Leg pressing, what is it good for?

Brian?

caviardreams wrote: »

I like this

I totally get that it's a legit exercise on the leg press machine, but it still really annoys me when I see people doing them for some reason :pac::pac::D

(Maybe because I literally have never done a single calf exercise in my life :o)

A leg press is perfect for calf raises. It's probably the best use for a leg press actually. A leg press is inferior to squatting in every way.

caviardreams

Brian? wrote: »

A leg press is perfect for calf raises. It's probably the best use for a leg press actually. A leg press is inferior to squattinf in every way.

I agree, but why not do both (depending on your goals)?. I find the leg press a useful assistance exercise for some extra volume alongside squats. As I said, I totally get the reason for using the machine to do calf raises, I think it's just my own personal anti-calf exercise bias Like when I see people doing calf raises in the squat rack it also annoys me. Down with calves

Brian?

caviardreams wrote: »

I agree, but why not do both (depending on your goals)?. I find the leg press a useful assistance exercise for some extra volume alongside squats. As I said, I totally get the reason for using the machine to do calf raises, I think it's just my own personal anti-calf exercise bias Like when I see people doing calf raises in the squat rack it also annoys me. Down with calves

A leg press isn't really an assistance execise to squats thoigh. It's a mimicry of a squat. But that's just my opinion, man.

Calf raises are a vanity exercise, i like having nice calfs.

Mellor

There are genuine reasons to use the leg press. But "squat volume" wouldn't be one of them imo.


Had a good week in the gym. Nothing annoying happened.

drdeadlift

Brian? wrote: »

A leg press isn't really an assistance execise to squats thoigh. It's a mimicry of a squat. But that's just my opinion, man.

Calf raises are a vanity exercise, i like having nice calfs.

It isnt even a minicry.The fact your sitting down changes everything.

Alf Veedersane

Brian? wrote: »

A leg press isn't really an assistance execise to squats thoigh.

Out if interest - and this may just be getting into semantics - but why do you not think the leg press can be used for assistance work?

caviardreams

Mellor wrote: »

There are genuine reasons to use the leg press. But "squat volume" wouldn't be one of them imo.


Had a good week in the gym. Nothing annoying happened.

I actually didn't mean squat volume (i.e. I don't see them as "extra squats" or a substitute) I meant extra sets/volume for legs generally as I tend to do sets of 10-15, rather than lower reps like with squats.

cloudatlas

I don't know why, I assume it's a bit more risky to do calf raises on a leg press as your toes are on the edge of the plate therefore more risk of slipping and hurting yourself?

I'm using it as an accessory exercise to strengthen my weaker leg.

Brian?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Out if interest - and this may just be getting into semantics - but why do you not think the leg press can be used for assistance work?

You can, but what's it going to really achieve? Why would you need to do a second bilateral, quad dominant exercise along with squats? If you decide there is a genuine reason to do so, why would you pick a machine that forces the movement into a fixed plane?

Machines are grand for isolation work, if needed.

Brian?

cloudatlas wrote: »

I don't know why, I assume it's a bit more risky to do calf raises on a leg press as your toes are on the edge of the plate therefore more risk of slipping and hurting yourself?

Maybe. It's unlikely though.

I'm using it as an accessory exercise to strengthen my weaker leg.

Bulgarian split squats, pistol squats and lunges would be better options.

DontThankMe

cloudatlas wrote: »

I don't know why, I assume it's a bit more risky to do calf raises on a leg press as your toes are on the edge of the plate therefore more risk of slipping and hurting yourself?

You leave the safety lock on when you're using the leg press for calf raises so it can't slip down more than a few inches.

Alf Veedersane

Brian? wrote: »

You can, but what's it going to really achieve? Why would you need to do a second bilateral, quad dominant exercise along with squats? If you decide there is a genuine reason to do so, why would you pick a machine that forces the movement into a fixed plane?

Machines are grand for isolation work, if needed.

Because the movement or portion of the movement you want to work on is in a fixed plane?

Brian?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Because the movement or portion of the movement you want to work on is in a fixed plane?

Examples?

Alf Veedersane

Brian? wrote: »

Examples?

I have used it as an accessory with a range of motion as the leg drive at the start of a deadlift.

It had a low tariff in terms of fatigue and I didnt expect any carryover but it was for some direct work on the muscles used in the leg drive.

That's what accessory work is about as distinct from supplementary/complementary exercises...well, in how I categorise exercises I do.

Brian?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I have used it as an accessory with a range of motion as the leg drive at the start of a deadlift.

It had a low tariff in terms of fatigue and I didnt expect any carryover but it was for some direct work on the muscles used in the leg drive.

That's what accessory work is about as distinct from supplementary/complementary exercises...well, in how I categorise exercises I do.

Hmm. I'm not convinced. However I shall be splitting this discussion off into a new thread, as it's off topic here. Give me a few hours to get on a latop and tidy up.

