Leg presses

[anthrax]

Is there a difference between inclined (actually declined, with the legs pushing towards the ceiling) and horizontal leg presses (in terms of muscles being used and leg development) ?

 

[jcp2]

Is there a difference between inclined (actually declined, with the legs pushing towards the ceiling) and horizontal leg presses (in terms of muscles being used and leg development) ?

I can't tell you a technical answer, but i can say the only leg press that has ever fried my legs was horizontal. The rest of them never felt like they did all that much.

 

[bignate73]

i dont know how to answer this without sounding like a smart ass.

if you are pressing in an identical manner, what difference does it make by your orientation in space? ROM dictates what muscles are working harder.

 

[anthrax]

i dont know how to answer this without sounding like a smart ass.

if you are pressing in an identical manner, what difference does it make by your orientation in space? ROM dictates what muscles are working harder.

Actually you don't press in an identical manner (that's what I "feel")

Gravity (in the inclined press) leads to more eccentric work
and you can hardly cheat w/ the inclined press (like resting with the quads against your chest)

 

[shortstack]

Actually you don't press in an identical manner (that's what I "feel")

funny i was about to say the same thing.

 

[bignate73]

ok so differences in:

foot placement
hip bend/seat angle

more eccentric is not valid, since the weight tends to be the same unless you have a cammed horizontal leg press. understanding where the 2 factors i described above come into play with muscle involvement is what you "feel".

 

[wutangnomo]

Although the pressing movement is the same, the higher the angle the more difficult the lift b/c of gravity. The more angled the sled the greater the component of force is pushing back against you.

All I can say is the old school vertical leg presses (which I think were the best of all the leg press), were a lot more effective then the angled/horizontal leg presses they have today. You cannot "relax" when in a vertical leg press, whereas with a horizontal leg press you can.