How to Work Your Quads on the Leg Press

If squats aren’t your thing, or you just want to mix things up, the leg press is a great exercise for building and shaping your quads.

The leg press machine allows you to push a weighted platform away from you with your feet while seated in a comfortable position on a sliding rack. You can adjust your foot position to target different muscles in your lower body. Let’s break down how to work your quads on the leg press.

Let’s Talk About Your Quads

Your quadriceps, or quads, are the 4 muscles on the front of your thigh:

• Rectus femoris: This muscle runs from your hip down to your kneecap and helps flex your hip and extend your knee.

• Vastus lateralis: The muscle on the outside of your thigh.

• Vastus medialis: The teardrop shaped muscle on the inside of your thigh.

• Vastus intermedius: The muscle beneath your rectus femoris.

Your quads are responsible for extending your knee (straightening your leg) and assisting in hip flexion (lifting your knee up towards your chest).

Working Your Quads on the Leg Press

Yes, your quads should be working on the leg press! Sort of. Depending on your foot position, your quads will be more or less responsible for extending your knee as you push the weight away from you.

Your rectus femoris doesn’t get to work as much since your hip is already in a flexed position at the beginning of the exercise. If you want to target your rectus femoris more, try adjusting your foot position so your feet are higher up on the platform to further flex your hip.

Ways to Increase Quad Emphasis

Ways to Emphasize Quad Emphasis

Here are a few techniques to help you target your quads more:

1. Lower Foot Position
   Placing your feet lower down on the platform will emphasize knee flexion. This will make your quads work harder to extend your knees while reducing the contribution of your glutes and hamstrings.

2. Narrow Stance
   Pointing your toes towards each other reduces the surface area of your feet on the platform, engaging your quads (vastus lateralis) more. A narrower stance also reduces the involvement of your adductor magnus (inner thigh) and other hip stabilizers, making your quads work harder to stabilize your knee.

3. Pause at the Bottom
   Pause briefly at the bottom of the leg press to eliminate any momentum and increase time under tension. This technique will help improve your mind-muscle connection, making sure your quads are contracting as you lower the weight.

4. Use Resistance Bands
   Adding resistance bands to the leg press will increase tension at the top of the movement, where your quads are typically weaker. Bands will also add an element of instability, requiring your quads to work harder to stabilize your knee throughout the entire range of motion.

5. Squat Wedge
   Using a squat wedge to lift your heels will increase ankle dorsiflexion (pulling your toes towards your shin) and allow for a deeper range of motion in your knee. This adjustment will also reduce dependence on your calf muscles.

Final Thoughts

The leg press is a great machine for building strong, defined quads. Experiment with different foot positions and incorporate some of the advanced techniques mentioned above to maximize your results. Choose a weight that’s challenging but not overwhelming, and maintain good form with every rep—your quads will thank you!