In almost every sports club you can find a simulator designed for leg presses. After all, this exercise is aimed at working out the muscles of the limbs. It can be used both during the set of muscle mass, and during drying to give relief to the body. In addition, such an exercise can several times increase the intensity of training, which is why it is successfully used both in bodybuilding and fitness, and in functional training. In this article, you will become familiar with what constitutes a leg press: setting legs, performance technique, the benefits and harms of exercise.
Exercise features
Depending on the correctness of the action, as well as the amplitude of movement during the exercise, you can work out various muscle groups:
- Gluteal muscles.
- The back and inner thighs.
- Quadriceps.
Of course, the leg press (lying while setting the legs on the simulator platform) will not be able to completely replace the heavy exercises with the barbell, but anyway this action will create quite a lot of stress for the muscles. If a high-quality tissue restoration is ensured, the athlete will fully rest, and also adhere to proper nutrition, this can lead to muscle hypertrophy, as well as an improvement in the strength index in basic exercises.
Having studied this article, you will be able to learn how to correctly set up your legs, and leg press, subject to a quantitative norm, will bring exceptional benefits to the body. We will also explain how you can replace this exercise in order to achieve muscle building.
What muscles are involved?
With the help of this exercise you can locally load absolutely any muscle group in the lower region of the body.
The higher you spread your legs, the more you can work out quadriceps.
However, there is another version of the leg press exercise for girls: the legs should be wide, the feet turned outward. The main part of the load in this case will go to the inner surface of the thighs and buttocks. That is, as a result of training, it will be possible to pump up the now fashionable ass, like a nut.
If you wish, you can only pump the buttocks: the legs should be placed at the very top of the platform, the legs should be placed a little wider than the shoulders, the legs should be turned slightly to the side. This exercise perfectly loads the buttocks, as well as the biceps of the thigh. In such an amplitude, you can easily work out the contraction and stretching of the necessary muscles, and the movement itself according to sensations is somewhat reminiscent of a set of bending of the legs sitting and with Romanian traction.
In addition to the classic exercise at an angle, there is a vertical leg press. The setting of the legs in the simulator should look like this: the platform is located strictly perpendicular to the position of the athlete. The movements in this case are carried out in a short amplitude. Due to this, it will be possible to load the lower quadriceps region in isolation, which will make the limb more voluminous in the lower thigh area, closer to the knee. However, it is worth paying attention that in Russia such a simulator is not too widespread, you can only meet it in a premium fitness club. But nothing prevents you from doing pretty much the same thing with the Smith Trainer. To do this, you just need to use the help of an experienced trainer who will close and open the safety mechanisms.
There is also the so-called horizontal leg press with a wide setting of the legs. Working on such a simulator, you can increase the amplitude of movement by 3-7 cm. This is the simulator’s feature: you do a lot of work without using a lot of weight. This option works well with the quadriceps, making the thigh more muscular and voluminous.
In all these variants, the stabilizers are the muscles of the press, as well as the extensors of the spine. Without strong lower back muscles, you can hardly technically correctly make a leg press with a lot of weight.
You should also pay attention to the fact that such an exercise is ideal for working out the muscles of the calf. The technique of execution will be exactly the same as in the block model of the simulator for working on calves in a standing position, where the athlete should trapeze against the roller. There are no particular differences between the two exercises. You can choose for yourself the option that seems most convenient.
Execution Options
There are several varieties of simulators that are designed to perform this exercise, aimed at working out the muscles of the thighs, calf muscles, buttocks. The setting of the legs with a leg press for each case may vary. We will consider three types of exercise:
- At an angle.
- Vertical
- Horizontal.
At an angle
The simulator, designed for leg presses at an angle, is one of the most common machines in all world fitness clubs. When performing this exercise, the angle between the platform and the athlete’s torso should be about 45 degrees. Therefore, adhere to this rule of setting the legs on the platform in the leg press. Thanks to this, you will be able to work in a fairly high amplitude, as well as apply a large weight load.
Other varieties of simulators in our rooms have not received, unfortunately, well-deserved distribution. With their help, you can work out the load well, forcing the leg muscles to work at new angles, which can lead to even more progress.
