---
id: leg_press
name: Leg Press
aliases: [45-degree leg press, machine leg press, seated leg press]
status: complete
category: exercise
pattern: [squat]
muscles:
  - id: rectus_femoris
    role: primary
  - id: vastus_lateralis
    role: primary
  - id: vastus_medialis
    role: primary
  - id: gluteus_maximus
    role: primary
  - id: biceps_femoris
    role: secondary
  - id: semitendinosus
    role: secondary
equipment: [leg press machine]
difficulty:
  technical_complexity: 1
  strength_prerequisite: 1
  mobility_prerequisite: 2
alternatives: [back_squat]
joint_rom_required:
  knee_flexion_deg: 110
  hip_flexion_deg: 85
  ankle_dorsiflexion: minimal
  notes: "Knee 100-120°; hip 80-90° (fixed by seat geometry); ankle relatively unconstrained; foot placement shifts emphasis: high foot = more glute/hamstring, low foot = more quad"
  source: "da Silva 2008; Martin-Fuentes 2020"

strength_curve:
  type: ascending
  sticking_point: mid_range
  peak_force_position: near_extension
  notes: "Sticking point at 90-100° knee flexion where moment arm is greatest; machine guides path eliminating balance demand; eccentric often underutilized in standard practice"
  source: "Walker 2025; Martin-Fuentes 2022"

sources:
  - title: "NSCA's Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"
    author: "NSCA"
    credibility: expert_consensus
  - title: "Muscle activity in the leg press exercise with different foot positions"
    author: "da Silva, E. M., et al."
    year: 2008
    doi: null
    credibility: rct
  - title: "Electromyographic analysis of the leg press exercise and its variants"
    author: "Martin-Fuentes, I., et al."
    year: 2020
    doi: null
    credibility: rct
---

# Leg Press

The leg press is a machine-based squat-pattern movement where the lifter pushes a weighted platform away with the legs from a seated or reclined position. The fixed path removes most balance and bracing demands, isolating the legs.

## Execution

1. Sit with the back flat against the pad, feet shoulder width on the platform
2. Release the safeties and lower the platform under control
3. Descend until the knees reach roughly 90 degrees without the lower back rounding
4. Press the platform up without locking the knees aggressively

## Common Faults

- **Lower back rounding** — descending too deep lifts the hips off the pad
- **Locking knees hard** — joint stress at the top
- **Feet too low** — shifts excessive load to the knees

## Variations

| Variation | Key difference | Best for |
|-----------|----------------|----------|
| High foot placement | More glute and hamstring | Posterior emphasis |
| Low foot placement | More quad | Quad emphasis |
| Single leg | One side at a time | Imbalance correction |

> For system-specific training applications, see each system's lens entry.