The leg press for girls is a technique for effectively performing exercises. Photo instructions from the pros!

Professionals classify the leg press as an elementary basic exercise. It is performed by squeezing and unclenching the knees.

At this moment, pressure is applied to the foot in the form of a flat platform of a certain weight.

The exercise is performed on a special sports simulator.

But its main purpose is to pump up muscle mass in the legs, and not to lose extra pounds, as many novice athletes think.

The person rests on a flat platform and moves his legs at an angle of 45 degrees. The movement of the platform is provided by a special mechanism, which in functionality can be compared to a slide.

When performing a leg press, the weight of the platform is selected individually, depending on the characteristics of the athlete’s body and gender.

But there is another type of exercise. It is possible thanks to the Smith machine. The technology is almost the same. The only difference is the tilt angle, which is 90 degrees.

In this case, the load indicator will be maximum and the desired effect will be achieved somewhat faster.

Muscle groups that are used during exercise.

• Biceps and quadriceps. These muscles are responsible for movement in the knee joint.
• Gluteal muscle.
• Soleus muscle. Responsible for plantar flexion of the ankle.
• Calf muscle. Directly involved in ankle flexion.

Exercise not only strengthens the described muscle groups, but also helps strengthen joints, because they are subjected to a certain physical load.

By exercising on a machine, you can build muscle mass, burn calories more efficiently, and significantly improve blood circulation.

After just a few sessions, you will feel a surge of strength and vitality in the body. In addition, the machine, thanks to its design, makes bench press exercises possible for girls and people who have back problems.

Unit design

The leg press machine consists of several parts assembled into a stable structure. The main working parts of the simulator are a platform for pressing, a seat with a backrest and supports for canopies. Let's look at each of them.

1. The press platform is the main part that will mechanically work in the exercise. The platform comes in several types depending on the manufacturer. Some platforms are made entirely of iron, while others have rubberized stickers on the platform so that your feet can be placed comfortably and not slip. At the same time, the execution of the exercise does not suffer at all from the surface of the platform - with the correct press, the legs do not slip. The weight of the platform is 25 kilograms. In addition to your own weight, you can add canopies, “pancakes”, from 5 to 25 kilograms to the simulator. Thus, the weight of the platform can be doubled. Particularly trained athletes can lift more, but for beginners this is not recommended so as not to injure the muscles and spine.
2. The seat with a back is made of a fairly soft material, but the back does not fall back. The seat is adjustable in length, its headrest can also change its position. Some companies do not make the seat, but modify it as a back support, which is not always convenient for performing the exercise.
3. Support for canopies - is a bar protruding on both sides of the simulator, where additional kilograms are hung. Usually they do not have a clamp, but it can be added from other simulators.

What muscles are involved?

The leg press is an exercise that almost everyone does. It’s rare that a girl doesn’t want to have beautiful legs, and guys even do bench presses to prepare their legs for strength exercises, otherwise they can break their back. This is all because the bench press involves the main muscles of the legs:

• quadriceps;
• tibialis anterior;
• peroneus longus;
• soleus muscle;
• gluteus maximus muscle.

The main load when performing the exercise falls on the quadriceps and gluteus maximus muscles, however, when changing the position of the legs on the platform, the work of other muscles will also increase.

Restrictions for injury, illness or pain

For injuries and diseases of the legs, joints, and spine, it is necessary to limit the exercise. First of all, this concerns the weight load - heavy weight must be eliminated, and the load must be increased gradually.

You also need to remember about the execution technique: under no circumstances should you fully straighten your knees or lift your heels from the platform or your lower back from the back.

Carefully! If you feel pain in your back or knees during training, you must stop doing the exercise and report the problem to your trainer.

Exercise technique

Compliance with the technique of performing the leg press, like any other exercise, is half the success. This is especially important for beginners who, not knowing the capabilities of their body, want to do as experienced athletes do. So, the correct execution technique consists of the following points:

• Equip the simulator with additional canopies if necessary (for beginners, the weight of the platform is enough).
• Place your torso on the seat of the exercise machine in the correct position - your back is pressed against the seat, your head is on the headrest, your legs are placed in the position selected on the platform in a slightly bent form. In this case, the knees and feet should be parallel to each other. This is a mandatory condition in the leg press, which many gym visitors violate.
• With your back slightly resting on the seat and your feet on the platform, lift it and remove the blockers that are located under your arms near the seat.
• In the starting position, the legs should bring the platform to its maximum height. However, there are several differing opinions among fitness and bodybuilding trainers. Some trainers advise straightening your legs completely, while others advise leaving them in a slightly bent position. This is important for both beginners and those who have had kneecap injuries, joint problems, etc.
• Next, slowly lower the platform to the level where your legs cannot bend at an angle of 90 degrees. At the same time, the muscles are tense, the angle should not shake, the hips are slightly apart to the outside.
• Having held your legs in this position for several seconds, the reverse work occurs - pushing the platform up. Ejection should also occur slowly, smoothly, without jerking or straining. When performing all stages of the exercise, it is important to remember about the back - it should not be felt at all, otherwise the spine can be displaced, but if the lower abdominal muscles are felt, then this is an additional bonus that is acquired when doing the leg press.

