How to Use The Leg Press
Getting started
Sit with your feet hip-width apart on the foot plate with a 90 degree angle at the knees. Push out and straighten your legs, leaving a slight bend at the knees. Slowly return to the start position being careful not to allow the weights in the stack to touch to maintain the resistance on your muscles.
Taking it to the next level
Every time you use the machine you should look to increase the amount of reps and sets, and the intensity. You could also raise your feet higher up the platform to focus on your glutes, and perform reps one leg at a time which is especially useful following injury to prevent over-working your stronger leg.
Alternative exercises which can get you similar results include Squats and Lunges.
What are the benefits?
The chest press will strengthen and tone the following muscles:
- Rectus Femoris
- Vastus Medialis
- Vastus Lateralis
- Vastus Intermedius
- Gluteus Maximus
- Biceps Femoris
- Semimembranosus
- Semitendinosus
Ready to give it a go?
No matter what your goal or fitness level may be, there's a leg press training method for you. In fact, we've put together our recommendations below:
Beginner: 3 sets of 12 - 8 reps (increasing weight per set and then load every week)
Intermediate: 4 sets of 8 reps with maximum weight per set. Make sure you complete all 8 reps
Advanced: 5 sets of 6 - 8 reps with alternating lunges (same reps as leg press) superset after each set
For a step-by-step guide on how to perform different exercises on different muscle groups, check out our Exercises section.
Looking for more resistant training ideas? Check out our video below.
