Joshua Galyon
As they say, you don’t skip leg day in your workout routine. Exercising the muscles of the legs is as important as strengthening your upper body. But many new fitness enthusiasts don’t give leg workouts as much importance as their biceps, abs and chest.
One of the best exercises for the legs is a leg press. The leg press sometimes receives a bad rep from fitness experts, who much prefer squats and lunges for leg workouts. But this flak towards leg presses is totally unwarranted.
They’re highly beneficial since they allow you to work with more weight, have better balance and give much better results. It is an excellent leg workout for women, men and people of varying age groups.
In this blog, let’s take a look at leg presses and understand the various leg press benefits.
What is a Leg Press?
A leg press is a weight training exercise aimed at strengthening the muscles of the lower body. A leg press involves pushing against a weight or resistance with the legs and is performed on a specialized leg press machine. Leg presses strengthen the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles and calf muscles.
Leg presses may be done in two ways. In the first type, you can stay seated and push weights with your legs horizontally. In the second type of leg press, you are on your back with legs at a 45-degree incline and you have to push weights against gravity.
Benefits of Leg Presses
They’re Great For Beginners
The leg press does require correct technique, but they’re slightly easier to do as compared to squats. Since the upper body is not involved in leg presses, beginners find it convenient to focus on their leg form and not worry about imbalance. Also, machine exercises are generally more helpful for beginners since they provide better stability and balance.
Leg Presses Isolate the Legs
Since you’re flat on your back and pushing with your legs, a leg press allows you to isolate the leg muscles and focus your workout on them. You can isolate the calf muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps depending on where you place your feet during a leg press. You don’t have to worry too much about the position of your upper body since it will be stationary for most of the time.
Leg Presses Don’t Require Much Balance
Even though leg presses can be perceived as being complicated due to the use of a gym machine, they’re actually easier than squats and don’t require as much balance. They’re perfect for people who struggle with balancing themselves.
Squats are done in a standing position, requiring you to balance your entire body as you work on your legs. Leg presses, on the other hand, are done in the sitting or supine position, thus requiring no balance of the upper body.
Leg Press Can Improve Your Squats
In squats, you have to rely on your quadriceps to hold your weight. Stronger quadriceps mean you can perform your squats better. And that’s where leg presses also come in handy. Leg presses focus primarily on the quadricep muscles, strengthening them so they’re in a better shape when you start squats.
You Can Lift Heavier Weights With Leg Presses
Because a leg press machine provides enough stability to your back and core, you can lift more weights with your legs. And more load means more growth. Squats, on the other hand, require more stability of your back and core limiting the amount of weight one can carry.
Even though leg presses allow you to lift higher weights, ensure that it does not strain your back, or else it might lead to injury.
If you want to add leg presses and other similar exercises for perfect legs to your workout routine, then you can do so today using FITPASS. The FITPASS app can help you find the best gym near you so that you can start your leg workout as soon as possible. For full-body fitness, you need to exercise the muscles of your lower body in addition to your upper body muscles, and a leg workout will do exactly that.
FAQ
What are the primary benefits of incorporating leg press exercises into a workout routine?
The leg press exercise develops and strengthens the muscles of the lower body like the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and calf muscles.
How does the leg press compare to other leg exercises, such as squats, in terms of muscle activation and overall benefits?
Leg presses are easier to do when compared to squats, and they activate the quadriceps and glutes primarily. Squats, on the other hand, are a better overall exercise because they activate almost all muscles of the lower back, but they require better technique and balance.
What muscles are targeted by the leg press exercise, and how does this contribute to overall lower body strength?
The leg press exercise targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles and calf muscles, thus strengthening them and giving you better lower body fitness and physique.
