Body-building press: the essential machine for building up your legs

In bodybuilding, the press is an essential piece of equipment for all your leg workouts. In fact, the leg press allows you to effectively work different muscle groups of the lower body The vast majority of gyms are equipped with this type of machine. The differences between horizontal and inclined presses, foot position, execution tips, variations... Find out all you need to know about this fitness machine, which is very popular with athletes.

What is a thigh press?

The different types of presses for bodybuilding

The body-building pressalso known as a thigh press or leg press, is a machine for working the legs.

This is an excellent alternative to the squat for developing the lower limbs.

There are 2 main types of press: 

• La presse horizontal
• La presse obliqueor inclined

Most often, on the horizontal press, the principle is to push back a platform with your feet to slide your seat backwards.

Safer than the inclined press, it does not, however, offer the same level of safety. constant tension. Similarly, on the eccentric phase, the thrust of the first repetition can be difficult.

In its oblique version, this body-building machine for legs is loaded with weight discs. Here, it's the load that moves, not your chair. You push it diagonally upwards. 

As such, the inclined press allows you to use a much greater weight and benefit from constant tension throughout the movement. On the other hand, the strain on the lumbar vertebrae is greater than on the horizontal press.

Which muscles are used?

As you already know, the thigh press is a machine for building leg muscles. In a way, it reproduces the squat movement, with bending of the knees and hips.

More specifically, it targets quadricepsbuttocks, the hamstrings and adductors.

The benefits of leg press

The strength press offers the advantage of being able to train securitywithout the risk of injury.

Unlike the traditional squat, the leg press allows the trunk to be held firmly against a support, greatly limiting the pressure inflicted on the body. lower back and abdominal muscles. In terms of execution technique, this machine is less demanding than a squat. 

So it's much harder to hurt your lumbar vertebrae by trying to push heavy, while enjoying almost similar benefits. 

In 2018, a comparative study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness looked at the differences between press and squat. She concluded that the squat offered a better overall performance. muscle developmentbut without calling into question the effectiveness of the press.

The press also offers the possibility of targeting different parts of the legs, depending on the position of the feet on the platform (more on this later).

In this sense, the press is aimed at the entire bodybuildersWhether they are beginners or not. It is also widely used in physiotherapy practices for post-trauma rehabilitation.

How to use the press

How do I do a leg press?

To use the press, sit on the machine. Brace your back against the backrest, then position your feet against the platform. They should be parallel.

From this starting position, release the safety device if fitted. Push with your feet against the support to move the load. 

In high position, don't fully extend your legsIf you don't, you could injure your knees.

Finally, bend your legs to return to the initial position, while controlling the descent phase.

Throughout the movement, make sure you keep your back flat against the backrest and sheathe your abdominal muscles. Likewise, remember to breathe deeply.

The classic press is performed with both feet resting against the support. However, you can isolate the work on a particular limb, by pushing only with one of the two legs.

The importance of foot position on the thigh press

A frequently asked question is how to position the feet on the press.

Foot placement has a direct impact on the targeted muscles: 

• To target all the muscles Place your feet in the center of the tray, shoulder-width apart.
• To target the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes): place your feet at the top of the plate.
• To target quadriceps Place your feet at the bottom of the tray, or in the middle by reducing their spacing.
• To target adductors Place your feet in the middle of the tray, but space them wider apart and point the toes outwards.

The role of time under tension

This leg machine also allows you to vary your tempo used during your workouts.

In addition to the number of sets and repetitions, time under tension is another way of accentuating work to achieve strength, endurance or muscular hypertrophy.

In concrete terms, time under tension refers to the time spent performing a rehearsal. It can be broken down into 4 figuresdesignating a time in seconds for each of the 4 execution phases: 

• The first number represents the time spent in the eccentric (when controlling the lowering of the load) ;
• The second number represents the time spent holding the load down;
• The third number represents the time spent in the concentric (when pushing the load) ;
• The fourth number represents the time spent holding the load up.

In other words, a tempo of 3120 means that : 

• You control the descent of the load for 3 seconds;
• Hold the position down for 1 second;
• You can reassemble the load in 2 seconds;
• You move straight on to the next repetition.

Some variations on the bodybuilding press

If the press is an excellent weight training device There are other alternatives for building lower-body muscle.

Of course, the squat (and its many variations) is one of the most popular exercises for working the legs. However, this exercise requires perfect mastery of execution technique.

You can also opt for lunges, or even include the Bulgarian squat in your workout if you have a weight bench and two dumbbells.

To take things a step further, watch this video for an excellent squat-free leg workout.

Conclusion

The thigh press will find its place in any bodybuilding program. This leg machine offers a perfect compromise between quality muscle fiber recruitment and safety. What's more, the simple fact of being able to work a particular muscle by simply changing the position of the feet makes it an ideal piece of equipment for any workout. versatile and frighteningly effective.