Exercises · Quads and glutes · Machine

Leg press

How to do it

1. Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad and put your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform.
2. Lower the platform until your knees reach about 90°.
3. Press it away without locking your knees.

Form cues that help

• Keep your whole back and hips pressed into the seat from start to finish.
• Push through your whole foot, not just your toes.
• Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
• Lower under control, then press smoothly instead of bouncing out of the bottom.

Common mistakes

• Locking the knees at the top. Stop just short of straight so your muscles keep the load.
• Lifting the hips off the pad. If your lower back rounds at the bottom, shorten the range a little.
• Letting the knees cave in. Keep them tracking over your feet.
• Loading too much and cutting the range. Use a weight you can move through a full, controlled rep.

Alternatives and variations

• The hack squat, another machine that trains the quads with your back supported.
• The single-leg press, which works one side at a time to even out differences between legs.
• The goblet squat or back squat, if you want a free-weight option.
• The lunge, which adds balance and works one leg at a time.

A higher foot position shifts more work toward the glutes, and a lower one toward the quads.

How to progress it

Add reps with the same weight until you reach the top of your rep range with good form, then add a small amount of weight and start again. Log your weight and reps every session. See progressive overload.

See it moving in FollowSet

FollowSet has a 3D demo for the leg press, the single-leg press and the hack squat, and it logs every set. Download it on the App Store.

General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your knees or lower back, and ask a qualified coach or clinician if you have an injury.