Leg press translate to squat

OrdinaryDude300
OrdinaryDude300 Posts: 51 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
Curious to what is a good general 45 degree incline leg press translation to barbell back squat. I hear that you should be able to squat about 50%. For me it is less but i dont barbell squat now and only do leg press and lunges. Say i can deep leg press 450 for 10 reps could the average joe parellel squat 225 for 5 reps. I doubt. More like 185 for 5 i would think or less. My gf leg press 410 for 8 to 10 but squats 155 for 8 and has been squatting for over a year now. Seems like 40% is a more accurate transalation.
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Replies

  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    edited November 2016
    The squat requires good form, and core strength that the leg press does not.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited November 2016
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    true dat.

    If it's any help I can leg press 90-ish KG on leg press and I squat about 75 KG for 10-12 (about 1.5x my body weight).


    But I actually squat to depth and with proper form, so there's that.

    p.s. I also don't squat as heavy as i can in general, i've been working on improving my deep breathing and diaphram (which i feel is really *kitten*) so I do a lot of pause and deep breath squats.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    true dat.

    If it's any help I can leg press 90-ish KG on leg press and I squat about 75 KG for 10-12 (about 1.5x my body weight).


    But I actually squat to depth and with proper form, so there's that.

    p.s. I also don't squat as heavy as i can in general, i've been working on improving my deep breathing and diaphram (which i feel is really *kitten*) so I do a lot of pause and deep breath squats.

    To add further to this;

    2 years ago I squatted 220kg (480lbs) to "competition depth" and could leg press 500kg. I can still leg press similar weight but there is no way I am anywhere near that on squat due to my focus shifting on hypertrophy over strength.
  • CarlKRobbo
    CarlKRobbo Posts: 390 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    true dat.

    If it's any help I can leg press 90-ish KG on leg press and I squat about 75 KG for 10-12 (about 1.5x my body weight).


    But I actually squat to depth and with proper form, so there's that.

    p.s. I also don't squat as heavy as i can in general, i've been working on improving my deep breathing and diaphram (which i feel is really *kitten*) so I do a lot of pause and deep breath squats.

    To add further to this;

    2 years ago I squatted 220kg (480lbs) to "competition depth" and could leg press 500kg. I can still leg press similar weight but there is no way I am anywhere near that on squat due to my focus shifting on hypertrophy over strength.

    Yeah, similar here: Leg Press the stack (about 700KG). Squatted 240KG

    As has been said, doesnt really translate, squatting more will
  • jrdouce
    jrdouce Posts: 9 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    There is a lot more to doing squats that just pushing the bar up and down that IMO, it's not worth the effort to try to "predict" one from the other.

    You would be much better off starting with light squats to check your form and core strength. You are stressing a lot more areas of your body with a squat than a press machine. Spend a couple of workouts building up safely.

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    CarlKRobbo wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    true dat.

    If it's any help I can leg press 90-ish KG on leg press and I squat about 75 KG for 10-12 (about 1.5x my body weight).


    But I actually squat to depth and with proper form, so there's that.

    p.s. I also don't squat as heavy as i can in general, i've been working on improving my deep breathing and diaphram (which i feel is really *kitten*) so I do a lot of pause and deep breath squats.

    To add further to this;

    2 years ago I squatted 220kg (480lbs) to "competition depth" and could leg press 500kg. I can still leg press similar weight but there is no way I am anywhere near that on squat due to my focus shifting on hypertrophy over strength.

    Yeah, similar here: Leg Press the stack (about 700KG). Squatted 240KG

    As has been said, doesnt really translate, squatting more will

    Now I feel inadequate ;)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    CarlKRobbo wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    true dat.

    If it's any help I can leg press 90-ish KG on leg press and I squat about 75 KG for 10-12 (about 1.5x my body weight).


    But I actually squat to depth and with proper form, so there's that.

    p.s. I also don't squat as heavy as i can in general, i've been working on improving my deep breathing and diaphram (which i feel is really *kitten*) so I do a lot of pause and deep breath squats.

    To add further to this;

    2 years ago I squatted 220kg (480lbs) to "competition depth" and could leg press 500kg. I can still leg press similar weight but there is no way I am anywhere near that on squat due to my focus shifting on hypertrophy over strength.

