If you're looking for a booty-ful workout, you may want to consider the leg press machine. The leg press is a great exercise for building strong legs, targeting your quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Did you know you can also use the leg press to work your glutes? That's right, you can turn the leg press into a glute press! Simply adjust where you place your feet on the platform and how you perform the exercise. Here's where to place your feet on the leg press for a better butt:

In this post, I'll show you how to work your glutes on the leg press, as well as some tips and tricks to help maximize glute activation and development.

Glute Muscle Anatomy

Your glutes are comprised of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle and the one you can see in the mirror. It's responsible for hip extension (moving your thigh back). Your gluteus medius and minimus are smaller muscles underneath the gluteus maximus. They help abduct your hip joint (moving your thigh out to the side) and stabilize your pelvis.

Is Glute Activation Possible On The Leg Press?

So, do your glutes activate during the leg press? The short answer is yes, but...

The leg press is a quad-dominant exercise, which means your quads (the front of your thighs) do most of the work. However, you can modify the foot position and angle on the leg press machine to engage your glutes and hamstrings (the back of your thighs) more.

Your glutes are more likely to activate when you place your feet higher up on the platform, point your toes out, and take a wider stance. This changes the range of motion of your hips and knees, allowing your hips to extend further and your glutes to contract more at the top of the movement.

Just be careful not to go overboard with these modifications, as they can also increase the stress on your lower back and knees. A general rule of thumb is to keep your feet no wider than shoulder-width apart, toes no more than 45 degrees turned out, and your heels no higher than two-thirds of the way up the platform.

Other Ways to Engage Your Glutes

In addition to foot position and angle, here are a few other ways to engage your glutes on the leg press:

• Hold at the bottom. Pause for a second or two at the bottom of each rep to take the momentum out of your leg press and force your glutes to do more of the work.
• Use a glute loop. A glute loop is a type of resistance band designed specifically for your glutes. It adds tension to your abductors (the muscles that move your thighs out to the side), which are part of your glute complex. By wearing a glute band on your legs while you press, you can target more muscle fibers in your glutes and increase activation.
• Press one leg at a time. Doing one leg at a time on the leg press allows you to target each glute separately and avoid any imbalances or cheating. You can also rest your non-working leg on the floor and increase the range of motion of each rep.

Final Thoughts

The leg press is a quad-dominant exercise, but it's also a great booty builder! With these tips on how to do a leg press for your glutes, you can work towards a rounder, fuller booty!