Leg Press

Quads
Glutes
Calves
Glutes
Hamstrings

Equipment: Machine

New to this

Your first leg press

What weight should I start with on the leg press?

Machines vary wildly, so ignore the number on the stack for now. Load two 45 lb plates per side, do 8 reps, and judge from there. If the last rep is easy, add a plate.

Set the seat so your knees bend to about 90 degrees at the start. Deeper than that and your lower back rounds off the pad, which is the one thing worth avoiding here.

This is the friendliest heavy leg exercise in the gym. Nothing to balance, nothing to unrack, and if you fail a rep the machine catches it.

What usually goes wrong on the leg press?

Your lower back lifts off the pad at the bottom. Don't go as deep. The pad should stay against you the whole set.

You lock your knees hard at the top. Stop just short of straight and keep tension on your quads.

Your knees cave inward as you push. Push through the outside of your feet and think about spreading the platform apart.

You put your hands on your knees to help. Hold the handles instead.

If both leg presses are taken

Leg press machines get camped on. A hack squat loads your quads almost identically, and a goblet squat needs nothing but a dumbbell and floor space.

How to do it

Using a leg press machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot stance. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances described in the foot positioning section).
Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform in place and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you.
Tip: Make sure that you do not lock your knees. Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree angle. This will be your starting position.
As you inhale, slowly lower the platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle.
Pushing mainly with the heels of your feet and using the quadriceps go back to the starting position as you exhale.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and ensure to lock the safety pins properly once you are done. You do not want that platform falling on you fully loaded.