    Yeah, similar here: Leg Press the stack (about 700KG). Squatted 240KG

    As has been said, doesnt really translate, squatting more will

    Now I feel inadequate ;)

    screw you both. LOL
  • OrdinaryDude300
    OrdinaryDude300 Posts: 51 Member
    Rainbow. Would that be a 45 degree press or a horizontal. I noticed the horizontal leg press i push much less and 200 pounds seems similiar to 400 on the 450 incline

    I did start with 95 pounds a year ago. Thought my form was good but video revealed my knees came a bit past my toes and i bent over to much. With 135 i was struggling and cheating as my knees would come innerward so i see how starting very light is the smart way. Felt like a weakling under the rack but got to start somewhere. Got away from the gym for a few months and not been in the rack since. I admit i hated squats and gravitated to leg press and lunges. Interesting. So i could work my way up to a 600 pound press with reps and still be weak in squat. Interesting



  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Rainbow. Would that be a 45 degree press or a horizontal. I noticed the horizontal leg press i push much less and 200 pounds seems similiar to 400 on the 450 incline

    I did start with 95 pounds a year ago. Thought my form was good but video revealed my knees came a bit past my toes and i bent over to much. With 135 i was struggling and cheating as my knees would come innerward so i see how starting very light is the smart way. Felt like a weakling under the rack but got to start somewhere. Got away from the gym for a few months and not been in the rack since. I admit i hated squats and gravitated to leg press and lunges. Interesting. So i could work my way up to a 600 pound press with reps and still be weak in squat. Interesting



    That would be roughly 200 lbs on a decline for 10-12. Again though I'm not really training for maximal strength ATM and my priorities lie more so in aesthetics while maintaining relative fitness.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Nothing wrong with your knees going over your toes in squatting
  • OrdinaryDude300
    OrdinaryDude300 Posts: 51 Member
    Rainbow your squat level i cant do yet. You are doing great.

    Gee i always hear knees past toes was bad form. Nice to hear otherwise
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    Squeeze your glutes when you squat. That will incorporate them so you can lift more.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,043 Member
    My early days lifting I only did leg press, worked up to 500# for reps before I decided to give squats a go. Could barely lift 135# once, talk about humbling.

    Over the years both numbers increased significantly (LP 1200, sq 485), though these days I rarely go above 1k by 315.
  • grapaj
    grapaj Posts: 136 Member
    edited November 2016
    Is there a benefit to doing the leg press? I've been doing it on hypertrophy days kind of as a toss in (hanging head in shame - I subbed them for barbell lunges because i loathe lunges....).
    Maybe I am wasting my time?
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    grapaj wrote: »
    Is there a benefit to doing the leg press? I've been doing it on hypertrophy days kind of as a toss in (hanging head in shame - I subbed them for barbell lunges because i loathe lunges....).
    Maybe I am wasting my time?

    Bodybuilders use it all the time for hypertrophy. It's not that it isn't effective, it just doesn't translate well into the squat, because it doesn't require form and core strength.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    grapaj wrote: »
    Is there a benefit to doing the leg press? I've been doing it on hypertrophy days kind of as a toss in (hanging head in shame - I subbed them for barbell lunges because i loathe lunges....).
    Maybe I am wasting my time?

    Personally I think that the leg press is better for hypertrophy as you can isolate and engage the quads or hamstrings more with your foot position. Squats are great but rely on you having perfect form to engage all the necessary muscles.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    The expand the discussion, there are articles which compare the TBDL (trap bar dead lift) with both the back squat and the leg press and suggest that the TBDL can be an acceptable variation for both.

    See, for example:

    http://bonvecstrength.com/2013/06/03/how-to-leg-press-without-feeling-like-a-sissy/
    http://www.joper.org/JOPER/JOPERVolume3_Issue2_4_6_2016_76.pdf
  • OrdinaryDude300
    OrdinaryDude300 Posts: 51 Member
    Since this post i have also noticed you cant hang your hat on a comparable. Just yesterday friend of my gf tried squats with my gf. She good at the leg press and got big musculsr legs looking legs. She struggled with 115 pound squat for 5 reps but leg presses a 450 incline for 15 reps.no problem. Her press is about the same as i but her squat even slightly weaker then mine. Like me she dont normally do squats. On other hand my gf is up to 400 (slightly less then i or her gf) on leg press but can squat 155 for 10 reps (which is more then i or her gf). Obvious other muscle being engaged with squat. I am bad at back squats.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited January 2017
    grapaj wrote: »
    Is there a benefit to doing the leg press? I've been doing it on hypertrophy days kind of as a toss in (hanging head in shame - I subbed them for barbell lunges because i loathe lunges....).
    Maybe I am wasting my time?

    Personally I think that the leg press is better for hypertrophy as you can isolate and engage the quads or hamstrings more with your foot position. Squats are great but rely on you having perfect form to engage all the necessary muscles.

