Essomio™

← All exercise guides

legs

Leg Press

Sitting back in a machine, you push a plate away with your feet. Lets you work the legs hard with the back fully supported.

beginnerleg press machine

Leg Press, start position
START
Leg Press, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Load the same weight on each side.
  2. Set the seat so your knees are at about a right angle with your feet on the plate.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad.
  2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart in the middle of the plate.
  3. Push the plate up a little and release the safety handles.
  4. Hold the side handles lightly.

Check: Your back and hips are flat on the pad, your knees are bent, and the safety handles are released.

Push the plate away

  1. Push through your whole foot until your legs are almost straight.

Check: Your legs are almost straight, not locked, and your hips are still on the pad.

Lower slowly

  1. Bend your knees and let the plate come back slowly.
  2. Stop when your knees are at about a right angle or your hips start to lift.

Check: Your knees are bent to about a right angle and your lower back and hips are still flat on the pad.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then push the plate up and lock the safety handles before you take your feet off.

Breathe out as you move the weight in about 1 second; breathe in as you return over 2 to 3 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Leg Press: muscles worked, front view
Leg Press: muscles worked, back view

quadsglutes

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Hips and lower back curling off the pad at the bottom. Loads the spine under heavy weight. Fix: Stop higher; your range is as deep as your back stays flat.
  • Locking the knees hard at the top. A locked knee under a heavy plate can hurt. Fix: Stop just short of straight.
  • Pushing through the toes with heels lifting. Fix: Push through the whole foot; move your feet higher on the plate.
SAFETY2
  • Always lock the safety handles before you remove your feet.
  • Keep your hands off your knees.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • leg press machine · seat: back flat against the pad, knees at a right angle at the start · feet: shoulder-width apart, mid-plate
RELATED EXERCISES

harder: hack squat, squat

variants: hack squat

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.