THE LEG PRESS: A CLOSER LOOK

newsletter Jan 05, 2023

By Abdurahmaan Saloojee

Abdurahmaan Saloojee is a newsletter contributor from Ottawa, Canada. He enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with cats.

The leg press is a very versatile tool if used correctly
It can be used to bias more quad or more glute depending on the setup, but beware of falling into a trap and thinking more is better
It’s a useful compound movement that can be used for output or skill depending on the population and position in the workout/program

The leg press is one of the most common pieces of exercise equipment around. Anywhere you go, if it loosely resembles a gym and has a bench press, there’s a decent chance that it has a leg press as well. And for good reason: it’s a very useful and versatile tool–so much so that it has perhaps spawned too many variations and options to a point where some people swear that moving your toes out two degrees entirely changes the muscles that are worked. This post is here to clear up your confusions regarding the leg press and highlight some key areas where it should be used and not be used. The post will aim to cover three main points: Overview, Common Mistakes, and Programming.

Overview

The leg press is an extremely popular piece of equipment and a staple in any gym. It can take many forms, including some of the very elaborate vertical/floating leg presses that some gyms have. In its most basic form, it is typically called a linear leg press and is loaded by plates on a sled that is assisted by gravity. Leg press usually biases two main muscle groups: the quads and the glutes (and to a lesser degree the hamstrings along with the glutes because they both extend the hip). This is in part dictated by foot position on the sled, but more so by the combination of that and the seat angle and what it results in in terms of shin and femur angle when you execute the movement. For example, if you lean the seat back slightly and place your feet on the top half of the sled, on the eccentric, the angle of your shin in relation to your ankle will likely change less than the angle of your femur in relation to your hip. This emphasis in hip extension will make this a more hip (and thus glute) dominant leg press. However if your seat was leaned more forward and your feet were lower on the sled we would see a lot more movement of the shin in relation to the ankle and the knee joint, making this a more knee (and thus quad) dominant leg press. It is important to note that that is not to say that leg press A is exclusively a glute exercise and vice versa–these are compound movements where multiple muscles contribute. Making small adjustments when it comes to foot placement and seat height can simply shift the bias in the muscles used (slightly more glute vs slightly more quad).

Common Mistakes

One thing that many people misunderstand about the leg press is to do with its execution in terms of foot placement. Some people think that if positioning the feet slightly higher on the sled biases more glute, then placing them on the very top as wide as possible is MOST glute. This is incorrect thinking. Just because some is good, it doesn’t mean that more is better. Placing the feet too high and wide on the sled for a glute biased leg press does not align with the active range of motion of the hip. The hip only has around 120 degrees of flexion; if you start the movement already in 120 degrees of flexion then you have nowhere to go on your eccentric and the glute is not being properly lengthened. Movement will come from the sacrum and the lumbar spine and likely result in discomfort in the lower back. This can be avoided by starting the feet lower on the sled and allowing your hips room to move – you want to finish the eccentric movement in end-range hip flexion so the glutes can extend the hip. In a similar vein, some people turn sideways in the seat and abduct the hip before doing a single leg press because they feel a better “squeeze”. The principle is the same: you can’t get somewhere you already are. The glute abducts the hip - if you start with it pre-shortened and don’t let it stretch, it becomes inefficient for that muscle.

Programming

The leg press is, put simply, a squat pattern. Its compound nature necessitates a large amount of co-contraction and requires all fibers to contract to move the even if you cue it in a glute dominant way. It will always be a squat pattern more so than it is an RDL, and should not be treated as a replacement for a hinge movement. More than a squat pattern, it is very externally stabilized which allows for a high level of subjective failure to be achieved, making this a better choice for hypertrophy in most programs as opposed to a barbell back squat. In a more advanced trainee’s program this can be used as an autonomous output exercise, lending itself more to C1s and D1s in a program. In a new trainee’s program, this might be more cognitive and assist in teaching them the mechanics of a squat, which would probably present itself as an A1 or B1. Part of the beauty of the leg press is its versatility: if you already have A1 skill movements for a squat or a hinge and need an externally stabilized movement that biases a different muscle group, the leg press can be set up to satisfy either criteria. The leg press has uses for both advanced and new trainees and can also be set up to bias different muscles, making it a viable option for lower body across the board.

In summary, the leg press is a versatile movement that has many uses in any program, from the most advanced bodybuilder to the newest teenager in the gym. It can be used as an output and hypertrophy movement as well as a skill based movement to teach a squat pattern. The setup and cueing will dictate which muscle group is biased (quads or glutes). Try looking at it through this lens and see how many options open up for you in your programming.