How to do a leg press
- Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad.
- Place your feet on the platform about shoulder width apart, in the middle, toes turned out slightly.
- Push the platform up and release the safety handles. Keep a slight bend in your knees.
- Lower the platform by bending your knees towards your chest, knees following the direction of your toes.
- Go as deep as you can while your lower back and hips stay on the pad.
- Push the platform back up through your whole foot until your legs are nearly straight, without locking your knees.
- After the last rep, lock the safety handles before you get out.
Cues that help
- "Hips glued to the seat": the depth ends where your hips would start to roll up.
- "Push through your whole foot": heels down, pressure across the foot.
- "Knees over your toes": they track out with your feet, not caving in.
- "Soft knees at the top": stop just short of straight.
Common mistakes
- Locking the knees out hard at the top. Under a heavy sled it is a real injury risk; keep a small bend.
- Going so deep your lower back rounds off the pad. Stop just before your hips curl up.
- Half reps with a huge weight. A full range with less weight builds more.
- Knees caving inwards as you push. Push them out in line with your toes.
- Lifting your heels. Move your feet higher on the platform if they will not stay down.
Where to put your feet
The middle of the platform at shoulder width is the all-round position. Feet higher on the platform let your hips bend more and your knees less, which shifts more of the work to the glutes and hamstrings. Feet lower let your knees travel further forward, which puts more on the quads but asks more of your knees and ankles.
A wider stance with toes turned out brings in the inner thigh. Pick the position that lets you go deep with your hips down, and keep it the same so your log stays comparable.
Sets, reps and weight
- For muscle: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Leg press also works well with sets of 15 to 20.
- Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets: large muscles need it.
- Use a weight you can lower to full depth with your hips on the pad. The number on the machine is not comparable between machines or with your squat.
- Add a rep or a small plate at a time once you hit the top of your rep range on every set.
Safety
- Always use the safety handles or stops: set them so they catch the platform just below your deepest point if the machine allows it.
- Never lock your knees under a heavy load.
- If you fail a rep, do not twist out from under it; push it to the safeties or have someone help you lift it.
Variations and alternatives
- Single-leg press: one leg at a time, to even out a weaker side.
- Horizontal or seated leg press: a seated machine that pushes straight out, often lighter and easier to get into.
- Hack squat: a sled you stand in, more quads and more like a squat.
- Back squat: the free-weight version, with more core and balance work.
- Bulgarian split squat: one leg at a time, needing only dumbbells and a bench.
Tracking your leg press
PushBeyond logs the weight and reps of each set and charts the history of the exercise, so you can see your leg press grow. Its muscle map counts the leg press for your quads and glutes, with the hamstrings as a secondary muscle.