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Leg press
It's the way to load your legs without your back having to hold anything up, which is why it's so useful for people with a sore back or who are just starting out. It's also where lots of people pile on every plate in the gym and move four inches.
What it works
- Quads, which do most of the work
- Glutes and hamstrings, especially the lower you go
- Calves, depending on where you place your feet
How to do it
- 1Sit down and settle in
Back and butt against the backrest for the whole exercise. If the backrest is adjustable, set it so your knees are comfortable at the start.
- 2Place your feet
Shoulder-width apart, in the middle of the platform, toes pointing slightly out. Higher up you feel it more in the glutes; lower down, more in the quads.
- 3Release the safeties and lower
Lower under control until your knee is at roughly ninety degrees, or a bit more if you can without your hips lifting off the seat.
- 4Push through your whole foot
Press up through your heel and midfoot, without lifting your heels off the platform.
- 5Don't lock your knees
At the top, almost straight but without snapping into lockout. Go straight into the next rep.
The mistakes you see most
- Lifting your hips at the bottom. When you go too low, your pelvis tucks under and your lower back comes away from the backrest. It's the mistake that hurts lower backs on the leg press. That's your limit.
- Locking your knees at the top. Snapping straight with heavy weight is how your knee ends up feeling it. Always keep a slight bend.
- Letting your knees cave in. Your knees travel where your toes point. If they cave in, lower the weight.
- Pushing on your knees with your hands. Your hands go on the handles. If you need to push on your knees to finish the set, the weight is too heavy.
Variations
- Single-leg. With less weight, in the middle of the platform. It evens out differences between sides and puts less load on your back.
- Feet high. Hits the glutes and hamstrings more and is usually easier on the knee.
- Feet low. More quads, but it asks more of your knee and ankle.
- Hack squat. A similar machine, but standing. Closer to a squat, with your back supported.
Frequently asked questions
Does it replace the squat?
For loading the quads, largely yes. What it doesn't give you is the work of holding your body up and stabilizing, which is half the exercise in a squat.
How low should I go?
Until just before your hips lift off the backrest. Your hips set that point, not the machine or the person next to you.
Why shouldn't I straighten all the way?
Because with heavy loads, snapping into lockout sends all the weight to the joint instead of the muscle. Plus, keeping a slight bend means the muscle doesn't get a rest.
How many reps?
It handles long sets well: ten to twenty reps. It's one of the machines where you can really push hard safely, because if you can't finish, the platform just stops and that's it.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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