Exercises
 
  
 
  Food Choices
  
 
  Other
 
 

 

 

 
leg exercises > Machine Leg Press
 
 

  
 

  

This is a useful exercise for beginners that develops all the major muscles in the leg, but particularly the quadriceps and the gluteal muscles.

1 Place your feet a hip-distance apart on the footplate with your toes facing forward, and set the seat so that you have a 90 degree angle at the knee. 

2 Exhale and slowly push your feet away, making sure that you keep them flat on the footplate.

3 Push out to a point at which you still have a slight amount of flexion at your knees.

4 Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
 

Variations:

- try the exercise with one leg at a time to correct any imbalance in strength between the two of them

- when you have mastered the exercise and feel that your legs are becoming stronger, progress to the cable and free-weight leg exercises

- vary the position of your feet: try a wide stance and then a narrow one

Precautions:

- make sure that you do not lock your knees as you push out

- do not allow your feet to rock on your heels or toes - keep your feet flat and distribute the weight evenly between them