Leg Press

When using a leg press machine, it is important to position your body correctly. Sit on the machine, ensuring that your back and head are comfortably resting against the padded support. Place your feet on the footplate, keeping them hip-width apart and ensuring your heels are flat.

Make sure your bottom is flat against the seat, avoiding any lifting. Your legs should form approximately a 90-degree angle at the knees. Pay attention to the placement of your feet on the plate, as positioning them too high can stress your glutes, while placing them too low can put unnecessary pressure on your knees. Keep your knees in line with your feet, avoiding any inward or outward bowing.

Maintain this alignment throughout the exercise. Use the assist handles to provide support and keep your spine and head in the proper position.

Engage your abdominal muscles and initiate the movement by pushing the platform away using your heels and forefoot. Keep your heels flat on the footplate, avoiding excessive reliance on the front of your foot or toes to move the pad forward.
Exhale as you extend your legs, ensuring your head and back remain flat against the seat pad. Focus on a controlled and gradual extension rather than using explosive movements.
At the top of the movement, pause without locking out your knees and ensure they are not bowing inward or outward.
Inhale as you gradually bend your knees, returning the footplate to the starting position. Keep your feet and back flat throughout the movement.

Benefits

The leg press machine provides an opportunity to target and develop the quadriceps, as well as engage the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and calves.

One advantage of the leg press machine is its versatility in emphasizing different muscles by adjusting your foot positioning. This allows for targeted strength building and can help address muscle imbalances, such as overdeveloped hamstrings relative to the quadriceps.

While the leg press machine simulates the barbell squat, it reduces the demand on your core, resulting in a less comprehensive full-body exercise. This aspect can be advantageous when incorporating the leg press as a supplementary exercise to squats. By doing so, you can continue increasing volume in the quadriceps and other leg muscles without incurring the additional fatigue associated with loading a barbell on the spine.

Enhancing the strength of your quadriceps through the leg press can positively impact your squat performance by fortifying the necessary muscles for progression. If you encounter a strength plateau in your barbell squat, incorporating the leg press may prove beneficial.

In addition, utilizing the leg press machine can contribute to improving balance and stability, particularly for individuals new to lifting heavy weights. Some individuals may not be ready to perform barbell squats until they have developed familiarity with lifting substantial weights using their legs, which promotes core and leg stability in a safe manner—this is where the leg press can be valuable.