How to do leg press exercises

This is an animated body sculpting tutorial for leg press exercises. Use the controls to pause, slow down and follow along with detailed step-by-step text instructions that match up with each movement. This instructional fitness body building video is incredibly in depth and a great guide for learning leg press exercises.

How to do Leg Presses

The leg press in an exercise for the quadriceps, where you sit into a chair and press a weight 45° away from your body. There are also vertical and horizontal leg press variations. However, the one shown here ( incline leg press ) is the most popular one. The leg press is similar to the squat. Its advantages are that the back is not stressed that much, you can't fall or lose balance, and you can stop at any moment. The biggest disadvantage is that the leg press doesn't boost testosterone production like the squat with a barbell on the back. The free squat is the heaviest of all exercises and no other movement stimulates testosterone production in a comparable manner.

Description: Leg Press

*Sit into the leg press machine and plant your feet on the leg support. Distance between feet: Approx. one shoulder width. Toes point slightly out. Extend your legs so that you can open the safety lock. Exhale at the same time. Most leg press machines have a turnable grip, similar to the handle, that can be activated when the weight is lifted a little (not visible in this illustration). Then grasp the handles and pull yourself down, so that your hips are as low as possible. The back remains flat on the back lean during the entire exercise. The foot rest is usually slightly slanted, so that your calves are NOT stretched at the lowest position. If the foot rest is of your leg press machine is parallel to the back lean, you might have to plant your feet a bit higher or use weight lifting shoes with high heels. However, ideally the ankle would move in one line with the weight and the hip joint.