The leg press can be performed using different leg positions, feet angles, and equipment to maximize the recruitment of your glutes.
Here are my 6 tips on how to start using the leg press for your glutes:
- Perform Deeper Reps
- Point Your Toes Out More
- Widen Your Stance
- Place Your Feet High on Platform
- Lay on Your Side
- Use a Glute Band
Sadly, many lifters fail to implement these tips when attempting a glute-focused leg press. And if these tips are used at all, theyโre rarely implemented correctly โ leading to inefficient technique, poor training time, and less glute development.
In this article, Iโll show you how to avoid these costly mistakes and how you can maximize your glute recruitment on the leg press. By the end of the article, you should know exactly how to target your glutes on leg press.
Table of Contents
Leg Press Overview
What Is The Leg Press?
If you want my tips for using the leg press with a glute focus, simply scroll down to that section. However, I think it's important for you to know how the glutes (aka your butt muscles) function in the leg press, so you understand why my tips will work for you! So let's start with a brief overview.
The most common type of leg press that youโll see in a typical commercial gym is the 45-degree leg press.
This version has a solid platform that can maneuver via a 45-degree set of metal tracks on either side of the machine. Usually, weight plates are loaded on the peg sleeves that are on either side of the machine.
Once positioned on the seat and backrest with their feet on the platform, the lifter can allow the carriage to descend and push it back up with their legs.
That said, some gyms only have a seated leg press. With this style of machine, the load is only applied in a horizontal plane.
If the same load is used with both styles of the leg press (say, 100 pounds), then the 45-degree leg press will be harder due to the increased vertical load having to be opposed by the lifter due to gravity.
When both options are available, Iโd lean towards using the 45-degree leg press since you can continue using the same machine as you get stronger.
Types of Leg Presses Machines
There are two main types of leg press machines that you will see in a standard gym:
- The seated leg press
- The lying leg press
The seated leg press is also often called the horizontal leg press. It is a pin-loaded machine that is more suitable for beginners and easier on the joints than the lying press machine.
With a seated leg press machine, the seat or the plates move as you use your leg muscles to push against the platform. You can use the seared leg press for your glutes or the machine to target your quads.
The lying leg press is a little more advanced and is a plate-loaded machine. You can choose your desired weight by adding or removing plates.
The lying leg press is also great for a glute-focused press. By placing your legs higher up on the platform, you can shift the focus away from your quads and toward your glutes and hamstrings.
Muscles Used In The Leg Press
The muscles used in the leg press are:
- โข Quadriceps
- โข Glutes
- โข Hamstrings
- โข Calves
Before diving into how to use your glutes during the leg press, hereโs a quick summary of how these muscles work during the lift.
Bringing the platform down towards you while you leg press puts you in a reverse-squat position: your knees and hips are bent, and your knees are pushed outwards.
To return the platform to the top, your quads straighten your knees, and your glutes (along with some of your hamstrings) straighten your hips.
The outer part of your glutes also keeps your knees in line with your feet, as your calves help out your quads a bit to help straighten your knees.
Since this article is about the leg press for glutes, letโs touch on each of the glutesโ actions in detail.
Check out my other article discussing the Leg Press vs Hack Squat, which is better for your glute muscles.
What Are the Benefits of The Leg Press?
The leg press offers a range of benefits for lifters of all levels, including the following:
- Easy and safe to use
- Great to target the lower body
- Ideal for taller lifters
- Suitable during rehabilitation after an injury
- Easy to progressively overload
1. Easy and Safe to Use
The pin-loaded seated leg press is suitable for complete beginners in the gym. You can adjust the weights easily, and there is very little risk of injury.
Even the lying leg press, which is plate-loaded, offers an easy way for beginner lifters to target their lower body muscles. Itโs a great way for new lifters to get comfortable with heavier lifting before progressing onto free weight exercises.
2. Great to Target the Lower Body
A lot of people ask themselves, โis leg press good for glutes?โ The answer to this common question is yes!
