The Beauty of the Leg Press--at FitStop

Building Lower Body Strength, safely.

An exercise that works all the lower body at once? Yes please.

The leg press is just such an exercise. However, "the leg press often gets overlooked by gym-goers who swear by squats—but this machine is far from a "lazy alternative." It’s a versatile, effective tool that delivers unique benefits for beginners, athletes, rehab patients, and everyone in between. Whether you’re building muscle, boosting strength, or protecting your joints, the leg press has something to offer." -- cited from GMWDFitness.com

For beginners looking to strengthen up their lower half, this machine is perfect. It activates not only your quads and hamstrings, but your glutes and calves as well. It also works your hip flexors with the flexing and extending. The beauty of this is that it isolates the lower half. No need for any upper body momentum. No strain on shoulders or spine. The seat cushions the spine, forces your core to tighten and the handles are there for extra effort.

If you're a seasoned squatter, but looking for a little extra "umph" for your glutes and quads, and a little help to get the most our of your squats (and deadlifts) the leg press allows you to lift a little heavier.

If you have had a knee replacement and are cleared to work that joint again, starting low and slow on this machine is super! It's low impact. You're not pushing your body weight, you can start where you want and work your way up.

It's not just a one and done exercise either. You can place your feet in different positions to target different areas of the calves and inner and outer thighs.

How do we use this machine properly? Sit your back flat against pad. Place feet hip width apart on platform. On plate-loaded leg press (platform can weigh around 115 lbs alone): press the platform away and unhook safety racks, bring knees to 90 degrees. On circuit-style machine (starting at 10 lbs): Adjust seat so knees are between 90 and 110 degrees.

the decline position allows your back to relax more. You have more range of motion here too.

Building strength in your lower half is so important for overall physical health and fitness. It is our foundation, literally.

The Leg Press is just one way you can work on your legs and glutes, but it's a great one and one I recommend incorporating into your workouts at least 2x a week. Not only will it strengthen the muscle, but it will help it grow, stay strong, increase endurance and power to keep going throughout your busy day and life.

I'd love to hear from you. What's your personal best on the leg press?

PSAs

-Please make sure your sneakers are clean before coming into the gym.

-Please put equipment away after you use and wipe down.

-Lost and Found is at front desk downstairs.

-Summer Class schedule in effect until August 28th.

-We have 1 bike with a split belt. We have 1 treadmill that has died.

-PLEASE only use emergency stop on treadmill for emergency. And if you press pause on treadmill, please make sure you manually stop it to reset it for the next person.

As always, thank you for your loyalty and patronage.

Your coach, Tracy