Brian?

BOOOOOM

LincolnHawk

The leg press is a good exercise, not sure why it gets hate.
You can do a load of volume on your quads in a relatively safe manner without worrying about form breaking down due to fatigue.
I throw in a set or two of 20 reps after squat work or anytime I feel like it.
Sometimes my body is F-ed up from football or life, don't feel like squatting but should do some legs... Leg press to the rescue.
...my 2 cents

Mellor

I leg pressed this week. Rehab.
Felt more comfortable working with a fixed plane rather than a free movement. But the goal is really to regain stability, so will have to progress to free weights.

LincolnHawk wrote: »

You can do a load of volume on your quads in a relatively safe manner without worrying about form breaking down due to fatigue.

Form can still break down on leg presses. It's just easy to continue repping with ****ty form - not necessarily a good thing.

deadlybuzzman

I always used to call the leg press the ego press as I couldn't really see how it was useful for anything more than getting better at the leg press.
Then I seen an Andy Bolton training video, where after doing some low rep low volume deadlifts, his first exercise that he did for more that a couple of reps per set was the leg press.
That made me reconsider my opinion and copy it for a while and I found it was actually good for 2 things

1. Helping develop sheer brute force without having to be conscious of technique e.g. when your lower back has tired to the point you cannot exert maximal force on deadlifts but your legs are still good to go.

2. Just getting the reps in. Alot of the options for this such as split squats I personally hate, there's an element of balance to them, I use less weight so there's less carryover a and if you want to go to near failure the second leg never gets the same intensity as the 1st leg, that's probably a personal thing as I do hate that stuff

Alf Veedersane

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

2. Just getting the reps in. Alot of the options for this such as split squats I personally hate, there's an element of balance to them, I use less weight so there's less carryover a and if you want to go to near failure the second leg never gets the same intensity as the 1st leg, that's probably a personal thing as I do hate that stuff

Unilateral leg work is important as well though. I've found split squats, lunges and step ups great for reducing imbalances. They're not obvious until you do them but then they become very apparent. So I wouldn't really be a fan of using the leg press, even using it for single leg work, as a substitute for single leg work with free weights.

As for the leg press, I would mostly be inclined to use it at the start of a hypertrophy block of training.

IvoryTower

As the weight goes up for me I can't squat as low, really for fear of getting stuck in the hole, which I would. I assume this is normal anyway for the average joe(im no clarence). Would this be useful for practicing getting out of the hole with more weight? Or maybe the standing squat machine(i may have made that name up), like a leg press only you're standing?

Alf Veedersane

IvoryTower wrote: »

As the weight goes up for me I can't squat as low, really for fear of getting stuck in the hole, which I would. I assume this is normal anyway for the average joe(im no clarence). Would this be useful for practicing getting out of the hole with more weight?

I don't think leg pressing helps with that fear of getting stuck in the hole. I totally get it....I think we've probably all been there at some stage...but it's a matter of confidence with the weight, more often than not, if that fear is the only reason you're cutting the depth.

IvoryTower

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I don't think leg pressing helps with that fear of getting stuck in the hole. I totally get it....I think we've probably all been there at some stage...but it's a matter of confidence with the weight, more often than not, if that fear is the only reason you're cutting the depth.

well i went down and got stuck a couple of weeks ago so I think its justified Its just annoying that I have to lower the weight by about 15kg to comfortably go ATG. I thought some added machine work while in that ATG position might help. Anyway, I know the answer is probably just keep squatting and maybe squat some more but wouldnt a shortcut be great

Alf Veedersane

IvoryTower wrote: »

well i went down and got stuck a couple of weeks ago so I think its justified Its just annoying that I have to lower the weight by about 15kg to comfortably go ATG. I thought some added machine work while in that ATG position might help. Anyway, I know the answer is probably just keep squatting and maybe squat some more but wouldnt a shortcut be great

The majority of your work should be done between 65-85% or thereabouts anyway and IIRC, you're a runner so there's no need to max out with a single.

deadlybuzzman

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Unilateral leg work is important as well though. I've found split squats, lunges and step ups great for reducing imbalances. They're not obvious until you do them but then they become very apparent. So I wouldn't really be a fan of using the leg press, even using it for single leg work, as a substitute for single leg work with free weights.

As for the leg press, I would mostly be inclined to use it at the start of a hypertrophy block of training.

This is the part where I completely agree with you while sticking my fingers in my ears and go La La La because I REALLY hate single leg stuff!
In fairness I do spot check for imbalances here and there and luckily enough it's never really an issue

Alf Veedersane

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

This is the part where I completely agree with you while sticking my fingers in my ears and go La La La because I REALLY hate single leg stuff!
In fairness I do spot check for imbalances here and there and luckily enough it's never really an issue

Sometimes it doesn't feel like much of an imbalance but you might notice split squats feel easier on one side than the other.

