Leg Press
The Leg Press is like the Squat, but in a machine. You sit on a seat, put your feet on a foot plate and push (either the footplate or the seat moves).
The Leg Press is also a compound exercise, targeting similar muscles as the Squat including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
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Because it’s a guided motion, you lose most of the balancing and stabilizing gains from the Squat, and none (or very little) secondary muscles are trained.
A major benefit of the Leg Press over the Squat is that you can choose the resistance. It will not automatically be your own weight. And the machine also makes it easier to do a full range of motion which can be hard with the squat due to weight but also balance and risk of falling.
How to do Leg Press
Set the weight resistance first (start low). Then place your feet about shoulder-width apart (or wider) on the footplate.
The height of your feet on the plate will depend on how tall you are, pick a position and then change after trying, till you’ve found a comfortable height.
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Find the adjuster. It’s normally a handle with a bright color like yellow, which will help you adjust the starting position. Sit, then use the adjuster (will move the seat or the plate closer) to go as close as you are comfortable with, aiming for a 90-degree angle with your feet on the footplate.
This “squashed” position is often not comfortable for Plus Size Beginners, but if you can push yourself to start each exercise with your knees as bent as possible, you’ll get a better range of motion and more benefits out of the exercise. Try it.
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Press through your heels and extend your legs to push the weight (or yourself depending on the machine) back. Fully extend your legs without locking out your knees. Then back to the
starting position.
You’ve now completed a repetition of the Leg Press!
