Use the leg press for total lower-body strength
When it comes to gym machines, the leg press is an excellent choice for isolating your lower body. As a compound exercise that hits multiple lower-body muscle groups, it's also a great way to work out efficiently. And with 14.8k of you searching for it every month, mastering the leg press machine is clearly something you want to get to grips with, particularly for targeting your glutes, hamstrings and quads.
There are a few variations of the leg press machine, including the vertical, horizontal and iso-lateral (allows you to work one leg at a time), but we'll be talking about the incline leg press, which is most commonly found in gyms, and involves an angled seat so that the foot plate is pushed at a 45-degree angle.
We spoke to Lucie Morgan, PT and performance specialist at Google and Exos, for a deep dive on the muscles involved in the leg press (including your glutes), variations, and benefits of the leg press.
Meet the expert: Lucie Morgan is a performance specialist at Google and Exos and PT at UN1T Southwark, among others.
What is the leg press?
The leg press is a popular resistance-training exercise machine designed to strengthen the lower body, Morgan explains. 'It involves pushing a weighted platform away from your body using your legs, while your upper body remains supported by a padded seat.'
The machine allows for heavy weight training with lower injury risk compared to free weights, particularly for beginners, Morgan continues.
The 45-degree incline leg press places more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings due to the altered angle. There's also the greater challenge of increased range of motion.
Muscles involved in leg press
The leg press targets multiple muscles in the lower body:
Quadriceps (front of the thighs)
Hamstrings (back of the thighs)
Gluteus maximus (bum)
Calves (lower legs)
Adductors and abductors (inner and outer thighs, depending on foot position)
Leg press benefits
Morgan lists several advantages of the leg press.
1. Strength development
The leg press machine builds strength in the lower body, especially the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Research on one occasion showed that exercising with this machine allowed participants to improve their leg-press one-rep max by 40.4%. Another study showed that four weeks of increased eccentric loading (the lowering portion of the exercise, where the primary muscle lengthens) using a leg press resulted in increased leg strength in track athletes and cyclists.
2. Lowers injury risk
Provides a safer environment for lower-body training, the leg press reduces strain on the lower back and knees compared to squats because of the built-in stability. For this reason, it's good for beginners. One study also included seated leg presses as a key movement in a knee osteoarthritis rehab programme.
3. Isolated lower-body focus
Targeting specific leg muscles, the leg press' focus on the lower body makes it ideal for strength training and rehabilitation.
4. Controlled motion
Using the leg press machine keeps the movement controlled and stable, another reason why it's great for beginners and those looking to focus on their technique.
How to use a leg press machine
a) Adjust the seat so that you are comfortable and your knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
b) Keep your back and hips firmly against the seat and hold onto the side handles for support.
c) Disengage the safety levers by taking hold of the handles at either side of the machine. Push through your heels to extend your legs and press the weight upwards. Avoid locking your knees at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position with control.
Leg press foot placement
1. Wide-stance leg press (feet further apart)
Doing this engages the inner thighs, glutes and adductor muscles, working the inner quads.
2. Narrow-stance leg press (feet closer together)
This targets the outer quad muscles (abductors) more intensely.
3. Feet higher on foot plate
This emphasises the glutes and hamstrings, reducing the focus on the quads.
4. Feet lower on foot plate
Targets the quads more directly, especially the lower portion of the quadriceps.
5. Single-leg leg press
As a unilateral movement, performing the leg press one leg at a time can help correct muscle imbalances and improve stability, balance and coordination. One study showed that training using the single-leg leg press was as effective for increasing strength as using the machine with both legs.
With all of these exercises, you can progressively overload (make the move more challenging to cause strength and performance increases) by lengthening time under tension and emphasising explosive power - push the weight quickly upwards and then slowly lower it. You can also increase the weight.
Leg press for glutes
To target your glutes in particular, go for the wide-stance leg press, with your feet further apart, or place your feet higher on the foot plate.
Common leg press mistakes
1. Locking your knees out
While you want to extend, you don't want to lock out and shift the weight from the muscle to the joint.
2. Knees caving in
Your knees collapsing inwards is a sign of weak glutes. Make sure your knees are pushed out and do glute-activation exercises like lateral band walks or glute bridges.
3. Lowering the sled too far down
If the weight is too heavy, or you simply don't control the weight, the sled can come down too far to the point where your bum and lower back roll up and lose contact with the seat, which puts pressure on your lumbar (lower-back) spine.
