Leg Press (45° Sled) vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl Strength Standards

Leg Press vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl Strength Standards

These bodyweight tables place the 45-degree leg press and plate loaded leg curl targets side by side from Novice through Elite. Use them to compare standards, not to force a particular ratio between the lifts.

Find the closest row in the men’s or women’s table. Every target lists Leg Press / Plate Loaded Leg Curl, pounds first and kilograms second. Enter your own sets above for exact ratings without testing a true one-rep max.

Men’s Leg Press vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl Standards

How to read the table: Find the closest bodyweight, then use the labeled exercise row. Every strength-level entry shows one target with pounds first and kilograms beneath it.

Women’s Leg Press vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl Standards

How to read the table: Find the closest bodyweight, then use the labeled exercise row. Every strength-level entry shows one target with pounds first and kilograms beneath it.

How Your Leg Press vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl Result Is Calculated

The comparison starts by estimating each max separately. It then rates both lifts against their own standards before identifying the lower result.

1. Estimate a one-rep max from each set

When the set contains one rep, the entered load is the estimate. For 2–12 reps, the calculator keeps the less aggressive of the two formula results.

• Epley: weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)
• Brzycki: weight × 36 ÷ (37 − reps)

For the most useful Leg Press vs Plate Loaded Leg Curl comparison, enter clean, difficult sets performed with the same technique and range of motion you use in training. Lower-rep sets usually require less extrapolation.

2. Find the 45-degree leg press strength level

The leg press standards use the sex-specific standards from the individual Leg Press tool. Targets begin at 190 lb for men and 150 lb for women, then adjust to exact bodyweight with reference target × (user bodyweight ÷ reference bodyweight) to the two-thirds power.

Two-thirds scaling raises the target as bodyweight rises while limiting the size advantage that a direct one-to-one adjustment would create.

3. Find the plate loaded leg curl strength level

The plate loaded leg curl rating uses its sex-specific exercise standards. Reference targets at 190 lb for men and 150 lb for women are scaled to the entered bodyweight by reference target × (user bodyweight ÷ reference bodyweight) to the two-thirds power.

Two-thirds scaling raises the target as bodyweight rises while limiting the size advantage that a direct one-to-one adjustment would create.

4. Compare the two results

Each max receives a level from Beginner through Elite. The lower-level lift becomes the priority. At matching levels, a priority appears only when one lift is at least 10 points farther from its next level; otherwise the result is Balanced.

A priority result is a standards comparison, not a diagnosis. Differences in technique, fatigue, practice, or set effort may influence it. Age range is recorded anonymously and does not alter these standards.

Use the calculator above to view both estimated maxes, strength levels, next targets, and the resulting priority or Balanced verdict.

How Men’s Leg Press and Plate Loaded Leg Curl Standards Differ

How to read this chart: Choose a strength level and follow its line across bodyweight. Values show the Plate Loaded Leg Curl standard minus the Leg Press standard: zero means equal, above zero means the Plate Loaded Leg Curl standard is higher, and below zero means the Leg Press standard is higher. Swipe horizontally on mobile. Use the standards table for exact lb/kg targets.

How Women’s Leg Press and Plate Loaded Leg Curl Standards Differ

How to read this chart: Choose a strength level and follow its line across bodyweight. Values show the Plate Loaded Leg Curl standard minus the Leg Press standard: zero means equal, above zero means the Plate Loaded Leg Curl standard is higher, and below zero means the Leg Press standard is higher. Swipe horizontally on mobile. Use the standards table for exact lb/kg targets.

Leg Press and Plate Loaded Leg Curl Exercises Used by This Calculator

Compare like-for-like attempts by keeping the 45-degree leg press and plate loaded leg curl setup consistent with their individual rules. Use strict, repeatable Leg Press and Plate Loaded Leg Curl tests that follow each exercise’s setup, range of motion, equipment, and load rules. Do not mix variations, assistance, partial range, momentum, or different load conventions.

Use a 45-degree plate-loaded sled leg press

Keep both feet flat and approximately shoulder-width, descend until the thighs reach at least parallel to the platform without lifting the hips or rounding the lower back, and press to controlled full knee extension. Do not enter a horizontal, vertical, selectorized, single-leg, high-foot, partial, bounced, or assisted press.

Use the Plate Loaded Leg Curl setup and load convention

The lifter must control the implement before the first counted rep begins. Valid Plate Loaded Leg Curl reps. The lifter must curl the roller through the intended range to a controlled knee-flexed finish, then return under control to the same extended start range without lever bounce. A valid finish requires controlled hamstring curl finish with hips down or body position fixed, no hip lift, no trunk swing, no shortened range, and no assisted negatives. Consistent setup, range, and finish quality across the entered set. No substituted exercise or assisted reps.

Enter one recent Leg Press result and one recent Plate Loaded Leg Curl result

First lift: total plates loaded on the 45-degree sled and 1–12 strict reps. Second lift: weight used and 1–12 strict reps. Pounds or kilograms.

Related Tools

• Leg Press (45° Sled) — View the individual Leg Press standards and next strength-level target.
• Plate Loaded Leg Curl — View the individual Plate Loaded Leg Curl standards and next strength-level target.
• Seated Leg Curl — Use this related standards tool to examine a closely related exercise without mixing its result into this comparison.
• Lying Leg Curl — Use this related standards tool to examine a closely related exercise without mixing its result into this comparison.
• Standing Leg Curl — Use this related standards tool to examine a closely related exercise without mixing its result into this comparison.
• Bodyweight Nordic Curl Strength Standards — Use this related standards tool to examine a closely related exercise without mixing its result into this comparison.