Weight difference between machine and free weights

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Replies

  • robdowns1300
    robdowns1300 Posts: 152 Member
    Put a scale under the bar.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    edited December 2016
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    i'm just going to duck in here and point out that there's also a difference between cable/pulley and truly fixed-path machines like the smith and some of the stuff that i see for various presses, etc.

    not going to debate weight-for-weight comparisons, but if my experience is worth anything, cables don't let you off from the balance/stabilization aspect. you probably don't stabilize in the same way as free weights since the direction of force with a free weight is always 'down' and cables usually introduce some kind of angle instead.

    but you do need to use stabilizers on the cables. otherwise paloff presses would not be a thing.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

    That article is dumb
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

    The irony here is that my post was ironic. Leg Press is great for hypertrophy but it is not a compound exercise.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited December 2016
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

    That article is dumb

    Your response was nicer than what I had typed up and then backed out of.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited December 2016
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

    That article is dumb

    Your response was nicer than what I had typed up and then backed out of.

    Hint: It's from Gawker. :lol:

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.

    Squat being about a third of press seems pretty typical from personal experience and people I know.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited December 2016
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.

    Squat being about a third of press seems pretty typical from personal experience and people I know.

    My experience working out with many others would also support yours.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can leg press 650kg for reps. This should make me one of the best squatters of all time. I'm not.

    You can?

    That article is dumb

    Exactly.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.

    Squat being about a third of press seems pretty typical from personal experience and people I know.

    Damn I need to up my leg press if that's true
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.

    Squat being about a third of press seems pretty typical from personal experience and people I know.

    Damn I need to up my leg press if that's true

    Me too, I can squat 70kg but no way can I leg press 210kg
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    I can easily leg press sets of 12 x 120kg
    I ain't squatting that weight any time soon

    Two main things to remember why you can leg press more than you can squat ('tis true for all of us)....

    Performing a leg press means you are only moving the equivalent of about 0.707 x weight because the leg press itself takes some of the weight. (So you should be able to squat 85kg, right?)

    Performing a squat means you are actually squatting the weight of the load + your own body weight. You are sitting down during the leg press and don't have to lift your own body weight.

    It's really hard to make a blanket statement with leg press machines since everyone is different based on factors such as angle of the sled, friction, angle of the leg plate, position of the stops etc. Some leg presses I could do over 1200lbs easily while others would be hard at 900.

    Squats also load the core and have a lot of mechanical differences that create disadvantaged leverages compared to leg press. I can leg press over 1000lbs at my current gym but my squat maxes around 355. It's a huge difference.

    Squat being about a third of press seems pretty typical from personal experience and people I know.

    Damn I need to up my leg press if that's true

    Or do like Pat Roberts and lie -- there was only about 1000lbs on the sled as indicated in the video in the article that said 2000lbs so LOL at that bit of truth that slipped by -- and cheat with a range of motion that would make the quarter squatters laugh while using your arms to assist.
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