That leg press where I see 100's of lbs lifted

JewelsDeLuz
JewelsDeLuz Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
So, what's the purpose of that leg press where you sit in the machine, put 45lb weight plates on either side of the top, and then press it with your legs? ???
I see quite a few people going in and pushing several hundred lbs, but then, only a few inches of actual movement. WHY??? Is it for a specific muscle group or functionality? Why not just squat half to a quarter of that to parallel? Isn't the squat way more functional?

If pushing several hundred pounds a few inches is functional, please let me know what for!

Replies

  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
    1. Its too heavy for any further range of motion.

    2. They are doing calve raises on it *L*

    3. They have bad knees
  • amnsetie
    amnsetie Posts: 666 Member
    bad knees
    exercise recommended by physio

    squats require more bending and also balance.
    when you have an injury you sometimes need babysteps
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    It's for people who are scared of squatting.



    ...and calf raises.



    <--- has a bad knee, and finds squats WAY better for it, as a deep squat is acl/mcl neutral, and stopping the leg press movement between top and bottom puts shearing force on the joint.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Yeah I use it for calves. Some bodybuilders will use it later in their career when they are more advanced.
  • jrutledge01
    jrutledge01 Posts: 213 Member
    It's for people who are scared of squatting.



    ...and calf raises.



    <--- has a bad knee, and finds squats WAY better for it, as a deep squat is acl/mcl neutral, and stopping the leg press movement between top and bottom puts shearing force on the joint.

    if you can do squats, you don't have the same bad knee i do (what works for your situation may not work for other people's situations)
  • Thundermtn
    Thundermtn Posts: 57
    interesting observation. For me.. I pyramid up and down... I know I am doing a better range of motion on the lower weight... however, although I dont go quite as far fully loaded, its still a nice strain on the muscles,, just have to protect the knees...

    Of course, I know when I do the limited range, I am getting less effect and should just drop the weight down... but hey.. .I was trying to impress you!

    And by the way, I am not afraid of squats.. I do leg press after squats.. ;) and calves on leg press is nice too.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    I do mid depth leg press to concentrate on my quads. I find if I go too deep the exercise becomes about my hams and glutes and on a quads day, I don't want that. Same with box squats on a quads day over full depth squats.

    Do my quads look like they are suffering?

    15809555_5553.jpg15809555_3512.jpg
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    I love the leg press for inner thigh (put your feet in a V position with your heels almost touching and toes pointing out, lower and when pushing back up SQUEEZE the inner thighs together)..I am always sore from i....also like for calves as well...and you can work you glutes to if you put your feet together and high up on the foot rest...will target your glutes really well......I love squats but I struggle with keeping my form correct and almost always get a burning sensation in my right quad...so I do both :)
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    It's for people who are scared of squatting.



    ...and calf raises.



    <--- has a bad knee, and finds squats WAY better for it, as a deep squat is acl/mcl neutral, and stopping the leg press movement between top and bottom puts shearing force on the joint.

    if you can do squats, you don't have the same bad knee i do (what works for your situation may not work for other people's situations)


    Probably not. Mine was utterly blown apart from impact, and then rebuilt. Not a knee replacement though, just reattaching pretty much everything.


    PS
    I was joking about that afraid of squats thing.
  • KiltFuPanda
    KiltFuPanda Posts: 574 Member
    Also helps if you have a back that isn't quite strong enough to hold up to the strength your legs can push out.

    I do plenty of squats and deadlifts, but my back doesn't quite like it after a while, and my legs are still ready to go. So I'll get on the leg press and do about 100-200 lbs past my ending weight to burn out my quads.

    As for calf raises, I love the machine - just a little extra motion at the end of the leg press and you get another muscle worked out.

    I also do my single-leg presses on the machine - don't have to worry about balance.

    And on a personal note, I get a private kick about racking up 1100 lbs and pushing it for reps without needing a knee wrap anymore!
  • JewelsDeLuz
    JewelsDeLuz Posts: 8
    Alright, some of those answers make sense, basically for muscle isolation. :) I can see where some might use it if the form is bad on squats, but if form is bad on squats, I would just lift to the weight where my form started to go bad and lift until all the muscles caught up with each other strength wise.

    And I guess that Physical Therapists and even personal trainers have a method to their madness.

    My favorite personal trainer though, has to be Mark Rippetoe's book Starting Strength, and a video camera to see when my form sucks.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i like squats but i used to switch off on the leg press machine because for a long while i didnt have the flexibility in my hip flexors and anklees to go as deep as i needed to. now i'll do the leg press machine on squat day for a few sets to really punish my thighs. after a certain point, it's too taxing to balance and keep the proper form in a back squat, but i'll still have a few sets left in my quads and glutes. when they happens the leg pres machine is a good option for me

    I do mid depth leg press to concentrate on my quads. I find if I go too deep the exercise becomes about my hams and glutes and on a quads day, I don't want that. Same with box squats on a quads day over full depth squats.

    Do my quads look like they are suffering?

    15809555_5553.jpg15809555_3512.jpg

    yes they do. i think you need to work on your quads :tongue:
  • Plentiful_Tentacles
    Plentiful_Tentacles Posts: 115
    Often times people use it as an ego booster. It's safer than doing squats, and people can generally push more weights on it. There may be people who don't go to depth for knee reasons, I'd say most of the time it's because the lifter is carrying more weight than they should. It's called a leg press, but most of the time I see a "knee press," where they let it go down literally two inches. For that reason, a lot of people actually dislike leg presses, but I like them for some of the same reasons said above. After squatting for a while my lower back gets weaker and will start to curve, and I won't be able to get a solid good form rep. It's also nice to mix it up a bit. It's easier to overload as well, especially if you're doing calf extensions.

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