# Leg press foot position



## SCJP

I was considering toying with some different foot positions on the leg press & found this article:

Q: DOES CHANGING your foot position on the leg press really affect muscle emphasis enough to make a difference in my leg development?

A: Adjusting your foot position slightly changes the emphasis of the leg press from one region of the upper leg to another. Although the shift isn't significant enough to isolate specific muscles, it is enough to alter muscle fiber recruitment and stimulation. Additionally, different foot positions introduce variety, which is a key to prompting gains in overall muscle development.

GROWTH BY THE FOOT

The leg press works the same primary muscles as the squat, but fewer assistant muscles are called upon for support and stabilization, requiring less balance and allowing more energy and focus to be directed to the target leg muscles and more weight to be pressed.

There are about eight major muscles involved in the leg press:

* The quadriceps muscles, located on the front of the thigh, perform the knee extension. They're composed of the rectus femoris (middle), vastus lateralis (outer), vastus intermedius (deep) and vastus medialis (inner).

* The gluteus maximus and the hamstring muscles, which are composed of the biceps femoris (outer), semitendinosus (middle) and semimembranosus (inner) are located on the back of the thigh. These muscles perform the hip extension.

Making minor changes in foot position on the footplate will shift exercise emphasis to a specific target muscle group. The "normal" leg press foot position is one in which your feet are about shoulder-width apart, placed in the middle of the leg press footplate. The four basic modifications from the "normal" foot position include: high, low, wide and close.

* HIGH Moving your feet higher on the foot plate shifts your center of gravity to the rear, which puts more stress on the hamstrings and glutes.

* LOW Feet placed back from the "normal" position have just the opposite effect--exercise emphasis is shifted more to the quadriceps.

* WIDE The inner leg--specifically the vastus medialis and the adductor muscles--are targeted when you press with your wider than normal.

* CLOSE Leg presses with a narrow stance increase vastus lateralis involvement of the outer thigh.

The shift in muscle emphasis is not as great for lateral foot movement as it is for front-to-back movement, so don't expect to "feel" as much of a difference as you alter the distance between your feet.

Until you're comfortable with varied leg-press foot positions, experiment using lighter weights than normal and slowly increase the weight as your comfort level grows.

EMPHASIS ON GROWTHThis table represents the shift in muscle involvement with thecorresponding foot position.FOOT PLACEMENT MAJOR MUSCLE EMPHASIS1. High Hamstrings; glutes2. Low Quadriceps3. Wide Vastus Medialis4. Close Vastus LateralisBY TIMOTHY FRITZ, CSCS

Timothy Fritz is a freelance health and fitness writer in southeastern Florida. He has a BS in Nutrition Science and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group


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## RAIKEY

just to add to this,

i find also that slightly altering the angle of the feet helps in certain areas too,...

if you have a tentency to open your legs (putting pressure on the hip flexors)

try pointing your toes in slighly ,....

this will keep your knees together niceley,,,,,,,

good thread tho,....cleared a few things up...


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