You can target the leg muscles, including the glutes, with the leg press, and itโs a highly effective exercise to increase muscle size and strength in the lower body. Alongside other effective compound exercises, like squats and deadlifts, you will see significant glute growth when you add the seated or lying leg press to your workout routine.
3. Ideal for Taller Lifters
Performing squats can sometimes be difficult if youโre a taller lifter or have long limbs concerning your torso. You can perform a glute leg press to grow your lower body muscles without struggling to do barbell squats. It will be more accessible and less awkward for you!
4. Suitable During Rehabilitation After an Injury
Unlike barbell squats, leg press machines donโt place excessive stress on the spine. Therefore, itโs a great alternative for those who are recovering from a back injury.
There is also a lower risk of falling over and further injuring yourself when doing a leg press compared to when youโre performing heavy barbell squats. Remember that you should consult a professional physical therapist when reintroducing exercises after an injury.
5. Easy to Progressively Overload
Both the seated and lying leg press machines enable you to progressively overload your glutes quite easily. Whether adjusting the pin or adding plates, itโs easy to increase the weight youโre pressing to continue challenging your muscles.
The Leg Press for Glutes: How To Target Them
So, does the leg press work the glutes?
There are 3 different actions that the glutes do while you perform the leg press:
- Hip Extension
- Hip Abduction
- Hip External Rotation
Regardless of whether youโre doing a glute bias leg press or not, the gluteal muscles will be working throughout the movement. However, by emphasizing one or more of the above actions during the leg press, you can force your glutes to do more work than they otherwise would.
Glute Action #1: Hip Extension
The first action of the glutes is to perform hip extension.
Basically, this is the act of straightening your hip joint(s) after itโs been in a flexed (bent) position.
Glute Action #2: Hip Abduction
The second action of the glutes is handling hip abduction.
Simply put, this is when your femur (thigh bone) is moved away from your body by lifting it out to the side.
Glute Action #3: Hip External Rotation
The third action of the glutes is carrying out hip external rotation.
Essentially, this is when your femur (thigh bone) is rotated out โ making your entire foot point outwards.
Foot Placement for the Leg Press
Do leg presses work the glutes? At this point in the article, youโll know that all types of leg press machines certainly can target the gluteal muscles. However, the stance you adopt during the leg press can impact its effectiveness in building your glutes.
The position of your feet during the leg press enables you to target different lower body areas. Below summarizes the effects of each leg press foot placement and the muscles targeted with each one.
Regular
As the name suggests, a regular foot position refers to having your feet in the middle of the leg press platform, shoulder-width apart. This foot positioning will target the quads, glutes, and hamstrings equally, and itโs a great option when youโre trying to build all areas of your lower body.
High Feet
A high foot position involves placing your feet higher up on the platform, shoulder-width apart. Raising your feet in this way will shift the focus of the exercise onto your posterior chain, targeting your glutes and hamstrings more than your quads. Therefore, this is a great option when youโre doing a leg press for glute growth.
Low Feet
Lowering your feet toward the bottom of the leg press platform enables you to target your quads and calves and leaves out the posterior chain. This press foot placement is not the best for glute-biased leg press.
Narrow Feet
With a narrow foot stance, your feet are in the middle of the platform and are hip-width apart. A narrower foot position will target your quads more than your glutes and hamstrings and tends to limit your range of motion.
Wide Feet
A wide leg press foot placement refers to having your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. This stance will target your glutes and hamstrings nicely and will also recruit your hip abductors (the muscles on the outside of your hips). To perform this leg press effectively, youโll need decent hip flexibility and good hip abductor strength and stability.
Enhance your glute workouts by exploring our recommendations on the best machines for glutes, tailored for all fitness levels.
How To Leg Press Using Your Glutes
Below, I have listed some great leg press alternatives and modifications that you can try to target your gluteal muscles. You can include a selection of these leg press variations into your workouts to enhance your gluteal muscle growth.
