Muscles worked
What the leg press trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Set the back pad. Adjust the seat back so you can reach a deep knee bend without your hips curling off the pad. A more upright back pad usually shortens how deep you can go.
- 02
Sit all the way back. Press your hips and lower back into the pad and the seat. Your tailbone stays down for the whole set.
- 03
Place your feet. Put your feet flat in the middle of the platform, about shoulder width apart, toes turned out slightly. Your knees should point the same way as your toes.
- 04
Grip the handles. Hold the side handles to keep yourself pulled down into the seat, not to push with your arms.
- 05
Release the safety stops. On a plate loaded sled, press the platform up a few inches, then turn the safety handles out to unlock it. Know where they are so you can lock them again after the set. A weight stack machine has no handles to release.
Step by step
How to do the leg press
- 01
Brace. Take a breath into your belly and tighten your trunk with your legs almost straight and knees soft.
- 02
Lower. Bend your knees and let the platform come toward you under control, knees tracking in line with your toes.
- 03
Find your depth. Stop around 90 degrees at the knee, or at the deepest point where your hips and lower back still stay flat on the pad. Your heels stay down.
- 04
Press. Push through your whole foot, heels and midfoot, and drive the platform back up in a smooth line.
- 05
Finish soft. Stop just short of locking your knees, then start the next rep. After the last rep, press the platform back to the top, turn the safety handles back in and lower the sled onto them before you let go.
Cues to say in your head
- Hips glued to the seat
- Drive through heels and midfoot
- Knees follow your toes
- Stop before your back lifts
- Soft knees at the top
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Hips and lower back peeling off the pad at the bottom
Shorten the range to where your tailbone stays down, lighten the load, or try a slightly wider stance with your toes turned out a little more. Rounding under heavy load at the bottom is the main back risk on the leg press.
Snapping the knees straight at the top
Stop with a slight bend so the load stays on your legs, not on locked joints.
Knees caving inward
Push your knees out over your toes on the way up. If they keep caving, lighten the load or turn your toes out a little more.
Heels lifting off the platform
Move your feet higher on the platform and keep pressure through your heels and midfoot.
Tiny half reps with a stacked sled
Lower the weight and use a full range you can control. Depth you own builds more leg than plates you can only move a few inches.
Pushing on your knees with your hands
Keep your hands on the handles. If you need your arms to finish a rep, the set is over.
Stay safe
Learn how your machine catches the sled before you load it: many plate loaded leg presses have stops you can set just below your deepest safe point. To end a set you cannot finish, lower under control onto those stops, or have a partner help push the platform back up to the safety handles; never push on your knees with your hands. If your machine has no adjustable stops, finish sets a rep or two short of failure. Keep your knees soft at the top, keep your lower back on the pad, and stop if you feel sharp pain in your knees, hips or back, then get it checked before you load up again.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 4 to 6 | 80–87% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 8 to 15 | 65–78% 1RM | 1.5 to 2.5 min |
| Endurance | 2 to 3 | 15 to 25 | 50–62% 1RM | 1 to 1.5 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Muscle sets
140–168lb
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, 1.5 to 2.5 min rest. Where the leg press shines. Take sets close to failure with a controlled lowering.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Leg Press questions
What muscles does the leg press work?
Mainly the quads and glutes, with the adductors helping out of the bottom. The hamstrings assist a little, and your calves and abs keep you steady on the platform and seat.
Where should I put my feet on the leg press?
Start with your feet flat in the middle of the platform, about shoulder width apart, toes turned out slightly. Placing them higher tends to put more work on the glutes and hamstrings, lower puts more on the quads, and wider brings in more inner thigh. Keep your whole foot down whatever you pick.
How low should you go on the leg press?
Go as low as you can while your hips and lower back stay flat on the pad, which is around 90 degrees at the knee for most people. If your tailbone starts to curl up, that is your depth for now.
Should you lock your knees on the leg press?
No. Stop each rep with a slight bend in your knees so the weight stays on your muscles, not your joints. At the end of the set, press the platform to the top, turn the safety handles back in and lower the sled onto them.
How do you do a single leg leg press?
Put one foot on the platform in line with that hip, rest the other foot on the frame, and start with less than half your two leg weight. Keep both hips down on the seat, lower only as far as your lower back stays on the pad, then press through your whole foot, and do the same reps on each side.
Is the leg press as good as squats?
They do different jobs. The leg press lets you train your quads and glutes hard with your back supported and no balance demand, while the squat also trains your trunk and balance. Many programs use squats as the main lift and the leg press for extra leg volume.
Train in Protocol
Log your leg press by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.