hourThe ome workout is on the rise as many people opt for the peace, quiet, and privacy of exercising at home instead of crowded local gyms.
But even if you've dedicated yourself to outfitting your home gym to suit your fitness needs, you're likely still missing out on some key weight equipment.
One of the most used, but least practical to own, is the leg press. These machines, which are great for building upper leg strength, are big, heavy, and expensive.
But if you don't have the space or budget for a leg press, or the desire to set foot in a gym, don't worry. You can achieve similar benefits by exercising at home, as long as you have a mat and a body. Long live exercising without gym equipment!
Read on to learn about the benefits of the leg press, which muscles it works, and the best leg press alternatives to try at home.
leg press benefits
1. Improves leg strength
“The leg press is similar to getting up from a chair, one of the most basic actions of daily life,” he says. Skyler Henderson, CPT; Certified personal trainer and owner of Vitality Fitness. “People use the muscles trained through leg press every day when they climb stairs, get up from their knees, and get up from a chair. “Exercising your legs with the leg press makes all of these movements easier and less stressful.”
2. Increases muscle mass
The leg press works several leg muscles, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. According to certified personal trainers, these are important muscles for running, jumping, and propelling your body through space during everyday activities. Ben Jenks, CPT.
Because the leg press is a weightlifting exercise, it can also help increase muscle definition.
3. It is a low-impact exercise.
Jenks also points out that because the leg press is a low-impact exercise, it's gentler on your joints than high-impact exercises like running. This is suitable for people with joint pain or recovering from an injury.
4. Improves balance, stability and explosiveness.
“The coordinated movement of leg extension strengthens neuromuscular connections, helping the body produce powerful, controlled movements,” says Jenks. This is another benefit you can get not only from your fitness training at the gym, but also in your everyday life.
Leg press muscles worked.
“The leg press targets all the major muscle groups of the lower body,” says Jenks. “This includes the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thighs, which are responsible for knee extension, while the hamstrings on the back of the thighs are also heavily used as they are responsible for flexing and extending the knees.”
This exercise also works the buttocks (glutes) and calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus).
Best Leg Press Alternatives
1. Air squats
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Extend your arms forward, bend your knees, and push your hips back to lower them toward the floor. Pretend to lower your body as if you were sitting in a chair.
- Sit as comfortably as possible, or until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Push through your heels to return to a standing position.
- repeat.
2. Reverse lunge
- Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Step back with your left foot and land on the ball of your foot.
- Bend your left back knee into a lunge and lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle (or as low as you can comfortably go).
- Keep your torso upright and your hips facing forward.
- Push off with your left foot to return your left leg to the starting position.
- Repeat until all reps are completed on one side, or alternate reps, then step back with your right leg.
3. Forward lunge
- Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Step your right leg forward and bend both your front and back legs at a 90-degree angle.
- Keeping your chest high, bend both knees and lower them controlled toward the floor. Continue lowering your body until your back knee is about an inch off the ground (or as low as you can move comfortably).
- Push through your right foot to return to the starting position.
- Repeat until all reps are completed on one side, or alternate reps, then step forward with your left leg.
4. Squat kick
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Extend your arms forward, bend your knees, and push your hips back to lower them toward the floor. Pretend to lower your body as if you were sitting in a chair.
- Sit as comfortably as possible, or until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Shift your weight to your left foot and begin to stand by pushing off your left foot.
- As you stand up, kick your right foot forward.
- Place your right foot on the ground and return to the starting position.
- Repeat, alternating which foot you kick each time.
5. Bulgarian Split Squat
- Stand a few feet in front of you on an elevated surface (bench, box, sofa, chair, etc.) in the opposite direction.
- Extend your left foot back and place the top of your left foot flat on the surface. Your left leg should be bent. To perform a proper lunge, you may need to step your right foot forward.
- Bend your front knee and sink your hips toward the floor to lunge as low as you comfortably can.
- Push through the center of your front foot to stand back up.
- Repeat until all reps are completed on one side, then switch legs.
safety tips
The key to preventing injury while performing any exercise is to warm up properly before you begin. Henderson suggests spending at least 5 to 10 minutes doing dynamic stretching and mobility exercises.
“Listen to your body’s limitations,” says Henderson. “If your body is telling you that another joint in your knee is hurting, modify the movement or go lighter. Injuries will set you back and are never worth completing a single workout.”
According to Jenks, it's also important to avoid lifting too heavy, avoiding hyperextending the knees, maintaining torso stability, and cooling down effectively. If you want to push your limits, he says, you need to communicate with your training partners and use them as spotters.
Finally, consider planning for a fall.
“Some movements, like lunges or Bulgarian split squats, are unstable,” says Henderson. “Put your hands on something sturdy to help you balance, or move on soft ground.”
frequently asked questions
1. Is it necessary to do leg press?
Doing a leg press is one of the best exercises to improve leg strength, but there are many leg press alternatives that can achieve similar results without using a leg press machine. Check it out above!
2. What is a good replacement for the leg press?
Variations of squats and lunges are great leg press alternatives because they work similar muscle groups.
3. How can I recreate the leg press at home?
Try bodyweight exercises like squats or lunges. This does not require a lot of space and can be done without any additional equipment.