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Squat vs Sled Leg Press

Strength Standards Comparison

How does your Squat compare to your Sled Leg Press? See side-by-side strength standards from Beginner to Elite.

Quick Answer: The average intermediate lifter's Squat is approximately 58% of their Sled Leg Press, based on FitnessVolt intermediate strength standards (anchored to 2.5M+ verified competition results for the base lifts).

What Is the Ratio Between These Lifts?

The average intermediate lifter's Squat is 58% of their Sled Leg Press. This ratio is calculated from intermediate-level standards across all bodyweight categories.

Standards from the FitnessVolt strength standards model, anchored to 2.5M+ verified competition results (OpenPowerlifting) for the base lifts.

When Should You Use Each Exercise?

Squat

  • Primary muscles: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Core
  • Equipment: Barbell, Squat Rack
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

Sled Leg Press

  • Primary muscles: Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
  • Equipment: Sled Leg Press Machine
  • Type: Isolation

How Should You Interpret This Comparison?

The ratio between your Squat and Sled Leg Press reveals important information about your training balance. A ratio significantly above the average suggests relative strength in your Squat, while a lower ratio may indicate it is a relative weakness worth addressing in your programming.

Use these standards to identify imbalances, then target weak points with the Backoff Calculator for accessory volume or the Block Planner for structured periodization.

All standards are based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results. Learn more about our methodology.

Squat vs Sled Leg Press: 1RM at Each Level

Expected 1RM for a male lifter at 180 lb bodyweight, from Beginner to Elite.

Squat Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 74 114 167 229 298
120 87 131 187 252 324
130 100 147 206 274 349
140 113 162 224 295 373
150 125 177 242 316 396
160 138 192 259 336 418
170 150 207 276 355 439
180 162 221 292 373 460
190 174 235 308 391 479
200 186 248 323 408 499
210 197 261 338 425 517
220 209 274 353 442 535
230 220 287 367 457 553
240 230 299 381 473 570
250 241 311 395 488 586
260 251 323 408 503 603
270 262 335 421 517 618
280 272 346 434 531 634
290 282 357 446 545 649
300 291 368 459 559 664
310 301 379 470 572 678
90 39 71 114 167 226
100 46 79 124 179 241
110 51 87 134 191 254
120 57 94 143 201 267
130 63 101 152 212 279
140 68 108 160 222 290
150 73 115 168 231 301
160 78 121 175 240 311
170 83 127 183 248 320
180 88 133 190 256 329
190 93 138 196 264 338
200 97 144 203 272 347
210 101 149 209 279 355
220 106 154 215 286 363
230 110 159 221 293 371
240 114 164 227 299 378
250 118 169 232 306 385
260 122 173 238 312 392

Sled Leg Press Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 88 172 289 437 607
120 107 198 323 479 656
130 126 224 356 519 703
140 145 249 388 557 747
150 165 274 419 594 790
160 184 299 449 630 831
170 202 322 478 664 870
180 221 346 506 697 908
190 239 368 534 729 945
200 257 391 560 761 980
210 275 413 586 791 1015
220 292 434 612 820 1048
230 310 455 637 849 1080
240 327 475 661 877 1112
250 343 495 684 904 1142
260 360 515 707 931 1172
270 376 534 730 956 1201
280 392 553 752 982 1229
290 407 572 774 1006 1257
300 423 590 795 1030 1284
310 438 608 816 1054 1310
90 44 109 206 335 487
100 54 124 227 361 518
110 64 138 246 385 546
120 73 151 264 407 573
130 82 165 281 429 599
140 91 177 298 449 623
150 100 189 313 468 645
160 109 201 329 487 667
170 117 213 343 504 687
180 125 224 357 521 707
190 133 234 370 538 726
200 141 245 384 553 744
210 149 255 396 568 762
220 156 265 408 583 779
230 164 274 420 597 795
240 171 283 432 611 811
250 178 292 443 624 826
260 185 301 454 637 841

How Does Muscle Targeting Compare?

Squat

Primary Muscles Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Core
Secondary Muscles Core, Hamstrings
Equipment Barbell, Squat Rack

Sled Leg Press

Primary Muscles Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
Secondary Muscles Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings
Equipment Sled Leg Press Machine

Where Can You View Full Standards?

Squat vs Sled Leg Press: How Do They Compare?

The Squat and Sled Leg Press are both popular exercises, but they target different muscles and have different strength expectations. This page compares their strength standards side by side so you can see exactly how your lifts stack up.

The tables above show 1RM strength standards by bodyweight for both exercises, from Beginner to Elite, using the FitnessVolt strength standards model. Use the Male/Female toggle to switch between gender-specific data. For the big three (squat, bench press, deadlift) we also publish verified competition percentiles from 2.5M+ powerlifting meet results, always shown separately.

Want to check your own levels? Visit the individual exercise pages for Squat or Sled Leg Press to use the interactive strength calculator and find your exact percentile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on competition data, the average intermediate lifter's Squat is approximately 58% of their Sled Leg Press. Ratios vary by bodyweight and training experience.
No. Different exercises involve different muscle groups and leverage advantages. The ratio between lifts varies by anatomy, training history, and movement patterns.
Difficulty depends on your individual strengths and training history. Compare the standards tables above at your bodyweight to see which exercise you are relatively stronger at. The exercise where your 1RM falls into a higher tier is the one you are more advanced in.
If both exercises target muscles you want to develop, incorporating both into your program can provide complementary training stimulus. Check the muscle targeting comparison above to see how they differ.
Increase training frequency for the weaker lift to 2-3x per week, add targeted accessory work, and use RPE-based programming to manage fatigue. Our Block Planner can help structure a program.
Standards are derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results and community-reported training data. They are broken down by bodyweight and gender to give you an accurate comparison. Learn about our methodology.

What Other Exercises Can You Compare?

Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.