Squat vs Leg Press: Which Is Better for Your Legs?

For building leg muscle, both work well; studies comparing free weights with machines find similar growth. The squat is better for squat strength, jumping and athletic carryover, because you balance the load yourself. The leg press is easier to learn, safer to push close to failure and spares your back. Most lifters do best using both.

The choice depends on your goals, your gym and how your body handles each lift. Below is what the research comparing them found, how muscle activity differs, why squat depth matters, and how to program the two together.

Do Squats or Leg Presses Build More Muscle?

Neither has a clear edge for overall leg size. Trials comparing free-weight and machine training, including squats against machine-based leg work, found similar muscle growth. Your quads grow from hard sets close to failure, and both exercises deliver that when you train them hard.

A 2023 meta-analysis in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation of 13 studies found no difference in muscle hypertrophy between free-weight and machine training in direct comparisons. Strength gains were specific to the equipment used.

In a 2020 free weights vs machines trial, 46 young adults trained with either free weights or machines for eight weeks. Quadriceps thickness increased in both groups with no difference between them. For more on the wider comparison, see our guide on free weights vs machines.

Which Is Better for Strength and Athletic Performance?

The squat. Strength carries over best to the movement you practise, and squats train you to balance and control a heavy load through your whole body. In studies, squat training improved squat strength and jump height more than leg press training, which matters if you play sports.

In a 2018 study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, lifters did squats only, leg presses only, or both for 10 weeks, two lower-body sessions a week of 6 sets at 8 to 12 reps. Squat training had greater transfer to maximal squat strength, and effect sizes favored the squat groups for jump performance.

A 2016 squat and leg press trial of 78 students compared eight weeks of parallel squats with 45 degree leg presses. The squat group improved squat jump by 12.4% and countermovement jump by 12.0%, while the leg press group's changes of 3.5% and 0.5% weren't significant. The authors recommended squats when jump performance is the goal.

How Does Muscle Activity Differ Between the Two?

Squats make more muscles work to stabilize you, including the calves, hamstrings and lower back. The leg press supports your back and fixes the path, so more of the effort goes straight to the quads and glutes. That extra stabilizer work is useful for coordination, though it didn't translate into more growth in training studies.

A 2009 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared free-weight squats with machine (Smith) squats at the same 8-rep max. Muscle activity was 34% higher in the calves, 26% higher in the hamstrings and 49% higher in the inner quads with free weights, and 43% higher averaged across all muscles measured.

The leg press goes a step further than a Smith machine by supporting your back entirely. That's one reason many lifters with lower-back limits use it: you can train your legs hard without loading the spine the same way a barbell on your back does.

Does Squat Depth Matter for Leg Growth?

Yes. Squatting deep builds more glute and inner thigh muscle than squatting halfway down, while the quads grow similarly either way. The same principle applies to the leg press: lowering the sled further, as far as your hips allow with good form, works more of the muscle through a bigger range.

A 2019 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology had 17 men do full or half squats twice a week for 10 weeks, measuring muscle volume with MRI. Quad volume rose about 4.9% with full squats and 4.6% with half squats. But the glutes grew 6.7% with full squats against 2.2% with half squats, and the adductors 6.2% against 2.7%.

Interestingly, neither depth grew the hamstrings or the rectus femoris, the quad muscle that crosses the hip. That's why squats and leg presses both need partners like Romanian deadlifts, leg curls and leg extensions for complete leg development.

Is the Leg Press Safer Than Squats?

It's easier to train hard safely, especially alone. The leg press has safety stops, a fixed path and a supported back, so you can push sets close to failure without a spotter. Squats are safe with good technique and safety pins, but failing a heavy squat is riskier than failing a leg press rep.

That's why the leg press is ideal for higher-rep sets taken close to failure, where effort drives growth, as explained in our guide on training to failure. Many lifters keep heavy squats a rep or two short of failure and use the leg press for harder, higher-rep work.

The leg press isn't risk-free, though. Lowering the sled so far that your lower back rounds off the pad, or locking your knees hard at the top, are common form errors worth avoiding. Set the seat so your hips stay down, and control each rep.

Should You Do Squats, Leg Presses or Both?

Both, for most lifters. Use squats as your main heavy lift for strength and carryover, then the leg press for extra volume. In the 2018 trial, the group doing both lifts had favorable effect sizes for jumping and balance, though differences weren't significant. If you can only do one, choose based on your goals and how your body tolerates each.

Goal	Better choice
Overall leg size	Either, or both
Bigger squat	Squat
Jumping and sport	Squat
Training hard alone, near failure	Leg press
Lower back limits	Leg press
Home gym with a rack	Squat

A simple weekly layout is heavy squats for 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 8 reps on one leg day, and leg presses for 3 sets of 10 to 15 on another. Add Romanian deadlifts or leg curls for the hamstrings. Our guide on how many reps and sets to build muscle covers weekly volume for your legs.