Leg Press Exercise Guide, Plus Common Mistakes

The leg press is a popular piece of gym equipment that targets all leg muscles. This includes the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. It’s a simple exercise movement but must be done with proper technique to maximize results and lower injury risk.

This type of resistance training exercise is an effective way to build leg strength, increase muscle mass, and reduce the risk of injury. It’s done by pushing your legs against a weighted platform. Let's take a closer look at how to execute the leg press, leg press benefits, variations, and common mistakes.

How to Leg Press with Proper Technique and Form

No matter the angle of the leg press, the technique remains the same for all leg presses. As you sit down into the leg press, your body will be in a fixed position. Rest your back and head on the padded support. Then position your feet hip-width apart and flat on the foot platform.

Foot placement determines whether the anterior or posterior chain is targeted more. The higher you place your feet on the footplate, the more the posterior chain is targeted. The lower you place them, the more your quadriceps are targeted. The goal for a standard leg press is to place your feet hip-width apart and positioned so your knees form 90-degree angles. 

Once your feet are in position, grip the handles to the side of the seat. Lower the platform down by slowly bending your knees. Inhale as you lower the weight, and then begin pushing the weight back up by extending your legs. Exhale and keep your back and head against the pad while returning to the starting position. 

Avoid locking out your knees and keep your core engaged the entire time. While completing your repetitions, keep your feet flat on the platform. Do not let your heels come up and allow the front of your feet to take all the stress.

Leg Press Benefits and Drawbacks

The leg press provides many benefits because of its potential to strengthen the legs. Strength training exercise not only builds strength but increases muscle growth, reduces the risk of injury, and prevents muscle atrophy.

The leg press is viewed by many as an ineffective exercise, which is true when comparing it to free-weight exercises such as back squats or lunges. It does not target and stimulate smaller stabilizer muscles as free weights do. Free weights include barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells.

Clients may assume that because machines provide a fixed motion that they are not getting much from it. This might be the case for some, but the leg press is an especially beneficial exercise machine for clients who are returning from an injury. It helps clients practice safe and correct form before moving to advanced functional strength exercises. Advanced clients should incorporate other exercises as well.

The leg press serves its purpose as an isolation movement and provides advanced lifters an accessory exercise. Adjusting the setup and foot placement helps isolate more of the quads, hamstrings, or glutes. If a client experiences an imbalance or weakness in one of these muscles, this helps them target one or the other.

It is also effective for novice lifters to build a foundation of strength. This is important prior to moving loaded free weights. It allows them to lift moderate to heavy weight in a safer way. This maximizes results. It doesn’t require activation from smaller muscle groups or stabilizer muscles. Therefore, it’s important to progress clients to other exercises to avoid building imbalances. 

Clients may choose to use the leg press for accessory movements. This will allow them to choose a compound exercise for the main lift. If they need extra support or are unable to perform squats, the leg press provides an alternative. Always remember though that the leg press does not demand the entire body to work as one. 

This means the core is not activated and clients must progress to more compound movements to keep progressing. Encourage clients to complete core exercises in parallel to their training. Keeping the leg press in a training program as an accessory exercise is valuable. 

Popular Types of Leg Press Variations

There are three different types of leg presses: 

• 45-degree leg press

• Vertical leg press

• Horizontal leg press

The 45-degree leg press is one of the most common pieces of equipment found in the gym. As the name implies, your body is angled at 45 degrees. It has a foot platform and has an adjustable back pad for support.

The vertical leg press machine features a back pad or bench flat level with the floor. For this, you lie flat on your back and place your feet against the footplate directly above your body. Your legs are completely straight above you. 

The horizontal leg press consists of a weighted foot platform that sits at the same height as your torso. Instead of your body sitting at a 45-degree angle or your legs straight up in the air, your legs sit straight out in front of you. The seated leg press machine is an effective machine for novice clients. 

Each leg press variation provides a different direction to push the weight. Although the angle at which you sit is different, each leg press works mostly similar muscle groups. However, there are slight differences in each variation: 

• 45-degree leg press - engages all leg muscles

• Vertical leg press - targets more of the posterior chain, which includes the hamstrings and glutes

• Seated leg press - puts more emphasis on the quadriceps

You can also adjust your foot position to change the emphasis on certain one muscle group more than others. Additionally, you can use a single leg press in your workout plan to address a muscle imbalance.

5 Common Leg Press Mistakes

As simple as the leg press may seem, the technique should always remain a priority. Of course, there’s a lot less to be concerned about when using machines versus free weights. Though just like any exercise in the gym, form can be compromised. 

For the leg press, clients just need to focus on one thing. That’s getting the weight from point A to point B. This allows clients to lift heavier, unlike squats, where balance and other factors heavily influence technique. Although for any exercise, heavy weights paired with incorrect technique can lead to injury.

So, what are the most common mistakes when performing the leg press?

1. Knees Collapse Inwards

This is a common mistake with many lower body exercises and is a sign of weak glutes. A lot of stress is placed on the knees when they collapse inward. Instruct clients to push their knees out, engaging the glutes as they lower the weight down and press back up. If they are unable to adjust with verbal cues, provide alternative exercises to strengthen the abductor muscles. Most times, the glutes are weak and inactive. Stimulation exercises like mini band walks and clamshells are effective for correcting this weakness.  

2. Locked Out Knees

Locking out the knees at the top is a common mistake during the leg press. Clients often try to rest once they push the weight plate back to the starting position. This causes them to lock out their knees. As soon as you lock out your knees, tension is removed from the muscles. This means the joints, ligaments, and tendons take on the entire load and stress. It’s not beneficial for muscle building and strengthening, but most importantly, it’s causing stress and strain on the knee joints. 

3. Heels Hanging Off

Another common mistake is clients allowing their heels to hang off the foot pad. This puts strain on the knees due to the top of the foot having to withstand the entire load. Even when the entire foot starts on the weight pad, you see clients often lift their heels up. As a trainer, this tells you that they are trying to move the weight pushing through the top of their foot only. Whereas the weight should be evenly distributed throughout the entire foot, and both feet should remain on the platform.

4. Lowering Sled Too Far Down

Sometimes the weights are too heavy, or clients simply don’t control the weight while lowering the weight platform. This results in clients lowering the sled too far down. When this occurs, the buttocks and lower back usually come up off the pad. This causes excessive rounding in the lumbar spine and can lead to injury. 

At this point, there’s no support, and the legs do not have the tension from the weight. Always keep your glutes and back against the pad and secured in position. If this is compromised, instruct clients when to stop lowering and begin pushing up. Keep in mind the weight might be too heavy or light.

5. Partial Reps

The leg press is an effective exercise that allows you to move and load up lots of weight. As a result, clients add too much weight to move, and this limits the range of motion. It’s crucial to maintain form and technique while using a moderate to heavy load. This means still being able to lower the foot platform all the way down. The client’s legs should form at least a 45-degree angle while bringing their knees towards their chest. Avoid performing half reps. Instead, remove some weight plates to lower the weight and increase the range of motion to get the most out of it.

The leg press is one of the most common exercises. It’s effective for most clients to build muscle and strengthen the lower body. As a personal trainer, you will be programming this exercise for most, if not all, clients, with some exceptions. By understanding what not to do during this exercise, you are now equipped with what the best form consists of. 

Want to learn more about muscle building, defining, and shaping the body? Check out the ISSA Bodybuilding Specialist course. Take your clients’ training and physique to the next level. Learn how to combine exercise and nutrition for optimal results.