The technique of execution for beginners and for trained gym visitors is the same, however, beginners should be careful with hanging and observing safety rules on the simulator. After all the actions on the simulator have been worked out to the point of automaticity, you can add kilograms.

Important points to pay attention to

The technique of any exercise has its secrets that will help you avoid injury and achieve the desired results. The leg press is no exception. So, consider a few important points that will help when performing the press.

• Your feet should be firmly pressed against the platform to reduce the load on the spine. If the entire foot is not under control, take a break and be distracted by another exercise. Start only when you are focused on your feet;
• The platform is squeezed out with the heels. There is no need to overpower yourself and press your fingers into the platform - this will do nothing but harm. The correct execution of the exercise is to press with the foot and press with the heel, then it will become much easier to do it;
• The knees are directed parallel to the feet. When the hips deviate outward or inward, the quadriceps does not work and smaller muscles become tense;
• By lowering the platform, you need to move towards the ideal - ninety degrees of bend at the knee. But if your legs are not yet holding the platform in this position, you should not continue, because The depth of the bench press is very individual. And if the neighbor in the hall did this exercise correctly, this does not mean that everyone can do it. After a few practices, you can achieve the correct position without effort;
• Try to get double benefits from the machine - when squeezing the platform upward, tense your lower abdominal muscles - this is a great way to pump them up;
• Keep your head on the headrest and don’t lift it , don’t talk to other visitors to the gym, don’t turn around towards the noise - stay focused on the exercise;
• Proper breathing will help make leg presses easier. It is difficult to establish breathing the first time you perform a bench press - gym goers are so focused on squeezing the platform that they forget to breathe altogether. It is important to remember that oxygen plays a key role in the body, and during physical activity it is doubly necessary. Therefore, you need to accustom yourself to such a rhythm - when squeezing the platform, you exhale, and when lowering, you inhale;
• The under-seat grab handles aren't designed to be forgotten. When pressing with your hands, you need to firmly squeeze the handrails, which will relieve the lower back;
• Try to go through the entire amplitude. Even if it becomes difficult, and you don’t have the strength to squeeze the platform, it is better to break the exercise into more approaches with fewer repetitions, but do these approaches with high quality;
• It is better to start the bench press without canopies, idle. After the muscles get used to the weight of the platform itself, then you can add kilograms;
• If you feel that your strength is on the verge and you can no longer squeeze the platform, do not throw it suddenly. Smoothly lower the platform, bend the lock and the platform will return to its original position. Otherwise, you may injure your legs, even if the lock of the machine is bent.

Benefits of the Leg Press

The leg press has many benefits, thanks to which almost everyone does this exercise - both girls and boys. We list the main advantages of these:

1. the ability to work various muscles by shifting your legs on the platform;
2. the absence of axial load on the spine makes the exercise possible even for those who do not have a strong muscle corset (weak back);
3. During the leg press, a large number of calories are burned;
4. increased metabolism;
5. improved functioning of the genital area (due to blood flow to the pelvic organs).

Presses in the simulator for men and women

The exercise in question is included in many women's fitness programs. The popularity is due to the ability to work on problem areas (inner thighs), as well as a good load on the buttocks.

Girls are recommended to perform intense multi-repetition sets (4x15–20). This way, the target muscles will stretch efficiently, and subcutaneous fat will burn faster.

For men, to develop strength and increase muscle mass, it is recommended to perform slow, even presses (3x8–10). In this case, the weight should be selected so that the athlete performs the last 2 repetitions with maximum effort. This is the only way to “break through” the thigh muscles that are unresponsive to training and make them increase in volume.

Comparing the Bench Press with the Barbell Squat

Most bodybuilding experts note that both bench press and squats with a barbell produce a similar effect - when they are performed, the muscles of the legs, buttocks and lower abs are worked out. That is why for strong athletes these two exercises are placed in a superset. However, there is a fundamental difference between them:

• when pressing legs, the back practically does not work, all the main work falls on the quadriceps;
• when pressing the legs, the athlete does not need special training - most beginners quickly and efficiently perform this exercise;
• while performing a bench press, it is possible to change the position of the legs and specifically work a specific muscle, and squats affect all muscles of the legs;
• squats with a barbell are contraindicated for those who have back injuries;
• During the bench press, the body does not need to maintain balance, and during the squat, the body is fully tense for stabilization.

The influence of different foot positions

By performing seated leg presses, you can focus on individual parts of the thigh. To do this, different options for foot position are used. Let's look at them in more detail:

• Wide stance (wider than shoulders). The load falls on the inner thigh.
• Narrow stance (narrower than shoulders). The emphasis goes to the outer surface of the quadriceps.
• High setting (closer to the top edge). This variation allows you to work your buttocks and hamstrings.
• Low setting (closer to the bottom edge). The main work is performed by the quadriceps.

