Types of Leg Press machines

Seekerman

My gym (gym that I have gone to with my group class) has this horizontal leg press that uses cable. Thing is it only has numbers from 1 to 30 on it. Each plate looks like it is about 10 lbs. It shares the same stack as the lat pull downs. There is a similar machine next to it that as both types of abduction /adduction exercises. The women like these machines. I know my upper body is strong and my lower lags behind but I can lat put down a lot more on this machine then leg press. I can only leg press up to the number 10 if I set the seat so that my knees touch my ribs when retracted. Seems like the numbers don't related to a real weight and it depends on the cable/leverage design. This means I am only leg pressing 100 pounds for 3 x 12 full reps which seems low. My legs are wasted after so it is all I can handle. Are the 45 degree presses better? This gym does not have one. It does have a smith machine though.


Right now I am not doing barbell squats, only with dumbbells and some lunges. I try this leg press and abduction machine because the group used it.

mustgetmuscles1

There are so many different variations on leg press machines. Some you can load tons of plates on and some just moving the sled is a good amount of weight. The one at my gym has you lay on the sled so you are moving your own body weight, the sled and whatever weight you add to it. Makes it seem like you are not lifting a lot of added weight.

What really matters is that you are feeling challenged and that there is room to add weight. Do your 3x12 this week and try to add weight next week. If that drops your reps down to 6-8 that is fine just work your way back up to 10-12 then raise the weight again.

Try to get to barbell squats as soon as you can though. Find a coach or do some research online. Start with the bar if you have to. Its not about the amount of weight you are currently lifting only that are trying to get stronger.

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish

There are so many kinds of leg press machines its hard to say, but sounds like that one has a pulley system which probably causes the lat pull down to have more mechanical advantage than the leg press, making more resistance in comparison for leg press than lat pull. If the gym trainers dont know what ratios are, you can look on the edges of the machine for info, if there is none, find a name and model number on it somewhere and you can look up some info online.

I'm actually very frustrated with my gym myself, they moved locations and got all new machines, and suddenly I'm using max weight on quite a few of them and could put more resistance on. Has anyone else noticed a trend towards lower weight ranges in new machines? Very frustrating. Even the angled plate loaded leg press has less bar so you cant put as many 45s on

Shawshankcan

There are so many different variations on leg press machines. Some you can load tons of plates on and some just moving the sled is a good amount of weight. The one at my gym has you lay on the sled so you are moving your own body weight, the sled and whatever weight you add to it. Makes it seem like you are not lifting a lot of added weight..

Hack squat machine.

Seekerman

I tried a new gym yesterday to check it out. They had three different leg presses. Two cable types. 130 on one machine was 50 more difficult then the other. I think the 45 degree press is the one most people refer too. All I tried deep presses where my thighs would touch my ribs. The one cable machine 130 is my max. on the other 220 was my max. On the 45 degree press I only did a couple reps at 270 to compare. Yes, they are all different but I would think the 45 degree press is the same from gym to gym.