Exercise description of the single-leg leg press.  Learn about the single-leg leg press with video and pictures.  Also learn how the single-leg leg press can improve your sports performance.

Primary muscles worked:  Quads, Glutes

Synergist Muscles:  Hamstrings

Mechanics:  Compound

Equipment:  Seated Leg Press Machine

How to perform the exercise:  The athlete should position themselves in a seated leg press machine. The athlete needs to adjust the seat so that an angle just under 90 degrees is formed by the knee. The athlete's feet should be situated about shoulder width apart on the foot platform. The athlete will then stand up bringing their legs to full extension. Now, the athlete will disengage the safety catch bar to allow for the full range of motion during the exercise (this can easily be re-engaged if the athlete enters a compromising situation). The athlete will then grip the hand attachments on the seat of the leg press machine. Next, one leg should be picked up off of the foot platform. If at any point the athlete becomes unable to perform the full range of motion for the exercise, the athlete can place this leg down to assist with the lift. With all of this in place, the athlete may begin the lift. The athlete will bend the knee that is situated on the foot platform until it reaches a 90 degree angle. Once the athlete has reached the 90 degree angle, he / she will push through the heel until the leg reaches full extension. After the desired number of reps has been completed, the athlete will re-engage the safety rack and lower the weight back to the safety pins.

Spotting the exercise:  A spotter for the single leg - leg press will be useful in a primarily a worst case scenario situation. If the safety bar fails, the spotter can assist the athlete by helping them lower the weight down to the safety pins. If this is not possible, the spotter can quickly unload the weight from the machine and then help the athlete get off of the machine. The spotters other primary job during the lift is to ensure the athlete maintains proper form throughout the lift.

Sport specific application:  The single leg, leg press could be comparable to single leg jumping. The ability to jump off of one leg with strength to achieve maximal height can be very important in sports such as football, baseball, and soccer, to name a few. By teaching each leg to operate independently at maximal strength, dual leg strength and power will also increase due to each leg becoming more efficient. This makes the single leg leg press a great exercise for training programs.