Difference between Leg Press and Squats

aoa321

Is there any difference between the muscles worked by the Leg Press (done on a leg press machine) , and the Squat (done using the Smith Machine).

Do these 2 exercsises hit the same set of muscles and is there any point in doing them both in the same session?

logic1

There's a very famous poem written by Dale Clark years ago and it goes:

Squattin'

Way down this road, in a gym far away,
A young man was once heard to say,
“I’ve repped high and I’ve repped low,
No matter what I do my legs won't grow.”

He tried leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses, too.
Trying to cheat these sissy workouts he’d do.
From the corner of the gym where the big men train,
Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain.

Where the big iron rides high and threatens lives,
Where the noise is made with big forty fives.
A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,
A very big man with legs like trees.

Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,
Chalking his hands and his monstrous back,
Said, “Boy stop lying and don’t say you’ve forgotten,
Trouble with you is you ain’t been squattin.”

Essentially if you're going to do one exercise for legs make it a squat. Squats are a full body compound exercise which also improve co-ordination, balance, endurance and power.

Leg press is an isolation exercise. You don't need to do both in a workout but I'd squat more often than leg press.

.logic.

Guvnor

LP = more quads
SQ = more hams

FQ would use similar muscles to the leg press. Here is the thing, using 100kg on the front squat is far more taxing than say doing 300kg on the leg press.

White&Proud

Squats is the most complete exercise for legs. You use Quads, Hams and Calves!

Pherekydes

White&Proud wrote:

Squats is the most complete exercise for legs. You use Quads, Hams and Calves!

And maybe glutes, too. (There will now follow a party-political broadcast on behalf of the "Glutes ARE leg muscles" party) (Followed by broadcast on behalf of the "Glutes are a pain in the ass" party)

dudara

Whatever the difference between the two, I will offer a piece of advice, and that is to stay clear of the Smith Machine. It's a very dangerous piece of equipment for some people, and you are far better off performing free standing squats. Doing this will allow you to follow a far more natural curve of motion and will improve stability.

OFDM

Would a combination of leg press and hamstring curls instead of squats be sufficient when starting out? My gym has no squat rack but it does have a smith machine.