ProgreviaSingle-leg calf raise on leg press: proper form, muscles worked and common mistakes
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How to do it
Place the ball of one foot on the edge of the leg-press platform and release the safety. Push to full plantar flexion, then lower letting the heel drop below the platform. High load; corrects asymmetries.
Muscles worked
Main muscle: calves. When it plans weekly volume, every set of this exercise counts in full for calves: the generator does not split it with other muscles.
Single-leg calf raise on leg press: one leg, nothing on your back
Compared with the standing calf raise on the machine, here you are seated with your back supported, so neither shoulders nor spine take the weight; all the load travels through the platform. You also train each leg on its own, which exposes differences between sides that get quietly covered when both legs work together. Since the knee stays almost straight, the gastrocnemius remains the lead muscle.
It is a good choice if you want to load your calves properly without carrying back fatigue, say after a squat or deadlift day, or if you suspect one leg lags behind. Start with far less weight than you use with two legs: with only one ankle doing the work, the same plates feel twice as heavy. Sets of 10 to 15 reps per side usually give good control.
The detail that sets it apart is foot placement. Center your foot on the lower edge of the platform with the ball of the foot in contact, not just the toes, and let the heel sink until you feel a comfortable full stretch, without bouncing. Leave the knee slightly soft rather than locked, and never let the platform set the rhythm.
Technical sheet
- Movement pattern
- Isolation
- Minimum level
- Intermediate
- Technical demand
- Basic
- Fatigue it generates
- Low (0.5 out of 2.2)
- Risk if technique breaks down
- Low
- Peak tension in the stretched position
- Worked one side at a time
These are the values the generator uses to decide where the exercise goes within the session.
Recommended sets and reps
As an isolation exercise, it works best in 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps with 0–2 RIR. Use it at the end of the session to add volume without systemic fatigue.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Bouncing at the bottom using the Achilles tendon stretch reflex, without a pause or full stretch.
- Not adjusting the seat and pads to your body: your joint should line up with the machine's pivot.
- Always starting with your good side and doing fewer reps on the other: start with the weaker side and match its reps on the strong one.
What the research says
As an isolation move, it is mostly a way to add volume to one muscle. Gentil and colleagues (2013) found that, in beginners, adding it to a multi-joint exercise gave no extra arm growth; it pays off later on, or for muscles the compounds barely reach.
It loads the muscle in the stretched position, which is where several trials find more growth: more hypertrophy from seated than lying leg curls (Maeo and colleagues, 2021) and better quad results from training the long part of the range (Pedrosa and colleagues, 2022). So do not cut the bottom of the rep short.
It works one side at a time. Speirs and colleagues (2016) compared the Bulgarian split squat with the back squat in rugby players over five weeks and strength improved by a similar amount, so a single-leg version does not mean giving up progress.
On how hard to push: the meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues (2023) found no clear advantage in going to failure over stopping just short of it. That is why the generator programs it with reps in reserve (RIR) instead of asking for failure on every set.
- Gentil P, Soares SR, Pereira MC, et al. Effect of adding single-joint exercises to a multi-joint exercise resistance-training program on strength and hypertrophy in untrained subjects. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2013;38(3):341-344.
- Maeo S, Huang M, Wu Y, et al. Greater hamstrings muscle hypertrophy but similar damage protection after training at long versus short muscle lengths. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2021;53(4):825-837.
- Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. European Journal of Sport Science. 2022;22(8):1250-1260.
- Speirs DE, Bennett MA, Finn CV, Turner AP. Unilateral vs. bilateral squat training for strength, sprints, and agility in academy rugby players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016;30(2):386-392.
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(3):649-665.
How Single-leg calf raise on leg press compares with other calves exercises
Of the 11 calves exercises in the catalogue, ranked from least to most fatiguing by the values the generator uses, Single-leg calf raise on leg press is number 7 (tied with 2 others).
That makes it a good candidate for adding calves sets at the end of a session or in heavy weeks, when you want volume without extra fatigue.
With different equipment, the same movement pattern offers 6 alternatives, such as Isometric calf raise on step, Kettlebell calf raise and Dumbbell calf raise.
| Exercise | Equipment | Fatigue | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell calf raise | dumbbells | Low (0.4 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Standing calf raise | machine | Low (0.4 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Single-leg step calf raise | bodyweight | Low (0.4 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Seated calf raise | machine | Low (0.4 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Single-leg calf raise on leg press | machine | Low (0.5 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Donkey calf raise | machine | Low (0.5 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Leg press calf raise | machine | Low (0.5 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Barbell calf raise | barbell | Low (0.6 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
Tension with the muscle stretched. Single-leg calf raise on leg press loads the muscle when it is longest. In the review by Kassiano et al. (2023), across eleven studies, full range of motion and partials performed in the initial part of the movement — with the muscle long — produced more growth than partials performed at the end.
One side at a time. The meta-analysis by Kassiano et al. (2025), across nine studies, found no significant difference in hypertrophy between unilateral and bilateral training; for strength, each format improved most in its own type of test.
On a machine. In the meta-analysis by Haugen et al. (2023), with thirteen studies and 1,016 participants, there were no significant differences in muscle growth between training on machines and with free weights.
An isolation exercise. In the trial by Gentil et al. (2015), with untrained young men over ten weeks, the biceps curl and the lat pulldown were equally effective for gaining strength and size in the elbow flexors: isolation is not filler.
- Kassiano W, Costa B, Nunes JP, Ribeiro AS, Schoenfeld BJ, Cyrino ES. Which ROMs lead to Rome? A systematic review of the effects of range of motion on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2023;37(5):1135-1144.
- Kassiano W, Nunes JP, Costa B, Ribeiro AS, Loenneke JP, Cyrino ES. Comparison of muscle growth and dynamic strength adaptations induced by unilateral and bilateral resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2025;55(4):923-936.
- Haugen ME, Vårvik FT, Larsen S, Haugen AS, van den Tillaar R, Bjørnsen T. Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2023;15(1):103.
- Gentil P, Soares S, Bottaro M. Single vs. multi-joint resistance exercises: effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Asian Journal of Sports Medicine. 2015;6(2):e24057.
Related guide
Best leg exercises for the gym and at home
Alternative exercises
More isolation exercises
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does Single-leg calf raise on leg press work?
Single-leg calf raise on leg press mainly works the calves muscle group, plus synergist and stabilizer muscles depending on the variation.
How many sets of Single-leg calf raise on leg press should I do?
Between 3 and 5 sets per session, adjusting the total weekly volume for calves to your level (about 10–20 sets per muscle per week).
How much weight should I use for a single-leg calf raise on the leg press?
Start clearly below half of what you move with two legs and adjust with practice. If you lower without bouncing, rise to your toes and hold a second at the top, the weight is already useful. Increase it when you can finish every rep with the same technique on both legs.
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