Vertical
The peculiarity of this version of the leg press is that during the exercise, the motion vector fundamentally changes. The knees fall to the stomach, and not to the shoulders. Thanks to this, it is easier for the athlete to focus on the development of the quadriceps, especially if you use a parallel narrow setting of the legs. For buttocks, leg press (of this kind) is not recommended. At the slightest technical oversight, the tailbone twists and rises up. A similar position of the lower back when performing strength exercises is extremely traumatic.
Horizontal
If you do not like the option that requires high legs, then you can use a horizontal simulator to perform the same exercise. However, such a model is even more rare. But many athletes prefer to use it, since the effectiveness of the exercises will be much greater. The bench platform and seat are located in the same plane, the inclination is almost absent. Due to this, the amplitude of movements increases. Some models help add up to 15 extra centimeters. At first it may seem to you that there is no significant difference, but these additional centimeters complicate the task significantly - the so-called new blind spots are formed. In addition, the operating weight is reduced by almost a quarter. From such a pumping muscle begins to literally break.
Load variation
The load during the exercise can be varied with another trick. Consider the variations in the setting of the legs with a leg press for girls and guys:
- Feet set parallel and narrow. So the leg press will turn into an isolated exercise aimed at developing the quadriceps. In this case, the adductors of the buttocks and thighs cease to participate in the movement.
- To increase the amplitude of movement, you should put the limbs down the platform. In parallel with this, the quadriceps performs an even greater load.
- If you turn your feet outward at about an angle of 45 degrees, and spread your legs wide, during the exercise you’ll load the inner thigh, gluteal muscles and hip biceps.
- During the leg press, the limbs should be placed in the uppermost zone of the platform. Due to this, the load on the buttocks will be increased. Burning sensation and blood supply guaranteed.
When applying various variations, remember the principles of periodization of loads. Thanks to this, you can get aesthetic and proportionally developed leg muscles. And while not getting to the hospital.
Execution technique
Regardless of which particular exercise option you are exercising, the main principles and techniques will always be the same, so it’s worth considering the general rules regarding how to do leg presses:
- First of all, you need to sit in the simulator for exercise. In this case, the back should be fully pressed, especially for the lumbar region.
- Feet put at the right angle. Raise the platform so that your knees are fully extended, open the safety mechanism. Hands hold tightly on the handles located on the sides of the simulator.
- Make a push, gently lower the platform down. The weight should lie on the heels, shift the center of gravity to the main part. The negative phase of movement is very important for both muscle development and minimizing the risk of injury. You should also monitor the position of the knees when lowering the platform. In no case should they be wrapped inside.
- Lower the platform as deep as possible. Within reasonable limits, there should be no discomfort and pain. The loin should also not come off the simulator in the lower region.
- Squeeze the platform up without pausing in the lower area. In parallel with this, exhale. It is not necessary to raise the platform completely, it is best not to bring this movement to the end of about centimeters by 5. So the muscles will not rest, and the effectiveness of the approach will only increase. In addition, you should fully straighten your knees in the upper zone, with a lot of weight it will be very dangerous to do this.
Benefit
Neuromuscular development is simply necessary for building muscle mass, as well as for progress in improving strength indicators. Therefore, leg press is the best suited for weight gain and muscle tone.
And in order to give stiffness and relief to leg muscles, experienced athletes most often perform leg presses in combination with other exercises. For example, with lunges with a barbell, squats, extension of limbs, sitting on the simulator.
Contraindications
Leg press with a high setting of legs, low or at an angle is not recommended for people who have suffered injuries of ligaments and knee joints.
It is also contraindicated to do the studied exercise for athletes with scoliosis, kyphosis or lordosis. Under no circumstances should people with protrusions in the lumbar region or with hernias be given a load.
Conclusion
At the end of the article, it is worth noting that the potential leg press in the gym is one of the most traumatic exercises. It can be put on the same list as squats with a barbell and deadlift. However, this issue is directly related to the technique of performing this exercise, as well as to the athlete's excessive egocentrism.