11 Most Effective Leg Press Alternative Exercises (Tutorials)

Folks are inclined to gravitate in direction of the leg press machine on leg day. The leg press can also be a preferred selection for these affected by decrease again ache. Even with the most effective of type, the fixed pressure and shortening of the hip flexors mixed with the dearth of hip extension fuels decrease again points.

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The leg press targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. All three of those muscle teams might be successfully focused by way of different exercises.

On this article, I will probably be introducing you to 11 leg press options which are designed to sculpt and strengthen your pins!

Greatest Leg Press Different Workouts

Beneath you will see a spread of exercises ranging in problem, from newbie to superior. There’s something right here for everybody and one thing right here for each muscle in your decrease physique.

Get able to kiss the leg press machine (and the ready in a queue to make use of it) goodbye!

1. Resistance Band Leg Press

This train replicates the biomechanics of the leg press in that you’re pushing the burden/resistance away out of your physique. Clearly, the load that one can obtain with a leg press can’t be achieved with resistance bands, however this can be a nice newbie’s place to begin.

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1. Lie in your again with bent knees and the resistance band underneath the arch of your toes
2. Maintain the opposite finish of the resistance band in each of your arms and convey your arms as much as your chest to create most pressure on the band.
3. Convey your knees in direction of your chest with out lifting your hips off the bottom
4. Push your legs away from you, towards the resistance band, till they’re straight
5. Squeeze your quads on the finish of the motion
6. Convey your knees again to your chest

Steered reps: 12 to fifteen

Professional tip: This train will hit your core too so make sure to not let enable an excessive amount of arch by way of your decrease again as you straighten your legs – preserve your core engaged.

2. Weighted Wall Sit

If you wish to goal your quads in an analogous means that the slender stance leg press does, then that is the train for you! Like a normal wall sit, however with added weight to make it that rather more grueling!

When you’re simply beginning out, attempt it together with your body weight for starters. Rome wasn’t in-built a day!

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1. Have a weight plate of appropriate weight in your arms, able to go.
2. Stand towards a wall and stroll your toes out.
3. Decrease your physique down till your thighs are parallel to the bottom, making certain your knees are behind or consistent with your toes.
4. As soon as in a secure place, place the burden plate in your legs.
5. Maintain this place for the specified period of time.

Steered time: 30 to 60 seconds

3. Resistance Band Broad Jumps

Broad jumps are nice for creating energy by way of the decrease physique. Utilizing a resistance band in your broad jumps will make it additional difficult. This train is a whole decrease physique train, concentrating on your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

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1. Connect a resistance band to a cable machine tower at hip peak (a protracted one, in any other case you aren’t going far).
2. Step into the resistance band, inserting it round your hips.
3. Walkout, away from the cable machine, till there may be pressure on the band.
4. Bend your knees, sending your arms backward, after which with as a lot explosive energy as attainable, soar forwards creating as a lot hip drive as attainable.
5. It’s best to land in a semi-squat place, bending your knees to soak up the influence of the soar.
6. Stroll again in direction of the cable machine (sustaining pressure) and carry out your subsequent rep.

Steered reps: 10 to 12

4. Dumbbell Strolling Lunges

The train all of us like to hate – strolling lunges! I love to do strolling lunges with the utmost weight I can handle, over a smaller quantity of reps. This strategy to strolling lunges will improve the mass constructing advantages by way of your quads and glutes.

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1. Have a dumbbell in every hand on prolonged arms by your aspect.
2. Start by standing in a impartial stance.
3. Take a big step ahead, after which bend each knees to decrease your physique in direction of the bottom.
4. Make sure that you retain your chest up, your weight in your entrance heel, and your entrance knee behind your toes.
5. Push again upwards while taking the next move ahead.
6. Repeat for the specified quantity of reps

Steered reps: 20 to 24 (1o to 12 on every leg)

Professional tip: Maintain the dumbbells within the entrance rack place to extend the load in your quads and get your arms working too.

5. Barbell Step-Ups

The barbell step-up is a implausible purposeful, unilateral, multi-joint train that’s killer in your quads, glutes (and core). I prescribe this train for my shoppers typically, particularly for its steadiness and symmetry creating advantages.

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1. Load a barbell onto your again, as you’d for a again squat.
2. Stand in entrance of a bench or field of an applicable peak (knee peak is an effective beginning place).
3. Step up onto the bench/field together with your weaker leg first, driving by way of your heel and the center of your foot.
4. Have each toes on the bench/field earlier than stepping down.
5. The next move-up needs to be together with your different leg.
6. Proceed your reps, alternating from one leg to the opposite.

Steered reps: 20 to 24 (10 to 12 on every leg)

Professional tip: Increase the peak of the bench/field to maintain this train difficult you!

6. Single Leg Dumbbell Step Ups

Just like the barbell step-ups as talked about above, however with a better concentrate on unilateral energy. I discover that this train and the continual load on one leg creates a better stage of exertion by way of the glutes. This train might be in comparison with a single-leg leg press.

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1. Have a dumbbell in every hand on prolonged arms by your sides.
2. Stand in entrance of a bench or field of an applicable peak (knee peak is an effective beginning place).
3. Place your weaker leg on the bench (it’ll keep there till the tip of your rep vary).
4. Driving by way of your heel and the center of your foot, push as much as be standing on the bench.
5. Don’t relaxation your different leg on the bench/field – simply go away it “within the air” for a second earlier than inserting it again on the bottom.
6. Do all repetitions on one leg earlier than altering sides.