1. Perform Deeper Reps
Remember how action #1 that the glutes perform is hip extension.
If you force your glutes to complete more hip extensions, youโll be asking them to do more overall work.
By performing deeper reps and reaching greater hip flexion angles, your glutes will have to oppose the increased hip flexion by performing more hip extension.
In fact, a study by Bryanton and colleagues (2012) showed that while the glutes are recruited more with heavier weights, they also respond favorably to an increased range of motion.
If you can't feel your glutes while lunging, then check out my article on Can't Feel Your Glutes In The Lunge? Try These 6 Tips.
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine and lay on the seat/backrest
- Position your feet in the center of the platform
- Ensure that your stance is roughly shoulder-width apart
- Flare your toes out slightly (15-30 degrees)
- Sink your reps as deep as possible, as you keep your feet flat on the platform
If you canโt keep your feet on the platform while performing deep reps, then youโll want to read my article on how to fix your heels from rising while squatting.
Important note: This study was done using the barbell back squat, but we can likely infer similar takeaways for the leg press since itโs a similar squat-pattern movement.
2. Point Your Toes Out More
Recall how action #3 that the glutes are responsible for is external rotation of the hip joint.
Conducting more external rotation and progressively increasing the weight you are using is another method to target your glutes โ the practical solution here for the leg press is to point your toes out more than usual.
Itโs worth noting that Selkowitz and colleagues (2016) found that the upper portion of the gluteus maximus was significantly more active than the lower portion during movements with hip abduction and/or external rotation.
So, itโs normal to feel the burn more in the top of your glutes than the bottom fibers.
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine and lay on the seat/backrest
- Position your feet in the center of the platform
- Ensure that your stance is roughly shoulder-width apart
- Flare your toes way out (45-60 degrees)
- Make sure to push your knees out throughout your set
If you canโt keep your knees pointing over your toes when your feet are pointed out, then youโll want to read my article on how to fix knee valgus while squatting.
3. Widen Your Stance
Remember how action #2 that the glutes carry out is hip abduction.
Performing additional hip abduction by setting your stance width wider than usual will significantly recruit greater amounts of gluteal muscle fibers.
Regarding stance width, hereโs what a study by Paoli et al (2001) found, โ… a large width is necessary for a greater activation of the gluteus maximus during back squats.โ And yes, itโs true โ the researchers studied back squats, not the leg press. That said, these exercises are still very similar in the muscle groups they activate.
For this reason, you can safely assume that a wider stance on the leg press will help you leg press with your glutes more than a regular stance will.
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine and lay on the seat/backrest
- Position your feet in the center of the platform
- Ensure that your stance is roughly shoulder-width apart
- Flare your toes out slightly (15-30 degrees)
- Drive your knees out hard to keep them in line with your feet
You may also be interested in checking out my article on the Leg Press vs Squats, where I discuss the differences, pros, cons, and muscles worked.
4. Place Your Feet High On Platform
With hip extension being the glutes' primary action, itโs useful to prioritize this action above the others. Itโs also (typically) one of the easiest things to implement immediately.
Instead of placing your feet in the middle of the platform, set them high up on the platform โ where your toes are just teetering on the edge. As you descend during your reps, this new stance will result in less forward knee travel and incorporate more hip flexion.
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine and lay on the seat/backrest
- Position your feet near the top of the platform, with your toes almost at the platformโs edge
- Ensure that your stance is roughly shoulder-width apart
- Flare your toes out slightly (15-30 degrees)
- Keep your shins as straight as possible as you complete your set
There are actually 5 different foot placements for the leg press that you can use to target your lower body in various ways. Youโll need to choose appropriate foot positions with a leg press for glute development.
5. Perform Side Lying Leg Presses
As the hip musculatureโs primary function is hip extension, seeking out ways to increase the range of motion of the leg press is a fantastic way to use your glutes more.
