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Leg press calculator

Enter a recent leg press set, counting the weight the same way every time, and how many more reps you could have done. The calculator estimates your leg press max and turns it into loads for sets of 8 to 15, rounded to plates you can put on the sled.

Unit
Reps in reserve

How many more you could have done. 0 means none.

Example result

Estimated leg press 1RM

260kg

Brzycki, for comparison

266.5kg

200 kg × 8 with 2 in reserve counts as 10 reps to failure.

Your rep maxes
  • 250 kg2RM
  • 245 kg3RM
  • 230 kg5RM
  • 210 kg8RM
  • 200 kg10RM
Working loads from your estimated max, rounded to 5 kg
GoalSets × repsRIRLoad
Heavy eights3 × 82200 kg
Muscle-building tens3 × 102190 kg
Twelves3 × 121185 kg
High-rep fifteens2 × 151175 kg
Build a leg press session from this set

Leg press examples

Leg press numbers depend on the machine and on what you count as the weight, so each example says both.

  • Example 1

    Ten to failure on a 45-degree sled

    An intermediate lifter who ran 405 lb of plates for 10 reps with nothing left, on the gym's angled sled.

    Weight lifted
    405 lb
    Reps completed
    10
    Reps in reserve
    0
    • Estimated leg press 1RM527 lb

    A leg press set to failure usually predicts a higher max than you'd press for a single, for reasons the next section explains. Leave the max alone and use the rows near the set you did: the tens and twelves are the loads to train with.

    Build a leg press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Counting plates only

    A lifter whose gym doesn't post the sled weight, so they log plates only: 140 kg for 8 with 2 left.

    Weight lifted
    140 kg
    Reps completed
    8
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated leg press 1RM182 kg

    Plates-only is fine as long as every set is logged the same way. The working loads come out in plates too, so the eights here are what to load next session. Moving to a different machine starts a new number.

    Build a leg press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    Too many reps to read

    A woman who pressed 100 kg for 12 and could have done 2 more.

    Weight lifted
    100 kg
    Reps completed
    12
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated leg press 1RM~143.5 kg

    A 14-rep effort is past where a max formula holds up, on the leg press more than most lifts. Add 10 to 20 kg, take a set to 2 in reserve, and enter that: once reps plus reps in reserve come to 10 or fewer, the working-load table appears.

    Build a leg press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    Over 60, knee-friendly sets

    A 63-year-old lifter on a horizontal seated leg press, 180 lb for 8 with 2 left.

    Weight lifted
    180 lb
    Reps completed
    8
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated leg press 1RM234 lb

    The twelves and fifteens in the table give plenty of work with less load on the knees. Run those, keep the depth that feels good on every rep, and let the reps climb before adding plates.

    Build a leg press session from this set Open with these numbers

Why a leg press max reads high

People get more reps on the leg press at a given share of their max than on most lifts. A 2024 meta-regression of 269 studies found that at 80% of a tested max, lifters averaged about 13 reps on the leg press against about 9 on the bench press. Rep-based formulas, this one included, are built for the bench-press pattern: at 80% this one expects 8 or 9 reps.

So a hard leg press set, turned into a max, comes out above what you would press for a single. The loads to train with are still right: they are worked back through the same formula, so the rows near the reps you entered line up with what you did. That is why this page's working sets start at 8 reps and run up to 15.

Average reps to failure at a share of the tested max (Nuzzo et al., 2024)
LoadLeg pressBench press
80% of max13 reps9 reps
70% of max19 reps14 reps

Sled weight, machines and depth

Some gyms post the sled's own weight on the machine and some don't. Count it or leave it out, but do the same every time, because the calculator only knows the number you give it.

A 45-degree sled, a horizontal seated press and a vertical press load the same weight very differently, so a leg press max belongs to one machine. Depth works the same way: a set to 90 degrees of knee bend and a set an inch from your hips lifting off the pad are different lifts. For a squat comparison, the leg press to squat calculator does the conversion.

Leg press technique

The lift this calculator is for

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Half reps move the most weight and give the least to compare. The depth you take each rep to decides what the number means, so enter sets at the depth you always train.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so you can bend your knees to at least 90 degrees without your lower back peeling off the pad.
  2. Put your feet flat on the platform about shoulder width, toes turned out slightly, and grip the handles.
  3. Press the platform out and release the safety stops, keeping a small bend in your knees at the top.
  4. Lower under control, letting your knees travel toward your chest until your hips are about to tuck.
  5. Push through your whole foot back to the top without snapping your knees straight, then start the next rep.

Cues

  • Hips and lower back stay on the pad
  • Push through mid-foot and heels
  • Soft knees at the top

Common mistakes

  • Short half reps to move more weight: they inflate the max and build less leg than full reps with fewer plates.
  • Bouncing out of the bottom: if the last inches turn into a rebound, take weight off until the bottom is controlled.
  • Going so deep your hips curl off the seat: stop each rep an inch before that point and keep that depth every set.

Swap for: Hack Squat, Goblet Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat

Make it fit you

  • Test with 6 to 10 reps

    Lower reps keep the estimate closest to a real single on this lift. If you only ever press for 15 or more, train from the working loads and skip the max.

  • Pick a counting rule and keep it

    Plates only, or plates plus the sled: either works if it never changes. Write the rule next to the machine name in your log.

  • Load what the machine takes

    Loads round to 5 kg or 10 lb. On a sled that takes only 20 kg or 45 lb plates, round to the nearest pair you can load and adjust reps to land at the reps in reserve.

  • Use the high-rep rows

    The leg press handles sets of 12 to 15 close to failure well, with no balance to lose. Most of the growth work can live there, with a heavier set of 8 to start.

  • Feet change the muscles, not the max

    Higher on the platform puts more of the work on your glutes; lower puts more on your quads. Pick a placement and keep it, or your sets won't compare.

Questions

Should I count the sled weight on the leg press?

Either way works if you're consistent. Count it if your gym posts it and you want to compare machines; leave it out if it isn't posted, and log plates only.

How accurate is a leg press max calculator?

Less than on the bench. Lifters get more reps at a given share of their max on the leg press, so the estimate tends to land above a tested single. The working loads near the reps you entered are still right.

Why is my leg press so much higher than my squat?

The machine supports your back and guides the path, so there is nothing to balance, and many sleds move on an angle. The leg press to squat calculator puts the two side by side.

How much should I leg press?

Leg press numbers don't carry from one machine to the next, so the useful comparison is with your own last block. Log the same machine and depth and watch the estimate climb.

How many reps should I do on the leg press?

Sets of 8 to 15, stopped 1 to 2 reps short of failure, are where the working-load table starts and ends. For weekly volume, the sets per muscle group calculator gives a range.

Sources

Keep your leg press numbers honest

Log load, reps and RIR on every leg press set and RIRLift keeps your estimated max current, then picks the plates for your next session from the steps your machine takes.

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