Leg development

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gothchiq
gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am unsure if the leg press works only the front of the legs, or also gets the back. I have really bad knees so I am not doing weighted squats yet, until the doc tells me my knees are stable enough. I am trying to make sure I develop my hamstrings and not just my quads. I welcome suggestions. Thank u!

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  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    There are tons of exercises for hamstrings- try stiff leg deadlifts, seated leg curls, laying leg curls, etc. I can barely walk right now from deficit stiff leg deadlifts I did Wednesday - love it.

    P.S. I had (failed) knee surgery earlier this year so have to carefully select exercises that don't bother my knees
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    Just like a squat, the leg press works both the quads and hamstrings. If you want to focus more on hamstrings, place your feet high and wide.
  • medic2038
    medic2038 Posts: 434 Member
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    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    There are tons of exercises for hamstrings- try stiff leg deadlifts, seated leg curls, laying leg curls, etc. I can barely walk right now from deficit stiff leg deadlifts I did Wednesday - love it.

    THIS!
    Leg presses aren't a very functional exercise. My leg day is leg extensions, leg curls, and low bar squats. If you're afraid of squatting you can both hams and quads doing the extensions/curls. Stiff legged deadlifts are also a great compound exercise!
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
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    Yes, it does work the back too. I would get advice from your doctor on what exercises are safe for you to start with.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Did your doctor clear you for the leg press? those put a lot more shearing forces than regular squats.

    Stay the hell away from leg extension machines with a bum knee. (arguably, just stay the hell away from them.)
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Yes, the doc said leg press was all right provided that I went slowly and paid careful attention to form. It doesn't hurt me at all, which is a good sign. Last time I tried squats, they were painful, so she said if it hurts then avoid them for now. The leg extension machine is a definite no for my type of knee problem. I think I am going to stick with mostly using the leg press for now, adding in the leg curls as well, and see how things progress. When stability improves, I'll work on adding in more things. and yes, my back does feel that it's been worked. lol. It has historically been kind of weak, and it needs to become stronger. Desk job!

    I was concerned about uneven development, which makes knee problems worse. Glad to hear that isn't going to be an issue. Thanks everyone.

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