    I totally agree with this statement- I do single leg press as well to mix it up at various angles sometimes I get into the horizontal leg press on my side just to get a different pump in my quads. I can load the 45 degree leg machine with every 45lb plate it will hold I think its 25 or 26 (sides and top) and do 6-8 reps but at my age refuse to squat over 315lbs.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited January 2017
    Nothing wrong with your knees going over your toes in squatting

    depends on the squat-A wide stance squat with knees past the toes would be ill advised a typical shoulder width squat its ok if your heals are flat and you have proper hip flex technique.
    Front squats its almost always going to happen especially if you squat with toes out

    Just remember Hips and BUTT first when squating
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Nothing wrong with your knees going over your toes in squatting

    As long as they're over your toes. and not inboard or outboard. My PT told me to focus(mentally) on keeping my knee between my 2d and little toe(railroad tracks)

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Nothing wrong with your knees going over your toes in squatting

    As long as they're over your toes. and not inboard or outboard. My PT told me to focus(mentally) on keeping my knee between my 2d and little toe(railroad tracks)

    exactly, they should track over the toes in proper alignment as they are designed. :)
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Last time I did both it was close to .75*(press-BW)

    And I hadn't been practicing either Press was ~600 BW was about 240 and squat was ~250
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    Yep. I know women who can press 6-8 plates per side and men but who can barely do 185 for a single parallel squat. Leg press doesn't require core strength or stability. Just like a smith machine squat. The only way to know how much you can squat is to get under the bar yourself. Same as your last thread, I honestly feel like you cheated yourself by getting this leg press over a power rack. You can do one main exercise on the press. A power rack is anywhere from squats-deadlifts-rows-bench press.

  • KickboxFanatic
    KickboxFanatic Posts: 184 Member
    My working sets on the squat are 3 sets of 245x8 and the leg press is 960x8. I find that heavy leg press assists more with my deadlift numbers than my squat numbers due to the "push your feet through the floor" type of motion. I set my feet on the leg press the same width and angle as I do in my conventional deadlift, cross my arms over my chest and keep my head and back glued to the chair so that the entire motion is all leg movement.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    Yep. I know women who can press 6-8 plates per side and men but who can barely do 185 for a single parallel squat. Leg press doesn't require core strength or stability. Just like a smith machine squat. The only way to know how much you can squat is to get under the bar yourself. Same as your last thread, I honestly feel like you cheated yourself by getting this leg press over a power rack. You can do one main exercise on the press. A power rack is anywhere from squats-deadlifts-rows-bench press.

    My thoughts exactly.




    And no one is impressed by leg press PR's.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    Yep. I know women who can press 6-8 plates per side and men but who can barely do 185 for a single parallel squat. Leg press doesn't require core strength or stability. Just like a smith machine squat. The only way to know how much you can squat is to get under the bar yourself. Same as your last thread, I honestly feel like you cheated yourself by getting this leg press over a power rack. You can do one main exercise on the press. A power rack is anywhere from squats-deadlifts-rows-bench press.

    My thoughts exactly.




    And no one is impressed by leg press PR's.

    Which is funny because everyone feels the need to go for them. We've got a kid at my gym who I've never seen squat or deadlift. But he'll load up 7 plates a side on the leg press and drop the whole platform till it hits the spotter bars and then forces it back up. The most I've seen him do is 2 reps. Why he does that, I cannot say.

  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    In my opinion/experience there is very little crossover. Most people in the gym don't know how to squat properly and most that do squat, don't load the weight up. However even the smallest women can load the plates up on the leg press.

    Yep. I know women who can press 6-8 plates per side and men but who can barely do 185 for a single parallel squat. Leg press doesn't require core strength or stability. Just like a smith machine squat. The only way to know how much you can squat is to get under the bar yourself. Same as your last thread, I honestly feel like you cheated yourself by getting this leg press over a power rack. You can do one main exercise on the press. A power rack is anywhere from squats-deadlifts-rows-bench press.

    My thoughts exactly.




    And no one is impressed by leg press PR's.

    Which is funny because everyone feels the need to go for them. We've got a kid at my gym who I've never seen squat or deadlift. But he'll load up 7 plates a side on the leg press and drop the whole platform till it hits the spotter bars and then forces it back up. The most I've seen him do is 2 reps. Why he does that, I cannot say.

    I'm not sure if I'd rather see people going for half-rep squat "PR's" all the time, or leg press ones.
    I guess if they stay on the leg press I won't have to fight them for a squat rack at least.
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