Leg Press Machine - Proper Usage
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Today I ventured out to try a new machine at the gym and this time I tried the leg press. Let me tell you, it knocked the wind out of me and I’m sure it was silly of me to try it with weight, being that it was my first time. I had 45 pound plates on each side and while I was able to lift them, I probably should have tried the machine empty on my first attempt.
The leg press works your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. It’s easy enough to use but like any machine, you need to watch your form. I knew enough to press with my heels and to have my feet at least shoulder width apart. If you are new to this machine, I highly recommend you get help first from a personal trainer or other expert.
I only did 2 sets of 12 reps and it kicked my butt! Check out the video below for an idea of proper usage:
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Comments
I just wanted to add on to the comment by Tom Parker. Although a full range of motion is important to get the full benefit of the exercise, you can injure yourself if you fully extend your legs, locking at the knees. You don’t ever want to lock your knees on this exercise. Rather, you should stop just short of full extension and then control the weight as you bend your legs again.
The idea is to work your muscles, not kill your knee joints.
Thanks for that Muscle Post. I forgot to mention about the knees but yes when performing this exercise you should stop just short of locking your knees. The same applies for the leg extension, squats and other leg exercises.
This machine is very effective. The hydrolic like system makes it more difficult but you do have to be careful because it can be a beast on the knees.
Good explanation, but this expert…forgot a few important things:
1. Head Postion - his head should be back against the pad during the entire exercise, this brings your cervical spine out of alignment.
2. Core - He never discusses activating the ‘core’ by drawing his belly button in towards the spine, this is critical to turn on your internal weight belt giving more support to the pelvis and spine.
3. Glutes - Besides pushing through your heels, you should SQUEEZE the glutes on your way up like you are holding the winning lottery ticket between your cheeks.
4. Range of Motion - Also how far down should you go? A conservative and safe answer is a 90 degree bend at the knee.
5. This machine is less functional than a leg press or squat machine that puts your body in an upright position.
Add these tips to his tips and your ready to press!
I agree this equipment is effective, but then with person who has arthritis and got knee problems, I doubt this would be beneficial.
Though, leg press really is an ideal machine for your lower extremities it can also easily be overused. Plus I prefer equipment that serves more than one function well. Why have just a leg press machine when you can have other equipment that will allow you to effectively perform leg presses while at the same time work your entire body?
On my first day in the gym i was super pumped up and the last excercise i did was the leg press. Rather than doing the 150lb as recomended i did 200 (10 X 3) and realised this was pretty darn heavy, but did it anyway, over the next few days i realised the i had really hurt my legs, sent my hips out of allignment and crushed and twisted by back. It has been over three months of all sorts of remidial theorpy and a lot of depression and self-admonishment for doing it to myself. I know i’m an idiot, but it surely is a problem when you take ‘mind over matter’ too far. this machine is a bitch if used incorrectly and will really misallign your chakars if you do it wrong
Great post. Until recently I was totally neglecting my legs. However, I’ve made a real effort to make them a part of my training regime and I have found this is definitely one of the more difficult leg exercises. Really makes your legs ache the day after.
One thing to watch out for is that you are fully bending your legs at a 45 degree angle when performing this exercise. I find a lot of people pile on the weight but then do not fully bend their legs. As a result they are not performing the exercise properly and not getting the full benefit of the exercise. It is always important to select a weight for which you can perform the exercise with the full range of motion.