The leg press is a weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

 exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press also refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. The leg press can be used to evaluate an athlete's overall lower body strength (from knee joint to hip and partially ankle extensors as well).

There are two main types of leg press:

• The diagonal or vertical 'sled' type leg press. Weight disks (plates) are attached directly to the sled, which is mounted on rails. The user sits below the sled and pushes it upward with their feet. These machines normally include adjustable safety brackets that prevent the user from being trapped under the weight.
• The 'cable' type leg press, or 'seated leg press', commonly found on multigyms. The user sits upright and pushes forward with their feet onto a plate that is attached to the weight stack by means of a long steel cable.

Muscle groups

The leg press works the following muscle groups:

• Quadriceps
• Hamstring
  Hamstring
  In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
  
  
• Gluteus maximus
• Calves
  Gastrocnemius muscle
  In humans, the gastrocnemius muscle is a very powerful superficial pennate muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg. It runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel, and is involved in standing, walking, running and jumping. Along with the soleus muscle it forms the calf muscle...
  
   (partially)

Varying the angle between the sled and the backrest and/or the position of the feet on the plate puts more emphasis on one or the other muscle group.

Magnitude of leg press lifts

Since the leg press stabilizes the lifter and moves weights in a direction that is not vertical, it is possible for strength trainers to press very heavy weights (compared to the weight used for other exercises). Bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie Dean "Big Ron" Coleman is an American professional bodybuilder who holds the record of eight straight wins as Mr. Olympia, a record career total that he shares with Lee Haney.-Biography:...

 is featured in videos wherein he leg presses 2,300 pounds (1,043 kg) for a full eight repetitions. To compare, the world record for the squat

Squat (exercise)

In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...

 is 1,250 pounds (568.18 kg geared).

An AskMen.com

AskMen.com

AskMen.com is a free online men’s web portal, with international versions in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.-History:...

 article states that it is not uncommon for men to leg press over 500 pounds (226 kg), with some men going over 1,000 pounds (454 kg) using a limited-range of motion. Former US Secretary of State and septuagenarian Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...

 claims she is able to leg press in excess of 400 pounds (181 kg).
However, a true leg press requires the full range of motion. Typically a person cannot do much more than double the weight of their standard one-repetition, full-range leg-press when attempting limited-range strength straining (e.g., if they can do 500 pounds full-range they could do no more than 1,000 pounds for limited range training).

See also

• Health
  Health
  Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
  
  
• Exercise
• Kinesiology
  Kinesiology
  Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
  
  
• Personal trainer
  Personal trainer
  A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
  
  
• Exercise physiology
  Exercise physiology
  Exercise physiology is the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to a wide-range of physical exercise conditions. In addition, many exercise physiologists study the effect of exercise on pathology, and the mechanisms by which exercise can reduce or reverse disease progression...
  
  

External links

• Leg Press Exercise