One thing a lot of people wonder when they are doing a leg press at the gym is if this building glutes, or if it is just working on other areas.
The answer is not that sample. Depending on how you do a leg press, this could help work your glutes or not.
So, if you are looking to build your glutes, then there is some advice you should follow! A lot of people who are working with the leg press do not know these tips and do not end up getting any of the benefits for their glutes.
This could contribute to a poor technique, and makes your training time less efficient, especially if you are focusing on your glutes specifically.
Because the information on how to build your glutes using a leg press are not that well known, we will go over all the main pointers here so you know exactly what you should be doing!
The mistakes you are making could end up being quite costly, so if you are looking to get the most out of the leg press for your glutes, make sure you keep reading!
Tips For Building Your Glutes With A Leg Press
Lifters especially often love using a leg press for plenty of different reasons, whether it is because of how easy and simple it is to use, as well as safe, and how it is great for targeting the areas in your lower body.
It is also a great piece of equipment for lifters who are taller, and if you are in recovery after a surgery, it is actually still alright to use.
This work out machine also covers plenty of different muscles including; quads, hamstrings, calves, and of course your glutes.
However, if you are looking to focus on your glutes specifically, there is some advice you should follow when you are working with a leg press. So, keep reading to get all the best advice!
Perform Deeper Reps
If you know, one of the main actions you will be performing with your glutes is hip extension, and this is one of the best ways to train them as well.
So, if you are completing more deep hip extensions, you are working your glutes more, and this can be achieved when working with a leg press.
If you are then performing deep reps and then getting bigger hip flexion angles, you will then be getting your glutes to have to oppose the hip flexion through extra hip extension.
When you are doing a standard leg press, you want to have your feet in the middle of the platform and make your stance is then shoulder width apart, and flare your toes and sink your reps as deep as you can.
Point Out Your Toes
One of the other actions that your glutes are responsible for is your external rotation of your hip joint, so if you are conducting an increased external rotation, then increasing the weight pressed, you will be targeting your glutes.
The best solution to help with this is to ensure that you are pointing your toes out as much as possible.
The upper part of your glutes is made more active than the lower when you are doing hip abduction with external rotation, this will mean you will feel the burn more at the top of your glutes when trying this!
Make Your Stance Wider
The second most important task that the glutes do is hip abduction, so by practicing this we can work out the glutes directly.
A way to make this more significant is to give yourself a wider stance than you would usually have. This will use more of your gluteal muscle fibers than you usually would.
If you have a wider stance when you are doing squats, this has been proven to improve glutes, and the same works when you are working with a leg press.
To do this you want to put your feet on the center platform, and the make sure your stance is shoulder width apart.
Then you want to flare your toes between 15 to 30 degrees, then drive your knees hard to ensure they are in line with the feet too!
Put Your Feet Higher On The Platform
Since the main thing the glutes do is hip extension, then this is the main action you should be prioritizing when you are working with a leg press, and luckily, this is one of the easiest changes to make when you are working with a leg press.
So instead of putting your feet in the middle of the platform on the leg press like you usually would, put them higher, so your toes are on the edge, this will make the workout more intense on your glutes.
Lay On Your Side
This is a great way to ensure that you are getting a deeper hip flexion, and it will put more work onto your glutes as well. While it might look a little odd, you will definitely feel the difference!
Try Using A Glute Band
If you have never tried a glute band, this is a great exercise to try them with. They are quite easy to find, and as the name suggests, they will put extra work on your glutes!
Summary
When implementing this advice, it can be difficult to try all of this at once, and a lot of these tips will actually not work as well when combined with each other, for example, it is difficult to do some of these if you are lying on your side.
However, if you want to make your workout with the leg press as efficient as possible, you should at least try most of these out.
To make it less overwhelming, we recommend implementing one change at a time so you do not have to remember too much and can make it pretty simple for yourself.
Hopefully, soon after you implement this change you will quickly notice the change in your glutes!
