Unilateral Plate Loaded Leg Press Machine

At Completegyms, we are proud to offer you this plate loaded leg press.

Why not load up this machine with Olympic Plates

Check this video out for the Do’s and Do Not’s on this machine- Video

Leg Press Machine Benefits

This article will discuss some of the benefits of the leg press machine in terms of lower body development, injury prevention, and athletic performance. It will also highlight some of the variations of the leg press machine that can be used to target specific muscles.

Lower Body Development

The Leg Press Machine promotes leg development by isolating the muscles that comprise the leg. This machine mainly engages the gluteal muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings. The calves act as supporting and stabilizing muscles throughout the movement. It also engages the gastrocnemius and the adductor magnus.

The quadriceps femoris muscle is composed of the vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and the rectus femoris. These muscles are engaged when a person extends the knees during running, jumping, and squatting.

When using the leg press machine, the quadriceps become the primary target muscle during the push-off and lifting phase of the exercise.

Afterward, the quads become the stabilizing muscles during the control phase and weight return phase, in which the hamstrings become the primary target muscle.

The glutes and the hamstrings are always engaged, but to different degrees; Gluteal engagement can also be altered based on the orientation of the feet on the footplate.

Strong gluteal muscles can help in doing other lifting exercises such as squats as well as recreational activities such as hiking. It also helps in performing basic functions like lifting objects and holding weight. Strong hamstring muscles, on the other hand, promote greater jumping ability and more explosive power for sprints.

The leg press machine helps overcome muscular imbalances in the lower body.

Injury Prevention

There is less risk of injury when using the leg press machine as compared with using free weights like squats and deadlifts.

The leg press machine eliminates the need for barbells and other free weights when leg training. At the same time, it can also be incorporated as a warm-up exercise for these barbell exercises to stretch the joints and muscles and avoid injuries.

The leg press machine is easy to use and does not require any technical skill or experience, unlike squats. It also eliminates the need for help from other people at the gym as a spotter and it is also good for beginners who want to build leg strength before doing squats and deadlifts.

The leg press machine has a seat and a backrest which effectively isolates the leg muscles from the upper body during the leg press. This machine attempts to simulate squats in a seated position, targeting similar muscle groups but without spinal and knee loading. Thus, there is no need to balance weights to maintain an upright position when using the leg press machine so there is a lesser risk of overworking the muscles and suffering injuries.

Aside from avoiding upper body and knee related injuries, using the leg press machine can also prevent pulled or torn hamstrings. In sports, the hamstring is usually injured due to extensive movement. The leg press machine conditions and strengthens the hamstring muscle to enhance flexibility and endurance necessary to avoid injury.

Good for Beginners or People Doing Physical Rehab

The leg press machine can help beginners gain more strength and endurance in the lower body to perform more advanced leg exercises including powerlifting exercises such as squats and deadlifts. It is also a good exercise machine for people with weak knees or back problems because most of the pressure of the weights during the leg press is on the glutes and hamstrings.

The leg press machine is also stationary and promotes a fixed pattern of movement that primarily serves to provide a stable foundation for the exercise. There is no need to balance the weights across the bodies to train the leg muscles when using the leg press machine. Thus, it is easier to gain muscle and improve strength when using the leg press machine than free weights.

While it is certainly beginner friendly, it also assumes you have access to the machine itself. For people without a gym membership or a gym without a leg press machine, there are alternatives like squats, step-ups, walking lunges, wall sits, and broad jumps – which use much the same muscles.

Promotes Stronger Bones and Sharper Mind

The leg press machine also promotes bone development in the same way as muscle development. Weight-bearing exercises like the leg press increase the pressure and stress on the bones which is essential to produce osteoblasts that produce bone mass for greater bone density. Optimal bone density is essential to prevent musculoskeletal degenerative diseases associated with age such as osteoporosis.

Along with stronger bones, the leg press machine can also help in neural growth and development. According to the Frontiers of Neuroscience, doing weight-bearing activities such as the leg press can increase brain function and promote neural cell development. They note that performing these types of load-bearing exercises at least two days a week can stimulate a healthy level of neural cell development.

Improved Performance in Sports and Other Exercises

The leg press machine can enhance strength and endurance for better lower body stability. Using the leg press machine regularly can increase balance and ability to retain stability through positional change.

It also enhances speed and explosiveness necessary for running and jumping. Doing leg presses at lower repetitions and greater volume can increase explosive strength for better sprint speed and vertical leap.

It is also well-documented how leg muscle mass can increase sprint speed because of the stronger and more efficient use of force to propel the legs forward. The leg press machine engages fast-twitch muscle fibers in the legs that are required for stronger leg thrusts.

This can also translate to enhanced performance in other exercises like squats and deadlifts as well as cardiovascular performance.

What Muscles does the Leg Press Work?

The leg press is compound in nature – meaning multiple joints are moved. This necessitates numerous muscles also be contracted in a dynamic capacity, of which are referred to as “mover” or “mobilizer” muscles.

In addition, muscles recruited solely in a static capacity are called “stabilizers”, because they stabilize the body as the mobilizer muscles are contracted.

Primary and Secondary Movers

During a repetition of the leg press, it is the quadriceps and glutes that act as primary mover muscles – contributing much of the force therein. In addition, the hamstrings and calves also play a significant role.

Each of these muscles is developed quite effectively due to the high level of intensity and wide range of motion of the leg press. In particular, the quadriceps are emphasized most during the exercise.

Stabilizer Muscles

Apart from the mover muscles, the leg press will also work the abdominals, obliques and those of the lower back so as to stabilize the body.