Leg Press
Category
compoundDifficulty
beginner
Equipment
leg press machine
Force Type
push
How to Perform the Leg Press
- Sit in the leg press machine with your back and head flat against the padded support.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform, positioned in the centre with toes slightly turned out.
- Release the safety handles and straighten your legs to take the weight, keeping a slight bend in your knees at the top.
- Lower the platform by bending your knees in a slow, controlled manner toward your chest.
- Descend until your knees reach approximately 90 degrees or your lower back starts to round off the pad.
- Push the platform back up by driving through your heels and midfoot until your legs are nearly straight.
- Do not lock out your knees completely at the top. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
- Re-engage the safety handles before exiting the machine.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Placing feet too high or too low on the platform
Centre your feet on the platform for balanced quad and glute engagement. Higher targets glutes more, lower targets quads more.
Locking out knees at the top
Keep a slight bend in your knees at the top of every rep to maintain tension and protect the joint.
Lowering the weight too far so hips lift off the seat
Stop the descent when your lower back begins to round. Going too deep shifts stress to the lumbar spine.
Using too narrow a range of motion
Aim for at least 90 degrees of knee bend on each rep for full muscle activation.
Muscles Worked
Benefits
- ✓Allows heavy loading with minimal spinal compression
- ✓Beginner-friendly with a fixed movement path and safety catches
- ✓Excellent for adding training volume after barbell squats
- ✓Easy to perform drop sets and high-rep finishers
Pro Tips
- ●Vary your foot position to emphasise different muscles — wider and higher for glutes, narrower and lower for quads.
- ●Use the leg press as a heavy accessory after squats to add volume without taxing your spine.
- ●Control the eccentric (lowering) phase for 2-3 seconds to maximise time under tension.
Variations
Recommended Sets & Reps
Strength
4-5 sets of 5-8 reps at 80-90% capacity
Hypertrophy
3-4 sets of 10-15 reps at 65-75% capacity
Endurance
2-3 sets of 15-25 reps at 50-60% capacity
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Training Guides
Articles featuring the leg press in workout programs and training advice.
Related Exercises
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Front Squat
Leg Extension
Goblet Squat