Aim for your knees and shins to make a 90-degree angle (quad focus) or your thighs to be an inch or so below parallel to the footplate (hamstrings and glute focus).
4. Not lowering the sled far down enough
Towards the other extreme, a limited range of motion - which again, can happen if you put too much weight on the sled - can render the exercise less effective as you don't train your muscles through the full range of motion.
6 leg press alternative exercises
Here are other compound exercises that also engage the lower-body muscles, though they perform different fundamental movement patterns (movements that mimic real-life motion) to the leg press. These moves use mainly the squat, lunge and hinge, whereas the leg press is a push exercise.
1. Dumbbell front rack squat
Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings
a) Grab two dumbbells and hold at shoulder level.
b) Slightly bend the knees and bend down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, keeping your core embraced and your back straight. Return to standing.
2. Barbell back squat
Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, upper back, shoulders, core
a) Set up a barbell on a squat rack, so that it is just below your shoulders when standing up straight.
b) Step underneath the bar, resting it lightly on your upper traps and shoulders.
c) With your hands around the bar in an overhand grip, with your knuckles on top, hold the bar just outside of your shoulders.
d) With your feet just wider than your hips and your toes turned outwards slightly, lift the bar off the rack and onto your back, keeping your chest up and back straight.
e) Slowly begin to squat down, pushing your hips back and down as if sitting into a chair, without letting your knees roll inwards and keeping your chest up, but allowing your torso to lean forward as needed.
f) Lower until your hips drop just below your knees, and your knees track in line with your toes, then push through the floor to return to standing.
3. Dumbbell reverse lunge
Targets: Back, chest, arms
a) Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand, feet shoulder width apart. Hinge at the hips until your upper body is parallel with the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees.
b) Let the weights hang in front of you, palms facing each other. Avoid arching your back or slumping over.
c) Squeezing your shoulder blades, raise each arm out to each side. With control lower the weights back to starting position and repeat.
4. Step-up
Targets: Legs, glutes
a) Start with your weaker leg on a step or box and, with or without dumbbells in your hands, step onto it.
b) Without pausing at the top, lower back to the start position, leaving your start foot on the box and then stepping straight back up on the same leg.
5. Bulgarian split squat
Targets: glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip
a) Start by standing with your back to a bench (or step, chair, coffee table or couch – just make sure it’s sturdy). Shift your weight to one leg and raise the other behind you to lift it up onto the bench.
You want to aim for a shoulder-width stance, 'train-track' stance, with a 90-degree bend in both knees and feet parallel to each other.
b) Keeping your hips square, back straight and core tight, lean your torso forward slightly and sink down until your elevated knee almost touches the floor. Make sure you keep your glutes engaged throughout, says Frazier – ‘imagine you are holding a £20 note between your cheeks.’
c) To come up, simply reverse the move, pushing through your front heel to return the start.
To focus on your glutes, go for a longer stance. To focus on your quads, bring your front foot closer to the bench.
6. Hip thrust
Targets: glutes, hamstrings, adductors, quads
a) Sit on the floor with your shoulder blades against a bench or step. Balance the weight on your hips.
b) Keeping your chin tucked in, push up through your hips to lift your glutes off the floor
c) Clench your bum at the top – your shoulders, hips and knees should be in a straight line. Lower back down in a slow, controlled movement
What weight should I start with on the leg press?
For beginners, start with a weight that allows you to complete 8-12 reps with good form, recommends Morgan. 'A good starting point is typically around 30-50% of your body weight, but this can vary depending on your fitness level. For example, if you weigh 68 kg, starting with 20-30 kg on the machine may be suitable.' Once you get comfortable with the machine you can start to increase the weights with good quality reps.
What is a good leg press weight for a woman?
The ideal leg press weight can vary greatly depending on factors like strength, body weight, and how often the person trains. 'A general rule is to aim for about two times your barbell squat weight,' says Morgan. 'For instance, my max back squat is 120 kg, and my max leg press for 6 reps is 300 kg.'
However, it’s important to note that all leg press machines are slightly different, so the weight you can lift may vary depending on the machine, she notes. The key is to progress gradually and find a weight that challenges you while maintaining good form.
How many times a week should I use the leg press?
Morgan advises incorporating the leg press into your routine 2-3 times per week, depending on your goals and overall workout plan. 'It’s best to give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover between lower-body sessions, so I would avoid doing leg press on consecutive days', she says.
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