Horizontal Leg Press Calf Raise
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes
- Body part
- Lower Legs
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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On the horizontal machine the calf press happens along a flat, seated pressing line rather than the 45-degree sled angle, which makes it quicker to set up and easier to get out of at the end of a set. Range of motion is what you are buying here; let the heels drop below the plate edge before driving up onto the forefoot.
How to do the Horizontal Leg Press Calf Raise
- Adjust the seat of the leg press machine so that your knees are slightly bent when your feet are on the footplate.
- Sit on the machine with your back against the backrest and your feet flat on the footplate, shoulder-width apart.
- Place your toes and the balls of your feet on the footplate, keeping your heels off the edge.
- Release the safety handles and push the footplate away from you by extending your knees.
- Once your knees are fully extended, slowly lower your heels by flexing your calves.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the footplate back up by extending your calves.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Push through the whole foot and keep your knees tracking in line with your toes rather than caving inward.
Muscles worked
Primary
Calves · Legs
On a leg press calf raise, the calves push the platform away with the ball of the foot; go for a full stretch at the bottom and a slow lowering.
Secondary
- Quads — The quads extend the knee and do most of the work, and they should feel it hardest in the bottom half of each rep.
- Hamstrings
- Glutes — The glutes get more involved the higher and wider your feet are on the platform and the deeper you go.
Common mistakes
- Lower back peeling off — if your hips lift at the bottom, the range is too deep for your hip mobility; stop just before the pelvis tucks.
- Slamming into lockout — slamming to full extension under a heavy sled loads the joint, not the muscle; stop just short of lockout and keep tension.
- Feet too low — a low foot position pushes the knees far forward and shifts everything onto the quads and knees; move the feet up to bring in the glutes.
- Half reps, too much weight — the leg press invites ego loading, so pick a weight you can take to at least 90 degrees of knee bend with control.
Where it fits in a workout
Use the leg press after squats as a way to get more quad volume without the bracing demand, or as the main lower body lift on a lighter day. Follow each set with calf raises on the same sled to save time.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Easier and harder
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.