The Leg Press: Tips and Techniques

Next to squats, the leg press is probably my favorite exercise for working the thighs (quadriceps and hamstrings).  I often do squats first, then follow them up with a few sets of leg press. 

One-legged leg press is an exercise I picked up from legendary powerlifter Ed Coan.  He mentioned it in one of his videos as an assist exercise to the squat.

Just keep this in mind:  leg press can be really hard on your lower back, especially if done improperly.   Remember this before you try to load up every plate in the gym.

I usually see two mistakes in the gym when it comes to this exercise:

*Not going deep enough with the reps.  This is the main mistake I see--guys loading up the bar and doing fourth reps.  If you are going to do the exercise, go ahead and go parallel.  Check your ego at the door and do it right. 

*Going too deep with reps.  I mentioned that leg press can be hard on your lower back.   If you go beyond parallel your rear end will naturally start to come up off the seat.  This puts you at great risk for injuring the discs in your lower back.