Leg press...

Some love it, some hate it! Me, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with it! But there is no denying that the leg press is a pretty awesome machine for building up strength and lean mass in your legs.

And what is so good about the leg press is that you can hit some many different parts of your legs with the leg press simply by changing the position of you feet on the platform.

So here is a picture of the muscles in your legs, a front view...

and a back view...

The standard position with your feet in the middle of the platform, feet about hip width will work predominantly the quadriceps muscles, which are at the front of your thigh, and also your gluteus maximus, your bum.

Move your feet vertically up the platform to a high, standard position and you will take the emphasis off your quads, leaving the glutes to work alongside your hamstrings, so the back of your legs.

Move your feet vertically down the platform to a low, standard position and this makes the exercise even more challenging on the quads than the standard position.

A wide stance, so wider than your shoulders, will target the inner quads and the adductor magnus and a narrow stance, feet together, will ensure you are targeting the outer quads and the muscles on the outside of your hips known as the abductor muscles.

 

Move the balls of your feet to the bottom of the platform and you have yourself an exercise for your gastrocnemius; a big muscle in your calves.

The leg press is a great machine but because you are in a seated position you recruit less of the stabilising muscles and your core. Please make sure when using the leg press in your lower body work-outs that you still incorporate the big compound movements like squats, deadlifts and lunges.

Have fun!