# The Do's and Don'ts of the basic leg press!



## Will Brink (Sep 14, 2007)

As simple as your basic leg press is - bring sled down smoothly, press it back up, repeat ??? I see people in the gym doing it incorrectly virtually every day. I know some of you know exactly what I am talking about. You see people posting their videos to YouTube  all the time using terrible form which they (apparently) think is impressive. 

More often than not, they are kids who want to pile the plates on the leg press while ignoring proper form, but I also see people old enough to know better doing the exact same thing. For example, I give you exhibit A:

YouTube - Me Leg Pressing!

And exhibit B:

YouTube - 405 leg press by a girl


Those are just a few examples. There are plenty more on youtube, not to mention what I see in my own gym, as I am sure some of you see the same thing (or perhaps you are one of the people doing the above??!!) in your gym also???.


So, with that in mind I decided to do some exercise vids in an attempt to show people the proper form, and where applicable, what people are doing wrong, which I don???t see in other vids. Figured I would start with the easy basics, first up, the leg press.

Some of you no doubt are thinking ???Geez Will, the leg press? How complicated can it be???? And, you would be correct, but it seems people can pretty much mess up anything no matter how simple, and I figured start with the simple stuff first. I will work my way up to more complicated movements in future vids, and then perhaps onto other topics I am best known for; supplements, nutrition, etc.

OK, so without further delay, here is my vid on the leg press, including what people generally do wrong (did I miss any?) and finally how to do it right!

The ???basic??? leg press:

YouTube - Leg Press Demo - Body Building with Will Brink


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## Little Wing (Sep 14, 2007)

great idea and a very well done video.  

it's easy to improperly handle way more weight with your legs that you can properly manage so it has always seemed to me that a lot of injuries must happen this way.


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## Will Brink (Sep 14, 2007)

Little Wing said:


> great idea and a very well done video.



Thanx, that's my first attempt, so they should only get better. 



Little Wing said:


> it's easy to improperly handle way more weight with your legs that you can properly manage so it has always seemed to me that a lot of injuries must happen this way.




The leg press is not a big producer of injuries compared to say other  exercises, but people also get no real benefit from doing it wrong and are just wasting their time while trying to look impressive in the gym...


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## PreMier (Sep 14, 2007)

nice, that was refreshing


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## the7zen (Sep 14, 2007)

Well done video. The background music was tad loud and overpowers your voice.


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## Will Brink (Sep 14, 2007)

the7zen said:


> Well done video. The background music was tad loud and overpowers your voice.



Yah, i need to work on that. I only say a few things, so not much missed there, but I have to learn to alter the volume at different spots on different tracts.


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## Triple Threat (Sep 14, 2007)

The people who put their hands on their knees are doing a very advanced "comboset" of leg press and bench press.


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## fufu (Sep 14, 2007)

cool


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## Duncans Donuts (Sep 14, 2007)

Good video.


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## Gazhole (Sep 14, 2007)

I like it. Very straightforward and clear 

Whats up next?


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## Witchblade (Sep 14, 2007)

Nice.


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## min0 lee (Sep 14, 2007)

Well done. 

This should be made a sticky if both parties approve.


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## IRONBULL05 (Sep 14, 2007)

Good post bro.


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## Hoglander (Sep 14, 2007)

I like it. I agree with the first comment about music. BUT the fact that you put music to the vid and the choice of music was stellar.


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## Tatyana (Sep 14, 2007)

I remember when I was first learning to do leg press, I can still remember my training partner yelling at me 'HANDS OFF your KNEES'.

There is some seriously diabolical form in the gym.

THe girl doing 405, that was pounds?

I would also add in proper footwear, leg pressing or squatting any amount of weight in running shoes/most fashion 'trainers' is just WRONG and wobbly.


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## Hoglander (Sep 14, 2007)

Tatyana said:


> I remember when I was first learning to do leg press, I can still remember my training partner yelling at me 'HANDS OFF your KNEES'.
> 
> There is some seriously diabolical form in the gym.
> 
> ...



I'm guessing 45s x 8 for 360lbs plus 45 for the contraption on the ramp for 405lbs. My 18 year old daughter can do that for 8 reps past 90 degrees. I'm impressed with my daughter not the vid. Satan have mercy on the dude that rubs her the wrong way. She looks average like me most of the time. She has strength AND skills both from dad, sniff sniff.  She is a great kid. We are hitting the gym tomorrow. She will be off to college in a matter of days. 
    She likes to lift because she is good at it. She is not looking past that. She has her mind set on technical theater.


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## XFatMan (Sep 15, 2007)

It's really not impressive or surprising when people do something as simple as the leg press wrong. However, I do find it impressive when "trainers" insist that you do it the wrong way - which happens quite frequently. Cool video, really. I'd like to see more of the kind.


