Machine Leg Press Exercise: Technique and Variations

Good afternoon dear friends! Having beautiful slender legs and an elastic ass is extremely important for girls, for this they are ready to work hard in the gym and exhaust themselves with fitness, strength training, aerobics and other types of physical activity. An effective solution for pumping the lower body will be the leg press in the simulator. This exercise is universal, and is suitable for both representatives of the beautiful half of humanity and guys.

In order for the workout to bring the expected result, you need to know how to properly press the platform with your feet, and what is the maximum weight you need to use. Beginners will be able to hone the execution technique thanks to the recommendations and professional advice presented in our article.

Benefits and contraindications

You can find a leg press machine at any health club or fitness center. It is equally effective for increasing muscle mass and during the period of drawing the relief. The bench press takes the second place (the first is held) among the exercises for pumping strong legs and a beautiful relief of the bottom.

Women need to understand which muscles are working during the exercise in the machine. The work involves the buttocks, hamstrings, quadriceps, calf and soleus muscles.

With the help of the exercise, you can quickly work out the muscles of the bottom, avoiding stress on the thoracic and cervical spine. Correct bench press is characterized by a number of other advantages, among which are:

fat burning effect;
relieving the load from the knees and lower back;
the ability to shift the focus to the buttocks, back, front or side of the thigh.

As for the shortcomings, there are practically none. A significant disadvantage is the high injury hazard of the exercise. If you know how to do it and follow safety precautions, the risks of damage or injury are reduced to zero. Do not strive to set a record and immediately take large weights, for example, 300 kg and perform 3-5 repetitions. It is better to set 150 kg and perform 3 sets of 10-12 times.

Before mastering the exercise, you should study the contraindications for classes. People with joint injuries and sprains, with a hernia of the lumbar spine and other curvatures of the spinal column (kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis) should refuse to exercise.

Hone your movements

Not everyone knows which machine to choose for the leg press. Look for a structure in the hall with an iron platform and a 45-degree seat. Having found the desired element, you can start classes. To improve the effectiveness of training, you must perform each movement correctly. First you need to take the correct position.

The athlete sits on a bench, leans back on the seat back, fixes his lower back tightly, rests his feet against the surface of a vertical platform. Feet are shoulder-width apart, heels are in line, toes are slightly turned to the sides. We remove the platform from the restraints, and as we exhale we squeeze it up. It is important not to extend the knees to the end, otherwise you will shift the load from the muscles to the joints.

Being at the maximum point, take a breath and lower the platform to its original position. Try not to touch your hips to your chest. Then we repeat the movements - up and down. How many sets you need to do while lying on the simulator depends on the individually developed program, gender, age and level of physical fitness of the athlete.

Variations and types of loads

The incline press is the backbone of the basics. Once your body has adapted to the load, you can practice other options, such as the 1-leg press, vertical or horizontal press, in the hack machine.

The vertical version is practiced in a Smith machine. It is necessary to put the bench under the crossbar, lie on your back, raise your legs perpendicularly up and rest your feet on the bar. The peculiarity of this exercise is the trajectory of movement. The knees will move in the direction of the abdomen, not the shoulders, which will increase the load on the front of the thigh.

The horizontal press is performed while seated. Such a simulator can be called a rarity, you will not see it in every gym. Both the platform and the seat are on the same level, there is no seat tilt. Thanks to this design, the range of motion is significantly increased, which allows you to use more muscle groups.

If, nevertheless, we consider the classic incline simulator for pressing the platform with legs, then it is possible to regulate the level of load on it, as well as the muscle groups being worked out.

Exercising with a narrow and wide stance, you can shift the load:

If the feet are narrow and parallel to each other, only the quadriceps are working.
If you put your legs wide, turn your feet at an angle of 45 degrees, you will be able to load the inner thighs.
To engage the gluteal muscles, which is important for women, the legs must be placed on top of the platform.

Pictures and photos will help you deal with the setting of your legs. The leg press works well with other weight loss and muscle gain exercises. It is beneficial to include it in complex training, because it will not be difficult to master the technique. It is important to alternate between different types of exercise, add a level of difficulty, practice different leg stances. And soon you will notice changes in your figure.

Video instruction:

We hope our article has answered all your questions regarding the platform leg press. If the information turned out to be interesting and informative, give us another minute of time and fulfill a small request. Please share the article with your friends and acquaintances in the social. networks. We thank you in advance and wish you good luck in all your endeavors!