Hey guys! Are you trying to grow a bigger, rounder butt? One of the best ways to do that is with compound exercises that work multiple muscles at once. The leg press machine is a great example of a exercise that can be modified to hit your glutes harder, in addition to your legs.
In this article, we’ll cover how to adjust your foot position on the leg press to make it a more glute-dominant exercise. We’ll also go over some tips for proper form to get the most out of this exercise.
The Butts: Glute Anatomy
Your butt is made up of three muscles:
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Gluteus Maximus: This is the biggest muscle in the rear-view mirror. It’s responsible for hip extension, or bending your thigh backward.
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Gluteus Medius and Minimus: These two smaller muscles help lift your hip up and out to the side (abduction) and are also responsible for stabilizing your pelvis.
Hitting Your Glutes on the Leg Press
The leg press is often a quad-dominant exercise, but we can modify it to make it more glute-friendly.
Adjustments to Make it a Glute Exercise:
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High Foot Position: Lift your feet up on the platform to increase your hip range of motion.
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Sumoe Stance: A wider foot position targets your glutes and hamstrings more.
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Toe Rotation: Rotating your toes out (no more than 45 degrees) helps engage your glutes more.
By increasing your range of motion, you’re allowing your hips to move through a fuller range of motion. This means your glutes can lengthen at the bottom of the movement and contract harder at the top.
Pro Tip: Avoid going too wide or lowing the weight to avoid putting unnecessary stress on your knees and lower back. Aim for a neutral foot position and keep your feet shoulder-width or narrower, maxing out at two-thirds up the platform.
Other Ways to Engage Your Glutes
In addition to foot position, try these techniques to target your glutes more:
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Hold at the Bottom: Pausing briefly at the bottom of each rep eliminates momentum and forces your glutes to work harder to push the weight up.
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Glute Band: Looping a resistance band around your thighs increases tension on your abductors and helps recruit more muscle fibers in your glutes.
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Leg Press Singles: Doing single-leg press exercises isolates each glute, helps balance strength between your two cheeks, and increases your overall range of motion.
The Takeaway
The leg press is so much more than a quad-dominant exercise. With the right form and foot position, it can be a great glute builder. Experiment with different foot positions, focus on proper form, and try out these tips to build a bigger, rounder butt.
Take your workouts to the next level and get the glutes you want with these simple yet effective tips!
