How to Do Leg Presses

Leg press is one of the most effective exercises for building and strengthening leg muscles. There are many other exercises for improving vertical jump,  squats or deadlifts are just most important of them, but none of them is able to work leg muscles as press exercises do. Leg press machines allow you to work with greater weights than you can do it in case of deadlifts or squats. But, the effectiveness of each exercise is related to its proper execution. It is important not only to do exercises but to them in a proper way.

Overwise, all your efforts are worthless. The muscle doesn't get the required load, and besides this, you risk to get injured. There is no room for cheating, and you should be aware of this. In this article, we will take a closer look at the leg press technique, and see how they should be done properly.

We will answer all questions regarding leg press, such as what is the best way to do - to straighten the knee joint to the end or keep it a slightly bent, how to raise weights slowly or quickly, how to breathe and even what type of shoes do you need during leg press. All these are very important for an effective leg press workout.

Such information is especially useful for beginners who have the feeling of knowing how to perform exercises properly. But in most of it is not, and leg press is not an exception. This will help beginners to train using proper technique and stay safe while training. It can also help the experienced bodybuilder to check what do wrong and redress it.

If you are open all the time for new information, there are big chances that you will succeed in your attempt to build strong legs. During leg press are worked hamstrings, quadriceps, and gluteus maximus and minimus group of muscles. Leg press should be included in all resistance training, as it greatly improves strength, mass, tone, and endurance.

To do leg press first the appropriate weight and sit on the machine with your back and head against the support. Put your foot on the plate, keeping them on the shoulder width apart. Make sure your knees are in lines with feet. Extend the legs until they are almost straight. After this lower the weights slowly back to the starting position. Do not raise your back or head from the padded support while pushing weights.

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Some Very Important Tricks to Follow for a Great Leg Press Training:

- Do not put your legs too low, since this increase the load on the knees. The lower will be feet put on the platform the higher would be the pressure on knee joints.

-When straightening the legs, do not to it fully. Knee acts as a hinge and when you completely straighten the bone of thigh and knees become one, and get all the load on them. Thus thigh muscle is completely free of load. And this means no muscle growth.

-Choose to use anti-slip shoes, as you do not need your feet to slip over the platform. Never do leg press with no shoes, since you can injure your knees and lower back.

-It is very important to do all these movements slowly, not jerking. Slowly bend your knees when your lower weight and reach a 90 degrees position. After this begin raising it, but do not push jerk.  Also, when get the highest point, do not lock your knees. Repeat the number of leg press you have to do.

-Start with a modest weight and increases as you feel able to go for a bigger load. Three sets of ten reps are the great number, to begin with.

This exercise is great since it does not put a load on your spine. This can be very important for bodybuilders who have some spine problems. You can successfully train leg muscles while spine muscles are not loaded. The leg position on the platform determine which type of muscle is involved in work for a higher degree. So, if you put the foot on the higher edge of the platform, than more load will be on hamstrings and gluteal muscles, while knees will get almost no load.

If your foot is situated on the lower edge of the platform, than increases the load on quadriceps and the front of the thigh. Bending your knees at a right angle (or decreasing the amplitude of the even more), you work the muscles of the thigh but reduces the load on the gluteal muscles and ligaments of the knee.

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Such a position is recommended when working with large weights. If you decided to bend your knees at a more acute angle and bring them as close as possible to your body than you increase the load on the glutes. Be careful do not get injured.

If you have previous experience with leg press, then you can choose to them using bigger weights in slow tempo. Such a method will greatly increase your leg muscle mass and strength. But it is dangerous as you can damage your joints and ligaments of the feet. Performing leg press in a quick tempo with big weights is not recommended at all. This is a privilege of long years experienced bodybuilder, and even they take some risks every time performing them.

Another very important aspect of leg press exercises is how to breathe properly. It should be this way: exhale when you push the load, and inhale in the way back to the starting position. For preventing injuries, many leg press machines have a stopper that can be set at as weight does not go lower.

Must Read: How to Breathe Properly During the Training?

Choose an appropriate point, so that if you get tired and lose control of the weight, it doesn't simply drop on you. Also, before using leg press machine make sure you know very well the way it works. Usually, gyms are equipped with different types of legs machine, which works in a slightly different way.  Such a little difference can cause injuries, and this nobody wants.

Leg press exercises should be performed in the first part of the workout. for great results, do squats before pres leg, and leg extensions for quads on the simulator as well as exercises for the muscles of the back of the thigh. Summarizing the above can be said that the leg press is very effective, but it should be performed properly.

Otherwise, you risk not only to get no results from hard work but serious injuries of joints and ligaments and not only.  Along with deadlift and squats, leg press exercises are imminent to resistance training. It provides not muscle grow, strengthen the leg muscles and improves endurance.