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## AKIRA (Sep 15, 2007)

Tatyana said:


> I remember when I was first learning to do leg press, I can still remember my training partner yelling at me 'HANDS OFF your KNEES'.
> 
> There is some seriously diabolical form in the gym.
> 
> ...



I dont think it was 405lbs, but its a lot for a girl to do.


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## Tatyana (Sep 15, 2007)

AKIRA said:


> I dont think it was 405lbs, but its a lot for a girl to do.



Really? 
Hoglander's 18 year old daughter does it for proper reps.

I do 264 lbs (120 kg + weight of cybex sled?) 4 sets of 15-20 reps. 

I am not up to full strength due to my achilles rupture, but I have pushed 235 kg (517 lbs), last set of 4 sets, and for about 12 reps.

Built up to that weight.

And I have never done steroids. 

I am sure that when I was in full on form, I have done 400 kg, but it was not a 45 degree sled, different sort of plate loading cybex machine. 

x
x
x

T


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## AKIRA (Sep 15, 2007)

Its still something that isnt common.

Either way, I never care how much a person can do on a leg press.


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## Goodfella9783 (Sep 15, 2007)

In the demonstration of the correct leg press in your video, is the lifter locking his knees out? Isn't that bad. Maybe it's just a bad view and he's not.


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## min0 lee (Sep 15, 2007)

It may be 405 she's lifting minus 200 pounds with her cheating, ha ha .


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## danzik17 (Sep 15, 2007)

*Edit* Whoops, just realized those were examples you gave of what NOT to do, not you doing them yourself 

Are you really getting full ROM on those?  From what I see in the video it looks like 1/2 ROM, but then again it is a video.


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## Will Brink (Sep 20, 2007)

Gazhole said:


> I like it. Very straightforward and clear
> 
> Whats up next?



Front squats.


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## Will Brink (Sep 20, 2007)

min0 lee said:


> Well done.
> 
> This should be made a sticky if both parties approve.



Sounds good to me.


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## Will Brink (Sep 20, 2007)

Hoglander said:


> I like it. I agree with the first comment about music. BUT the fact that you put music to the vid and the choice of music was stellar.



This version has the voice thing fixed:

YouTube - Leg Press: The do's and don'ts with Will Brink

I think good tunes are important for the vid to have a good feel to it that makes you want to run out and train!


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## ALBOB (Sep 20, 2007)

Since we're on the subject, I may as well ask my question here.  How do I keep from getting a SPLITTING freakin' headache when doing leg presses?  And don't tell me I'm holding my breath, because I'm not.  I can do squats all day long with no problem, but if I even look at a leg press sled my temples start to pound.


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## soxmuscle (Sep 20, 2007)

Don't tell people how to do it properly.  I get motivation from watching idiots do it improperly...


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## Will Brink (Sep 24, 2007)

Another classic of poor form:

YouTube - 400kg leg press


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## BigDyl (Sep 24, 2007)

Will is my hero.


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## ALBOB (Sep 24, 2007)

BigDyl said:


> Will is my hero.




You know he likes guns, right?


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## Will Brink (Sep 24, 2007)

ALBOB said:


> You know he likes guns, right?



Me touch one of those evil things? Never!


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## ALBOB (Sep 24, 2007)

WillBrink said:


> Me touch one of those evil things? Never!



Anything you say Mr. Schumer.  

So anyway, how about that post #27 of this thread?  That guy really seemed to have a problem.  Any ideas on how to help him out?


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## DOMS (Sep 24, 2007)

ALBOB said:


> Since we're on the subject, I may as well ask my question here. How do I keep from getting a SPLITTING freakin' headache when doing leg presses? And don't tell me I'm holding my breath, because I'm not. I can do squats all day long with no problem, but if I even look at a leg press sled my temples start to pound.


 
I've read a lot about how bad these are for your back.  It is possible that you're putting pressure on your spine such that it's causing reference pain in the form of a headache?


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## ALBOB (Sep 24, 2007)

DOMS said:


> I've read a lot about how bad these are for your back.  It is possible that you're putting pressure on your spine such that it's causing reference pain in the form of a headache?




I guess that's possible but, how would I know?  I've never experienced back problems from doing leg presses, but that doesn't rule out the possibility that I'm doing them wrong.


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## crankshaft (Sep 24, 2007)

Great vid. Thanks.


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## thesarge (Mar 6, 2012)

I do the leg press with my hands on my knees, I do not use them to push my knees, sometimes they touch my knees other times just hover over them as I am worried if my legs give way or if somethings goes wrong the weights will crush me. I assume this is OK? I assumed since all the weight is on my legs and none on my arms it is OK. 

I saw some guys using the machine, the guy put on a heavy weight and then had his mates one each side of the machine help by pushing up on the weight stack.


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## Carverelli (Mar 7, 2012)

hopefully you give your gf a better ROM in bed bro


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## JonP (Mar 7, 2012)

Good videos.


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