Estimate Your Max
Leg Press Calculator
Nobody should be testing a true leg press max with a sled full of plates and no way to bail. Enter the weight you pressed and the reps you got, and this calculator estimates your one-rep max across five formulas, then gives you the training weight for every percentage.
Find Your Leg Press Max
How to Use the Leg Press Calculator
One honest set is all it needs.
Take a set you finished with one or two reps left in the tank, enter the plate weight and the reps, and read the estimate. The number shown is the average of five published prediction formulas, so no single equation gets to dominate the answer. Open the breakdown if you want to see what each one said.
Count plates only. Leg press sleds carry their own weight, anywhere from nothing on some horizontal machines to over 60 lb on a loaded 45-degree rail, and there is no way for a calculator to know which one you are on. Keeping the input to plates means your number stays comparable from session to session on the same machine, which is the comparison that actually matters.
How Accurate Is a Leg Press 1RM Estimate?
Good at low reps, shaky at high ones, and always machine-specific.
Rep-max formulas were built and validated mostly on barbell lifts, and they are at their best between one and five reps. Below about six reps the five estimates cluster within a few percent of each other. Push past ten and they start to disagree, because how many reps somebody can do at a given percentage varies far more at high rep counts than at low ones. This tool caps the input at 15 reps for that reason.
The leg press adds a second source of error on top of that. Most people can do far more reps on a leg press at a given percentage of their true max than they can on a squat, partly because the trunk is not limiting and partly because the range is short. That tends to push the estimate high, so treat the answer as an upper bound rather than a promise. The NSCA's explainer on kinematic and kinetic chains is the background here: both moves are closed chain, with your feet planted against the load, but the leg press also fixes the path and supports your trunk, and that difference is most of the reason leg press numbers run so far above squat numbers.
This is an estimate for programming, not a target to attempt. A leg press failure with a heavy sled is one of the few gym accidents that can trap you, so if you do want to test a genuine single, use the safety catches, set the stops and have somebody standing there.
What to Do With Your Leg Press Number
Percentages, progression and a level to aim at.
The percentage bars underneath the result give you the load for each intensity. Most productive leg press work sits between 65 and 80 percent of your estimated max for sets of eight to fifteen, since the machine is at its best for volume rather than for maximal singles. Recalculate whenever you hit a new rep record on a working set, which for most people is every three or four weeks.
Once you have a number, take it to our leg press strength standards page. Enter your bodyweight there and you will see whether your press is at the beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced or elite mark for your size, and exactly how far the next level is.
More Leg Press and Squat Tools
Find your level, then check the rest of your training.
Leg Press Calculator Questions
Common questions about this calculator.
How do you calculate a leg press max?
Take a set you completed with good depth, enter the plate weight and the reps above, and the calculator projects your one-rep max by averaging five prediction formulas. The fewer reps in the set, the more reliable the projection.
Should I include the sled weight?
No. Enter plates only. Sled weight varies from zero to more than 60 lb depending on the machine, so leaving it out keeps your numbers consistent on your own machine, which is the comparison that matters.
Why is my leg press max so much higher than my squat max?
Because the machine supports your trunk, guides the bar path and usually gives you a shorter range. A leg press two to twice-and-a-half times your squat is normal, and the gap narrows as your squat technique improves.
How many reps should I use for the estimate?
Between three and eight is the sweet spot. The calculator accepts up to 15 reps and caps it there, because prediction formulas lose their meaning at very high rep counts.
Is it safe to test a true leg press one rep max?
It carries more risk than the estimate is worth for most people, since a failed rep can pin you under the sled. Use the safety stops, set the catches and have a spotter if you insist on testing.
Does this work in kilograms?
Yes. Switch the unit toggle to kg and the input, the estimate and the training percentages all convert.