Put Your Feet *Here* to Hit Your Glutes and Hamstrings More with the Leg Press Machine
You in all probability already know this, however the leg press machine is so well-liked that you simply virtually want a reservation to snag just a few units on it while you hit the gymnasium for leg day. It is a go-to for gymnasium newbies and seasoned gymnasium goers alike, and for good motive: The leg press machine affords some severe advantages.
The leg press “is a strong compound lower-body train that targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and extra,” says Thanu Jey, D.C., C.S.C.S., clinic director at Yorkville Sports Medicine Clinic. “It helps construct energy within the motion of extending your knees and hips,” he provides.
With two sorts of leg presses accessible at many gyms (and a number of methods to make use of them), although, you may not be utilizing these items of apparatus to their fullest potential. This is what you should know to alter that.
The Two Sorts of Leg Press Machines
Most bigger gyms have two totally different leg press machines: an incline leg press machine that you’re going to discover with the free weights (corresponding to barbells and dumbbells) and a horizontal cable leg press machine that you’re going to discover with the cable weight machines.
The Incline Leg Press
With the incline leg press machine, you sit in a low, reclined seat together with your toes pressed up towards a raised platform. You may add weight plates to the platform to regulate the resistance and make it tougher to push the platform up and away from you. In an incline leg press, you push towards gravity, which mimics practical, machine-free actions you employ in the true world, says Adeeb Khalfe, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., founding father of Movement Evolution in Dallas.
A serious professional of the incline leg press is that it permits you to add tons of weight, making it an ideal device for extra superior exercisers, says Khalfe. Nevertheless, as a result of your physique is positioned beneath the load, the incline leg press places extra load in your backbone, growing your threat for harm in case you do not use the machine correctly. (To not point out, loading and unloading plates from the machine could be a trouble.)
The Horizontal Cable Leg Press
With the horizontal cable leg press, you sit together with your toes pressed towards a platform on the identical top as your torso. Any such leg press usually contains a cable-rigged weight stack that you should use to simply choose your required weight with out getting up out of your seat.
Because you’re working towards the resistance you have chosen on the machine’s pulley system (and never gravity), the horizontal leg press has much less practical profit than the incline, in response to Khalfe. Nevertheless, this kind of leg press machine is much less intimidating for learners, and in addition permits you to make changes to your weight — though your choices are extra restricted — extra rapidly than the incline machine, he says.
Use the Leg Press Machine
To make use of both kind of leg press machine, choose a weight you possibly can safely carry to your desired variety of reps. (You may at all times start light and increase the weight if it is too simple.) Sit together with your again and head flat towards the seat and your toes positioned shoulders-width aside in the midst of the platform, says Jey. Hold your toes impartial — that means your toes are instantly above your heels.
Conserving your core tight, glutes rooted within the seat, and your again straight towards the seat, press by way of your toes (evenly by way of your toes and heels, says Jey), to push the leg press platform away from you and straighten by way of your knees. When your legs are absolutely prolonged — however not locked out — pause. Then, slowly and with management, bend on the knees to return the platform to its beginning place. Do not rush by way of the movement, and maintain your toes firmly planted on the platform all through.
The Advantages of the Leg Press Machine
“The leg press is a good machine for creating the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and even calf muscular tissues,” says Khalfe. Due to the machine’s managed motion sample, it is usually protected for learners who’re new to (or intimidated by) free-weight workouts, he says. And since you do not want a spotter, it is also an ideal possibility for solo leg days; simply be sure to use the security bars on the incline leg press to maintain the load from sliding down on you in case you overestimate how a lot you possibly can carry or your foot slips.
Plus, because the leg press isolates the decrease physique, it is also an ideal possibility for individuals with again or shoulder accidents who wish to strengthen their legs. You can too do reps with only one leg to work on single-leg energy with out having to fret about steadiness, provides Khalfe. (And also you get all these other benefits of lifting weights.)
The Downsides of the Leg Press Machine
Though the leg press machine helps you construct leg energy, the motion would not fairly translate to real-world actions in the way in which that squats or lunges do, says Jey. The incline press is barely extra practical than the horizontal press as a result of it requires you to work towards gravity like standing workouts do — however you in all probability will not ever want to truly push towards a heavy weight together with your toes whereas sitting down IRL.
To not point out, standing strikes corresponding to squats and lunges additionally have interaction your core far more than the leg press, since they require you to steadiness, says Khalfe. (And core strength is important for sooo many reasons.) So, the leg press machine undoubtedly has a spot in your exercise routine — so long as it is not the one lower-body transfer in your arsenal.
Widespread Leg Press Machine Errors
Whenever you do hop onto the leg press machine, be careful for a few method errors that may mess together with your outcomes and put you in danger for harm.
- Lifting your butt up off the seat: Although you might be tempted to carry your butt off the seat when pushing a heavy weight, do not do it. This will increase the pressure the motion places in your knees, says Khalfe.
- Utilizing your arms to assist push by way of your legs: One other frequent cheat individuals flip to when the load will get heavy: utilizing their arms on their thighs to assist push their legs. Whereas this is not essentially harmful, it finally undermines your leg energy progress by taking the stress off of your leg muscular tissues, explains Khalfe.
- Locking your knees out on the prime of the rep: “One of many largest errors I see is individuals loading up the leg press with weight after which locking out their knees on the finish of their reps,” says Khalfe. This shifts the stress off of your quads and onto your precise knee joint (eek!), which units you up for ache and harm.
- Arching your again up off the seat: Troublesome as it might be to maintain your again utterly flat towards the seat all through your reps, arching your again on the leg press machine will increase the pressure in your decrease again, says Khalfe.
undrey/Getty Photographs
Get Extra Out of the Leg Press Machine
One of many leg press machine’s main perks is that adjusting your foot placement (aka stance width and foot top) can change up which muscular tissues the transfer emphasizes. Whereas that impartial, shoulders-width stance targets your glutes and leg muscular tissues fairly evenly, a wider sumo stance (with toes pointed barely out) fires up your inside higher thighs and quads, whereas a slender stance lights up your outer quads extra, says Khalfe.
And the way excessive you place your toes on the platform additionally shifts the main target: A excessive foot place will increase the emphasis in your hamstrings and glutes, whereas a decrease foot place targets your quads, provides Khalfe. (This is extra on how to activate glute muscles you assume are snoozing.)
Machine-Free Alternate options to the Leg Press
In fact, if you wish to reap the strength-building advantages of the leg press with out the machine, you possibly can undoubtedly accomplish that.
Along with firing up your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, other great leg day moves corresponding to squats, lunges, and calf raises additionally make it easier to develop core energy, steadiness, and stability, says Khalfe. These actions are additionally extra practical and higher put together your physique for each day duties, corresponding to climbing stairs.
