weighted leg press

manus30

hello,
i went to the gym yesterday and did my usual routine. i play squash at an above average level ( national comp. B player ), so i go to the gym to build up legs and core to prevent injury.
my right knee has been bad on and off for the last 4 years or so. it cracks quite bad and i get a dull ache if i overload. i am told this is runners knee or chondromalecia.
I usually cut down on squash when it gets bad and concentrate on leg resistance work, and this seems to help with pain.
only thing is, after my gym session yesterday, my knee was in a really bad way. I usually do the following:
weighted lunges
leg press 180kg 3 by 20 reps
quad weights
squat thrusts
i think the pain is caused by the leg press. just curious, what is the correct form to use when using this machine? the instructors have not got a clue, i usually end up pointing out the errors of their advice...
thanks in advance

cardio,shoot me

go to a physio and get that knee checked out dude

manus30

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

go to a physio and get that knee checked out dude

sorry, forgot to mention that. i went to loads of different physios over the years and only got temporary relief. also got orthotics made up. also went to a man who manipulates the muscles and combines this with acupuncture. i found this the most beneficial.
has anyone advice on correct form with a weighted leg press?, just want to rule out poor form as a cause of my knee pain. thanks

Roper

You have next to no hamstring work in your programme bar the lunges. Hamstring/quad imbalances are one of the major causes of knee difficulty. Not saying that this is the case for you, but in general.

kevpants

I reckon you should drop the leg presses, you're doing enough quad stuff anyway, and maybe start doing some deadlifts or a variation of. Like Roper said, your hamstrings are as important as your quads.

manus30

Roper wrote: »

You have next to no hamstring work in your programme bar the lunges. Hamstring/quad imbalances are one of the major causes of knee difficulty. Not saying that this is the case for you, but in general.

i do a lot of intensive court sprints on the squash court which would have the effect of building up my hamstrings, which is why i focus on quad work in the gym to try to balance both of them.
very annoying though, this knee problem wont go away. i cant train as hard as i would like and it just get me down in general. no one seems to have an answer for it. doc says might not be bad enough for surgery, try physio. but physios leave a bad taste in my mouth, all promise treatment will work but it never does..

Roper

manus30 wrote: »

i do a lot of intensive court sprints on the squash court which would have the effect of building up my hamstrings, which is why i focus on quad work in the gym to try to balance both of them.

No that won't build your hams, just stress them.

very annoying though, this knee problem wont go away. i cant train as hard as i would like and it just get me down in general. no one seems to have an answer for it. doc says might not be bad enough for surgery, try physio. but physios leave a bad taste in my mouth, all promise treatment will work but it never does..

Physio is a cure for the symptoms, not the cause. The root is something else that you're doing.

Transform

absolute rubbish - sprinting is all quad and glute work and if there are existing imbalances then the leg press is just reinforcing the bad patterns of movement.

Get yourself checked by a trainer for functional movement i.e. see whats too tight/weak to sort the issues. This is something i see in almost every client - quads too tight and feck all glute and hamstring strength.

Remember the knee issue is not going away BECAUSE you continue to repeat the same faulty movement patterns. Go to a trainer in your area that can help you or a decent therapist that actually will give you exercises to do to correct this.