10 Best Sled 45° Leg Wide Press Alternatives for Glute Training

The Sled 45° Leg Wide Press is done lying on your back with a sled. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Sled 45° Leg Press, the Sled Lying Squat and the Smith Full Squat.

Sled 45° Leg Wide PressWatch the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press

The steps for the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Glutes, with quadriceps, hamstrings, calves · Sled · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Adjust the sled machine to a 45-degree angle.
  2. Sit on the sled machine with your back against the pad and your feet on the foot platform.
  3. Position your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Push against the foot platform to extend your legs and straighten your knees.
  5. Pause for a moment at the end of the movement, then slowly bend your knees to return to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Sled 45° Leg Wide Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Sled 45° Leg PressPlay demonstration

    1. Sled 45° Leg Press

    91% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the glutes.

    • Sled
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the seat and footplate of the sled machine to a comfortable position.
    2. Sit on the sled machine with your back against the backrest and your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
    3. Grip the handles on the sides of the seat for stability.
    4. Push the footplate away from your body by extending your legs, keeping your heels on the footplate.
    5. Continue pushing until your legs are almost fully extended, but without locking your knees.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the footplate back towards your body by bending your knees.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press
  3. Smith Full SquatPlay demonstration

    3. Smith Full Squat

    84% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a Smith machine to work with, and it still works the glutes.

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Set up the smith machine with the barbell at shoulder height.
    2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
    3. Step under the bar and position it across your upper back, resting on your traps.
    4. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    5. Unrack the bar and take a step back, maintaining a stable stance.
    6. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, initiate the squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
    7. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as your flexibility allows.
    8. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then drive through your heels to return to the starting position.
    9. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, the same as the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Sled 45° Leg Wide Press
    • Body position: standing, not lying on your back

Sled 45° Leg Wide Press FAQ

What muscles does Sled 45° Leg Wide Press work?

The Sled 45° Leg Wide Press targets the glutes primarily, with secondary engagement from the quads, hamstrings, and adductors. Biomechanically it emphasizes hip extension and wide-stance torque, increasing glute and adductor activation versus a narrow press.

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