Many people often overlook the importance of a leg press machine unaware of the benefits they are missing out on. Although squats may have more advantages overall, here are a few reasons why the leg press machine is a piece of equipment to be taken seriously.
Leg Muscle Development
For people who want to develop their leg muscles, this is undoubtedly the machine to go for. The leg press, which is a compound exercise, trains all the major leg muscles simultaneously and in a natural squatting movement.
Being a multi-joint exercise, the leg press workout requires that all the leg muscles work in coordination to work the weaker muscles more and increase joint stability.
Leg press exercises should be performed before doing any muscle isolation exercises. Besides, this compound exercise requires greater concentration and thus shouldn’t be performed with fatigues muscles.
Performing squats regularly with heavy weights can strain your back. However, with a quality leg press machine – one with sufficient back support, you can relieve your back the stress that comes with doing squats.
Besides, leg press exercises do not require you to exert direct pressure on your spinal column thus making the leg press machine extremely safe for leg workouts. Although spinal loading in and of itself is not dangerous, it should not be done extensively by individuals with current and recurring back problems.
A leg press machine eliminates the issue of spinal loading since all the weight is sled on an angle. This implies that the load does not bear down directly onto the vertebrae.
Increases Your Squat
Assuming that you’re already well-suited to do squats, performing leg press exercises acts as a catalyst for squat strength increase. This makes a whole lot of sense because the leg press is basically the same movement as that of a squat with the only difference being that it is done with a different torso angle and in a different direction.
Since the leg press does not require as much stabilization or balance as the squat, it’s easier to add more weights and introduce more stress to the leg muscles.
It Burns Calories Fast
This surely applies to any other kind of physical effort exerted on the body, including leg presses. By using the leg press machine to work your lower body, you will shed the stubborn calories and at the same time increase your overall physical resistance, especially on the lower body.
Also, performing leg presses activates your abdominal muscles since you are exerting a lot of pressure on the abdominal area while pushing the weights forward or upwards hence you’ll burn calories faster than usual.
It is Easy to Use
Since the leg press machine is an incredibly simple equipment with very few moving parts, a majority of beginners can perform leg press exercises correctly with very brief instructions.
Unlike more sophisticated free weight exercises that have a longer learning curve, a beginner can get the most out of a leg press machine with their first workout.
