Leg Press + Seated Leg Press | HOW TO USE + FORM

hey guys I hope you all are having a great start to your New Year today I'll be walking you through how to properly do a leg press on a regular leg press machine as well as a seated leg press machine if you haven't already don't forget to subscribe to my channel and turn on the notification Bell so you never miss a video with me let's get [Music] [Music] started as always every machine at the gym is labeled telling you what the name name of the machine is what muscles it works and how to use it make sure to refer to this if you have any questions about a machine this particular leg press is call a squat press the leg press in general is basically just a variation of the squat if you're going to add weight to the leg press you simply just add plates to the silver bars scking out on each side a plate is a round black thing I'm holding to make sure weight is evenly distributed make sure to put the same amount of weight on each side if you're not sure how much weight to add I'd recommend starting with no weight seeing how that feels and then adding weight as needed then after loading the leg press up with your desired weight simply get seated onto the machine and position your feet some leg machines will allow you to adjust the angle SL height of the back of the seat this one does not as you're adjusting your feet it'll be common for most people to have their feet in a similar position as they do when they squat if you're unsure about where to position your feet simply do a couple of reps and play around with f positioning until you find what's comfortable for you again any experimenting you're going to be doing should probably be done with little to no weight on the machine just to ensure safety every person's feet positioning will look a little different but for most having your feet shoulder width apart will be most comfortable other things such as doing a quad or glue Focus leg press may also affect how someone positions your feet as well you can't see it right this second but the platform that my feet are on is sitting on a safety rest to remove the rest you'll want to push the platform up slightly and P the yellow handle that my right hand is on forward as I do this the rest moves backward allowing us to perform the exercise for most people you'll want to hold on to the black handles as you do the exercise but if you're like me the handles are too far away so I just put my hands behind my head as I bring my knees down to my chest I'm inhaling and as I P the platform back out I exhale inhale exhale inhale exhale you'll also notice that my back is completely flat against the back of the bench and my bum is always on the seat if you find that your back is rounding or your bum is coming off of the seat I'd encourage you to either use a lighter weight or not bring your knees quite as close to your chest my feet are always flat on the platform as well unless you're doing calf raises then Tire s your shoes should always be in contact with the platform if you find that your heels or toes are coming off at the platform either decrease the weight you're using or switch the positioning of your feet make sure you're also wearing the correct shoes add advise against wearing shoes such as running shoes and opt for more flat heeled shoes such as Converse or Nike mecon this simply helps to evenly distribute the leg presses weight so you have more control and stability when performing the exercise another important thing you'll want to make sure you don't do is lock your knees KN when you're pushing the platform away from you locking your knees can easily result in injuries so make sure that your legs are always slightly bent when you're done with your set you'll want to bring the safety rest back up so you can rest the weight back onto it to do this extend your legs and pull the yellow handle backwards the rest will come back up and you can set the platform onto it if you also find that your knees feel unstable or are concaving into each other when you're doing this exercise I'd recommend using a lighter weight as well until you build up your strength as always good form is always more impressive than lifting head don't forget to reack your weights when you're done we're going to move on to the SE like P now again here's a machine's label telling you how to perform the exercise the height of the seat can be adjusted by pulling this yellow lever up and moving the seat to wherever you want it once it's add your desired height release the lever and let it block into place generally the longer your legs are the higher you want the seat and the shorter you are the shorter you'll place the seat the weight can be adjusted by putting the pin into one of the holes to the right of the numbers just like with a squat press you'll begin by finding a comfortable position for your feet on the platform again it'll generally be most comfortable for people to use a similar foot position as or squat about shoulder width apart but your feet should be position however is comfortable for you if you're going to play around with the positioning of your feet make sure you are doing so using little to no weight just to be safe when you're ready push off the platform this will move your seat back just like the leg press make sure your feet are always flat on the plat platform bum and back always on the seat and knees are stable if you are having trouble with any of these things decrease the weight you're currently using also make sure to never lock your knees and always keep a slight Bend in your legs as you come down into a squat position and your knees are coming towards your chest inhale as you extend your leg and push off the platform exhale inhale exhale inhale exhale there are handles at the bottom of the size of the seat for you to hold but as always my arms are a little too short to to reach them when you're ready to get off the machine simply come down into the starting position and exit here I'm just showing what it looks like to lock your knees and not to do if you're curious as to why locking your knees is dangerous just YouTube like press like break but don't say day and warn you if you found this video helpful make sure to give it a thumbs up if you have any other questions about the like press or recommendations for other videos you'd like me to do for other machines make sure to drop a comment down below if you haven't already make sure to subscribe to my channel like me on Facebook and follow me on Instagram have a wonderful rest of your day