But then I did high box step ups and it was more obvious that there was an imbalance in the glute meds that I hadn't been aware of.

But yeah, I don't enjoy it either like I don't enjoy those first few weeks of high volume after peaking for a comp because it feels like I might die at any time during the 57 sets of squats.

Eoinbmw

Stan Efferding is an advocate for the leg press thats good enough for me!

Brian?

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Stan Efferding is an advocate for the leg press thats good enough for me!

There are many reasons why you may not be able to apply Stan's methods to yourself. The big one being chemical assistance.

Brian?

IvoryTower wrote: »

As the weight goes up for me I can't squat as low, really for fear of getting stuck in the hole, which I would. I assume this is normal anyway for the average joe(im no clarence). Would this be useful for practicing getting out of the hole with more weight? Or maybe the standing squat machine(i may have made that name up), like a leg press only you're standing?

The solution to that is a stronger squat, not leg pressing. You could try paused squats at a lower weight to get used to being in the hole longer.

Brian?

Mellor wrote: »

I leg pressed this week. Rehab.
Felt more comfortable working with a fixed plane rather than a free movement. But the goal is really to regain stability, so will have to progress to free weights.

Was this based on advice or prescribed rehab? I have rehabbed from 2 knee surgeries, the golden rule seems to be spending a huge amount of time with one foot on the floor. Build's the stabilising muscles and focuses on the correct motor pattern.

Eoinbmw

Brian? wrote: »

There are many reasons why you may not be able to apply Stan's methods to yourself. The big one being chemical assistance.

So you are saying you can not develop your legs "naturally" with the help of a leg press?
For what its worth after my 2 ACL ops the leg press was an excellent recovery tool and helped to get some lost muscle mass back on my quads!
On my first op i solely used the leg press for 4 months until i braved going back into the squat rack!
On the second op i managed to have a much better starting point to recover from. My leg was a lot stronger from squatting and leg pressing weekly before the dreaded snap so i was squatting with a barbell much quicker!
I think the leg press is a decent tool in the box to help grow some muscle!

Brian?

Eoinbmw wrote: »

So you are saying you can not develop your legs "naturally" with the help of a leg press?

I didn't say that. I said you can't simply take one person's methods and apply them to yourself. This is especially true of a professional body building.

You said:

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Stan Efferding is an advocate for the leg press thats good enough for me!

I disagree with this rationale.

For what its worth after my 2 ACL ops the leg press was an excellent recovery tool and helped to get some lost muscle mass back on my quads!
On my first op i solely used the leg press for 4 months until i braved going back into the squat rack!
On the second op i managed to have a much better starting point to recover from. My leg was a lot stronger from squatting and leg pressing weekly before the dreaded snap so i was squatting with a barbell much quicker!
I think the leg press is a decent tool in the box to help grow some muscle!

I think it's a tool. An inferior tool.

Alf Veedersane

Brian? wrote: »

I think it's a tool. An inferior tool.

You'd find most bodybuilders would disagree with you.

El Horseboxo

I've been bodybuilding for about 15 years and squats and deadlifts were always my favorite exercises. Loved them and made me feel powerful. But had a bad injury which basically prevents me from doing either of them. Nothing to do with form. No matter how perfect I'd be fighting through pain and would pay for it for days after.

Anyways leg press now replaces any type of squat. And I'm amazed at how much my legs have grown. They've literally blown up bigger than I've ever had them. I'd never leg pressed and always held the opinion of them being vastly inferior to squats. But now I believe squats are just a more effective way to achieve the results. I probably need to spend way more time leg pressing to achieve the same results. But that's exactly what is happening now. I can move much more weight with the leg press. Over double my squat weight. I recover quicker inbetween sets. I can do higher volume. I change my foot position to target different areas. And I also do more single leg work using the leg press too. If I spent an hour squatting over the course of a week previously. I probably spend 90 mins doing leg presses now.

I've also being doing a lot of heavy prowler work which might help too. But the leg press has been the fundamental part of getting my quads bigger than they've ever been in maybe 13 years of serious disciplined bodybuilding. Took me 2 to work out some kinks. So don't knock the leg press.

Eoinbmw

Brian? wrote: »

I didn't say that. I said you can't simply take one person's methods and apply them to yourself. This is especially true of a professional body building.

You said:



I disagree with this rationale.



I think it's a tool. An inferior tool.

I disagree with your rationale.

Mellor

Brian? wrote: »

Was this based on advice or prescribed rehab? I have rehabbed from 2 knee surgeries, the golden rule seems to be spending a huge amount of time with one foot on the floor. Build's the stabilising muscles and focuses on the correct motor pattern.

Self-rehab at the minute. Seeing a surgeon next week and then prob physio. Will adjust as necessary.
Stability work will be next. But first I wanted to make sure that I was able to move through the full ROM comfortably. Leg press was the best way to do that imo.

Brian?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You'd find most bodybuilders would disagree with you.

Yes. I would.