Presses in the simulator can also be used to work out the calf muscles. To do this, press your socks to the bottom edge of the platform, leaving your heels hanging. We bend our legs and fix them in one position. We push the platform with our toes.

In this exercise you can also vary the load by changing the position of your legs:

• socks apart - works the inner part of the calves;
• toes pulled together helps to engage the outer calves;
• parallel placement of the feet – full pumping of the calves.

Variations of the exercise

To make the exercise more effective, it needs to be updated from time to time. Otherwise, the body will simply reach its peak in performing the bench press, get used to it, and muscle growth will stop there. To prevent this from happening, you can make a few adjustments to your leg press:

• Changing the position of your legs on the platform will allow you to pump different muscles, alternately loading one or the other. The feet can be placed in the center parallel to the platform, parallel to the edges of the platform, in the center with the toes pointed out and the heels tucked together. Already in this case, doing the bench press will give the best result;
• Another option is to split the exercise into frequent but small repetitions. For example, if you sat down, you used to do 20 lifts in three sets, but now you can do five repetitions, but ten times. This will also prevent the muscles from getting used to the load.
• Hanging different weights - you need to increase the weight gradually, but when we reach the maximum we will stop and stop developing the muscles further. In this case, you can play with pancakes - give 30 kilograms three times in the first week, and 5 kilograms each in the next week.

How to increase the effectiveness of classes

To increase the effectiveness of the exercise, you can do several tricks that will make your muscles work better and build muscle mass:

• The basis of any sport is proper nutrition. It is with sufficient consumption of protein foods that muscles will begin to grow and strengthen. Otherwise, the training will be in vain;
• Changing the angle of the platform will also increase the effectiveness of training , since there is a greater load than at 45 degrees. Unfortunately, the function of changing the angle of the platform is not available on all simulators;
• Hold the platform at the highest point for 3 seconds;
• The single leg press will definitely enhance your feeling from the exercise , especially towards the end of the workout. This exercise is not suitable for everyone, but it is definitely worth trying to increase the effectiveness of the press.

Weight and reps for beginners

To achieve a visual effect, that is, enlargement and rounding of the buttocks, for women the optimal number of leg presses in the simulator will be 12-15 times with a weight of 100 kg or more. But this does not mean that you should immediately take on heavy loads from the first workout.

To begin with, you should do the exercise with a light weight, but with a large number of repetitions. For example, 40 kg for 25 repetitions. However, you can then gradually increase the load in weight, but decrease in repetitions, setting your goal to 100 kg for 15 repetitions.

Important to remember! Before the first lesson on the simulator, you need to start by raising and lowering an empty platform without weight in order to understand the technique. Then you can calculate your working weight and gradually increase the load.

The first load on the legs should be minimal - with an empty platform

Increasing the load is an important component of the effectiveness of the exercise, since without effort the muscles simply will not begin to grow and will remain at the same level for a long time, even if the training is performed frequently with many approaches.

Option for girls

If guys can perform leg presses with a lot of weight and number of times in one approach, then girls should be careful here. You don’t need to stand on par with a pumped-up bodybuilder and repeat the bench press after him - it’s important to choose an individual pace and follow it. Here are some tips on how to do bench presses for girls:

• Don't add a lot of weight. In addition to the weight of the platform, you can add no more than thirty kilograms, and the number of repetitions should not exceed twenty;
• Change the position of your feet on the platform. This will allow you not so much to pump up your quadriceps, but to tidy up all the leg muscles as a whole and make your legs attractive;
• Pay special attention to the gluteal muscle, which will help make your butt firm.

Load by muscle group

The leg press on the simulator is aimed primarily at the following muscle groups:

• quadriceps;
• biceps;
• buttocks.

For most women, the leg press is an effective way to tighten the muscles of the buttocks and make the butt more elastic. Girls are less interested in pumped up and strong legs than slender legs with a toned butt.

However, the leg press machine develops the quadriceps and hamstrings in addition to the buttocks, since all muscles work together. The main thing is to correctly distribute the load for the desired result.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps or quadriceps femoris muscles are strong thigh muscles that help flex and extend the knee joints. For many athletes, developing this muscle is one of the main goals of training, since it is what keeps the human body in an upright position and allows you to jump and run.

To pump up your quadriceps with the leg press, you need to place your feet close together at the bottom of the platform and try not to bend or straighten your knees completely.

Biceps

The biceps or biceps femoris muscles are the back surface of the thighs, allowing you to support the body in a static position. The hamstrings are inextricably linked to the muscles of the buttocks, so the load on the biceps is partially transferred to the buttocks.

Toned, slender legs and moderately pumped biceps always attract attention

On a leg press machine, you can develop this muscle group by placing your feet side by side at the top of the platform or with your toes apart, shoulder-width apart.

Buttocks

The buttocks include three muscles - large, medium and small - and help work the quadriceps and hamstrings. On the simulator they are developed together with the biceps, i.e. the feet are installed at the top of the platform.

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