There is loads of love and hate that surrounds the leg press.
Some suppose it’s not very useful since you’re sitting in your butt and urgent, which resembles nothing executed exterior the gymnasium. Other lifters swear by it because it permits them to elevate heavy weights and construct muscle with out the compressive load of the barbell on their again.
Most of us although, fall someplace in the course of this debate. However, when executed proper, the leg press can construct some severe muscle and energy. With the mounted vary of movement and the steadiness of sitting down, you possibly can transfer some severe weight. Because you possibly can go heavy, errors could be made.
Although the leg press is just not a technical train, errors can creep in, resulting in accidents and a lack of good points. Here we’ll dive into learn how to do the leg press, what’s wanted for good type, and 4 widespread leg press errors and learn how to repair them.
How to Perform the Leg Press
Depending in your physique sort, the leg press will look totally different for various lifters. Before beginning, alter the machine to supply most security and luxury on your physique.
- Sit on a leg press machine and place your ft on the platform in your most well-liked place.
- Lower the protection bars and press till your legs are absolutely prolonged however with a mushy knee bend.
- Lower the platform till your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Push the platform again to the beginning place.
- Reset and repeat.
What’s Needed For Good Form
The great thing about the leg press is that even in case you have hip mobility shortfalls or decrease again ache, you are able to do it. Here are just a few staple items wanted for good leg press type.
- Take the time to arrange. Because all of us include totally different limb lengths, take the time to regulate the seat and carry out just a few reps with the empty platform to see if you will get a 90-degree angle along with your knees with out compensation.
- Keep your ft flat on the platform at some stage in the set.
- There is not any have to go wild with foot width as shoulder-width aside works for many lifters.
- Always maintain your decrease again and glutes glued to the seat.
- Keep management of the load on the eccentric and be explosive on the concentric contraction.
4 Common Leg Press Mistakes
Mistakes will not be unhealthy. It’s the first method we study to do it proper; as soon as you understand higher, you do higher. Here are 4 widespread leg press errors apart from ego and an excessive amount of weight as a result of you understand about these two, proper?
Lay Off the 1RM
Going heavy and discovering your 1 RM max on the leg press is simply one thing you need to sometimes do. Mostly, you need to leg press so as to add muscle to your quads, and the easiest way to do that is to manage all components of the rep, together with the eccentric. The weight is just too heavy for those who can’t management the eccentric contraction.
Fix it: Focus on rigidity and management and rather less on the burden on the platform.
Keep It Glued
The solely a part of your physique you need to transfer and really feel is your knees and glutes. That’s it. If your ft will not be glued to the platform or your decrease again, and hips will not be glued to the seat, then you’re doing it mistaken.
Fix It: Pay consideration to your setup. Your ft needs to be shoulder-width aside in the course of the platform, and your knees ought to get to a 90-angle with out butting into your torso. If that is taking place, change the seat angle to 1 the place all of your physique components keep glued to the platform and pad.
Don’t Short Yourself
Your knees should get to 90 levels to learn from the leg press most. It may really feel good for the ego to half-rep an enormous weight, however it’s going to do nothing on your good points, and your knees might find yourself hating you.
Fix it: Rather less ego and weight on the platform is required right here. Use a weight you possibly can management at a 90-degree knee angle.
It’s A Quad Exercise
This might ruffle some Instagram influencer feathers, however the leg press is primarily a quad train with just a little hip extension thrown in. Placing your ft larger on the platform to focus on the glutes and hamstring extra is, IMO a waste of time when there are method higher workouts to focus on them than the leg press.
Fix it: No repair for this per se. Use higher workouts to focus on your hamstring and glutes, like hip thrusts, RDL, and hamstring curl variations.