Steered reps: 12 to fifteen on both sides

Professional tip: Apply your ‘thoughts to muscle connection’ – focus in your glutes!

7. Smith Rack Squats

Smith racks present stability which lets you load up on the burden, extra so than in a normal barbell squat. For these of you who love “loading up on weight” like you are able to do on the leg press machine, this one is for you. The biomechanics of a smith machine squat is just like the leg press however in reverse.

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1. Load the smith rack up with an applicable weight (don’t be too heroic).
2. Stand within the rack with the bar in your again as in a again squat.
3. Have your toes hip width aside.
4. Maintain your weight in your heels, have interaction your core and ship your hips backward, descending right into a squat by bending your knees.
5. My recommendation to you’d be to cease as soon as your thighs are parallel with the bottom.
6. Push again as much as a standing place with out locking out your knees.

Steered reps: 10 to 12

Professional tip: Take a barely wider foot stance to focus on your internal thighs and hamstrings, as you’d with a large stance leg press.

8. Dumbbell Bulgarian Cut up Squats

Need to pack some measurement in your quads? Look no additional than the Bulgarian cut up squat! This train locations all the stress on one leg at a time – and with out inserting pointless pressure in your backbone.

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1. Have a dumbbell in every hand on prolonged arms by your sides.
2. Stand in entrance of a knee peak bench or field, going through away from it.
3. Place one foot on the bench and hop ahead together with your different leg till you’re in a ‘lunge-width’ stance.
4. Bend each knees to decrease your physique in direction of the bottom – it is best to really feel the stress in your entrance leg and glute, and a stretch by way of your again quad and hip flexor.
5. Make sure that you retain your chest up, your weight in your entrance heel, and your entrance knee behind your toes.
6. Push again up in order that your entrance leg is straight, with out locking out your knee.
7. Do all repetitions on one leg earlier than altering sides.

Steered reps: 10 to 12 on both sides

9. Barbell Entrance Squats

Biomechanically, the back and front squats are virtually the identical. Nonetheless, with the burden loaded on the entrance of your physique slightly than the again, it’s your quads that get the better workout versus your glutes. This makes it an efficient various to the leg press.

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1. Load a barbell into entrance rack positions with the bar throughout your collar bones, delicate arms, wrists flexed again, and elbows up.
2. Interact your core and drive again by way of hips, bending your knees to decrease your self down right into a squat.
3. Be sure to preserve your chest and elbows up as to not collapse too far ahead into the squat, taking the burden off your heels and onto your toes.
4. Push again up powerfully to a standing place, squeezing your glutes on the high of the motion.

Steered reps: 10 to 12

10. Barbell Hip Thrusters

By optimum hip extension, barbell hip thrusts goal your glutes and hamstring. This train locations a fantastic concentrate on energy, pace, and energy. It’s crucial that you simply get the shape proper when doing this train for it to be efficient, so pay shut consideration to the ‘’ notes. You need to use a hip thrust pad to carry out this train simpler.

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1. Sit leaning up towards a secure bench.
2. Roll a barbell over your lap in order that it’s within the crease of your hips.
3. Bend your knees and have your toes near your hips, in such a means that whenever you push up into your thrust, your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
4. Take a deep breath after which push your hips up till your shoulders are on the bench and your hips totally prolonged.
5. Squeeze your glutes laborious on the high of the motion and maintain on this place for a second.
6. Decrease again down slowly and repeat.

Steered reps: 12 to fifteen

Professional tip: The nearer your toes are to your hips, the extra you’ll goal your glutes. The additional away your toes are out of your hips, the extra you’ll goal your hamstrings.

11. Toes Up Landmine Squats

So, I saved the most effective for final. That is such a monster train, it’s value ready for! Notice, that is NOT for inexperienced persons. What makes this train particular is the uneven distribution of weight. Though you’re pushing weight like within the leg press, this train works your muscle tissue in a means the leg press by no means may.

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1. Arrange a barbell in a landmine attachment and cargo it with an applicable weight.
2. Place a weight plate on the ground in entrance of you.
3. Dealing with away from the landmine, place the barbell on one shoulder and place your toes on the burden plate on the ground so solely your heels are on the bottom.
4. Leaning again into the barbell, bend your knees and decrease your self down right into a squat, over just a few seconds.
5. Push again as much as a standing place with energy, with out locking your knees on the high of the motion.
6. Do all reps with the barbell on one aspect earlier than repeating on the opposite aspect.

Steered reps: 10 to 12 on both sides

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Leg Press at Residence: Wrapping Up

My legs damage simply writing this text!

Whether or not or not it’s since you don’t have entry to a leg press machine, otherwise you merely wish to boost your leg workouts with one thing completely different – there’s loads right here to maintain you going for just a few leg days.

You don’t NEED a leg press machine to successfully prepare your legs. As you possibly can see, there are many wonderful options to sitting within the leg press machine, day in and day trip.

The leg press at residence exercises included on this article goal each muscle in your decrease physique and are good for the whole lot essential: energy, energy and measurement.

Now, go get it!