, Hack Squat Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise

Build a session with Seated Calf Raise

Calves, straight-leg on the sled

45-Degree Leg Press Calf Raise

Calves

With the legs almost straight, the press sled loads the gastrocnemius, the larger calf muscle, with a heavy weight and no balance needed. Use it when your gym has no standing calf machine.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the sled and place the balls of your feet on the low edge of the platform with your heels hanging off.
  2. Keep the safety catches on and your knees almost straight.
  3. Point your toes to press the sled away as far as your ankles allow.
  4. Let the sled return until your heels are well below the platform edge, then repeat.

Cues

  • Knees almost straight
  • Big stretch at the bottom
  • Toes, not knees

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees to help: keep them still so the calves move the sled.

Swap for: Seated Calf Raise, Hack Squat Calf Raise, Leg Press Calf Raise

Build a session with 45-Degree Leg Press Calf Raise

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

A full gym with every leg machine

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentHack Squat, Leg Press, Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension +4

You train at a commercial gym with a hack squat, a sled press, both curl machines and the hip machines, and you can train legs twice a week.

With every machine free you can split the week into a quad-led day and a hamstring-and-glute-led day, and still hit each muscle twice. The heavy presses get 3 sets at 1 to 2 reps in reserve because a grinding last rep on a big press costs a lot of recovery; the extensions, curls and hip machines run at 0 to 1 because they tire you far less. Day A has 15 working sets and day B has 15.

Legs A (quads)
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hack Squat2 warm-up sets firstThighs below parallel. 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Leg PressFeet mid-platform. 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Leg Extension1 s squeeze at the top. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Seated Calf RaisePause 1 s in the stretch. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Legs A (quads) in the session builder

Legs B (hamstrings and glutes)
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lying Leg Curl1 warm-up set first3 s down. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
45-Degree Leg PressDeep as your hips stay down. 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
Multi-Hip Glute ExtensionPer leg. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Hip Abduction Machine 2 × 12–20 0 1 min
Hip Adduction Machine 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
45-Degree Leg Press Calf RaiseKnees almost straight. 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Legs B (hamstrings and glutes) in the session builder

How to run it
Do Legs A and Legs B with at least two days between them, for example Monday and Thursday. Warm up on your first press with two lighter sets.
How to progress
Add weight once you reach the top of the rep range on every set at the target reps in reserve. On machines with big stack jumps, add reps first and move up when the top of the range is easy.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

A crowded gym and one leg day a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets14 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLeg Press, Lying Leg Curl, Leg Extension, Hip Abductor +1

Your gym is busy at the hours you train, the hack squat always has a line, and legs get one day a week next to your upper-body days.

This session uses the four machines that are almost always free or quick to share and pairs the curl and the extension so you are never waiting. The press gets 4 sets because it is the only compound exercise of the week for your legs; the paired isolation sets go to 0 to 1 reps in reserve to make one day count. 14 working sets in about 45 minutes.

Leg Day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
A1 Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
A2 Leg Extension 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Hip Abduction Machine 2 × 15–20 0 1 min
Seated Calf Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it once a week. Superset the leg curl and leg extension: one set of each back to back, then rest. If the press is taken, start with the single-leg press on any free press.
How to progress
Each week try to beat last week's reps on the press at the same weight. Once all 4 sets reach 12 at 2 reps in reserve, add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Knees that complain under deep presses

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLeg Press, Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension, Hip Abductor +3

You want to keep training legs hard, but deep, heavy presses and squats bother your knees right now.

These sessions keep the knee bend moderate and move most of the work to one-leg machines and hip machines, where the loads are light. The single-leg press and extensions stay at 2 reps in reserve so you can stop a rep the moment the knee complains, and the hamstring and hip work, which spares the front of the knee, carries more of the volume. Each day has 13 working sets.

Legs A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Single-Leg Leg PressPer leg. Pain-free depth. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Single-Leg Leg ExtensionPer leg. Slow lowering. 3 × 12–20 2 1 min
Multi-Hip Glute ExtensionPer leg. 2 × 12–15 1 1 min
Seated Calf Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min

Open Legs A in the session builder

Legs B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kneeling Leg CurlPer leg. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Hip Abduction Machine 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Hip Adduction Machine 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Single-Leg Leg PressPer leg. 2 × 12–15 2 90 s
45-Degree Leg Press Calf Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min

Open Legs B in the session builder

How to run it
Do both days each week. Press only as deep as is pain free, and treat that depth as the range you work back from, adding a little each week.
How to progress
Before adding weight, add depth: an inch more range on the single-leg press each week while the knee stays quiet. Once you are back to full range, add weight as usual.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What exercise machine is best for legs?

The leg press or the hack squat. Both let you load your quads and glutes heavily through a deep knee bend with your back supported. If your gym has both, use the hack squat for quads and the 45-degree press for overall size, and add a leg curl, because neither press trains the hamstrings much.

What are the best 3 leg exercises for leg day?

On machines: a press (leg press or hack squat), a leg curl and a leg extension. That covers quads, glutes and hamstrings. Add a calf raise if you have five more minutes.

Can you build legs with only machines?

Yes. Muscles respond to hard sets through a full range, not to whether a bar or a stack provides the weight. A press, a curl, an extension and a calf raise cover the leg muscles; the hip machines fill in the outer glutes and inner thighs.

How many machine leg exercises should I do per session?

Four to six. One press or squat machine, one curl, one extension and a calf raise is enough for most people; add the hip machines if glutes or inner thighs are a focus. Around 12 to 16 hard sets per session is plenty.

Is the leg press as good as squats?

For growing your quads and glutes, it is about as good, as long as you go deep. The squat trains balance and your back as well; the leg press lets you push your legs closer to failure safely because nothing else gives out first.