squat
Leg Press
quads · glutes · hamstrings
machine · beginner
How to do it
- 1Sit in the machine with feet shoulder width on the platform.
- 2Lower until your knees reach roughly 90 degrees, then press back.
What to think about
- Do not let your lower back round off the pad at the bottom.
What usually goes wrong
- Locking the knees hard at the top.
Worth knowing
- Stop before your lower back lifts off the pad. Depth past that point is the part that hurts people.
Watch it
Instead of this
Dumbbell Goblet SquatThe same movement, at the same level.Bodyweight SquatThe same movement, at the same level.Wall SitThe same muscles, but a different movement: you hold the position instead of moving through it, so it is counted in seconds rather than reps.Barbell Back SquatThe same movement, a step harder when you are ready for it.
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Strength and muscle gain require progressively increasing demand over time.
- Weight training carries a low injury rate compared with most field and contact sports.
- Holding your breath through a heavy rep raises blood pressure sharply, which matters most for people carrying cardiovascular risk.
- Squatting deep is not inherently harder on the knees than stopping high, and cutting depth to add load carries costs of its own.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.