A simple method to accomplish this is to perform the side-lying leg press: where you lay the side of your body against the back pad and use one leg-to-leg press instead of two.
For this variation, youโll almost certainly end up in deeper hip flexion, requiring more work from your glutes to extend your hip. In addition, the stability requirement of this unilateral (one side at a time) exercise will increase glute recruitment even further.
When Boudreau et al (2009) compared the step-up-and-over, the lunge, and the single-leg squat, the latter resulted in the greatest activation of the gluteus maximus and the glute medius.
Although there are some key differences between the single-leg squat (typically called the โpistol squatโ) and the single-leg press, a fully unilateral exercise clearly plays a pivotal role in glute recruitment.
Check out this related article: 3 Cable Glute Workouts For Mass (Complete Guide)
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine and lay your side on the seat/backrest
- Position a single foot in the center of the platform, facing sideways
- Ensure that you lift your knee slightly upwards to keep it in line with your foot
- Flare your toes up slightly (about 15 degrees)
- Push through your heel, and switch sides once complete
Note on machine type: For this variation, itโs best to use a seated leg press. Youโll find it much more comfortable and natural than a 45-degree leg press.
6. Use A Glute Band
For this tip, youโll place a glute band around your knees.
There are many glute band variations that you can use, but these ones are likely the most common ones that youโll find at your average commercial gym (click here to check todayโs price on Amazon).
This equipment piece makes your glutes work harder because they try to force your knees inwards (hip adduction). To counter this and avoid leg pressing inefficiently, you must consistently perform hip abduction by driving your knees outwards throughout the entire movement.
How To Do It
- Step inside the leg press machine
- Put glute band around your thighs, just above your knees
- Position your feet in the centre of the platform
- Flare your toes outwards slightly (15-30 degrees)
- Throughout the movement, drive your knees outwards hard
Quick note: Check out another option for hip resistance bands. They're much thicker, longer-lasting, and slides on and off much easier (you can use the fabric slide to adjust its position, and flip it down when you want the grip to keep it stationary).
Best Rep Range and Frequency for Targeting the Glutes on the Leg Press
Although every rep range from 1 to 25 can effectively build muscle, certain ranges are better than others.
In particular, sets of between 8 and 12 are best in a glute-focused leg press to stimulate hypertrophy and in tease muscle size. You should fail toward the end of the rep range to stimulate muscle adaptation.
If you aim to increase power and strength in your gluteal muscles, perform between 5 and 8 reps. This rep range will also stimulate muscle growth.
Common Mistakes When Doing a Glute-Focused Leg Press
Despite being a relatively simple exercise, people tend to make a few common mistakes when doing the leg press. Here are some of the mistakes to avoid:
- Allowing the lower back to rise off the seat
- Shortening the range of motion
- Locking out the knees too much
- Lifting your heels off the platform
- Allowing the Knees to Cave Inward
Allowing the Lower Back to Rise Off the Seat
If your legs arenโt strong enough to push the weight of the leg press platform, it can cause rounding of the lower back, especially toward the top of the reps. Poor posture can also result in curvature of the lower back, placing excess stress on your spine.
Itโs important to keep your whole back against the seat during a lying or seated leg press for glutes. This keeps the tension in your quads and glutes, not your lower back.
Shortening the Range of Motion
Many โego liftersโ like to stack several plates on the leg press but proceed to perform half reps (or even third reps), meaning they arenโt performing the exercise with a full range of motion. While there is a place for half-rep training, this isnโt something I recommend to the average lifter, and itโs not the most effective way to build muscle in your glutes.
Make sure youโre bending and extending your knees through their full range of motion in the leg press (without locking out too much at the top of each rep). This will work your glutes as much as possible and strengthen the muscles in all ranges.
Locking Out the Knees Too Much
While I encourage you to perform every rep with a full range of motion, itโs important not to lock out your knees too much at the end of each rep. Doing so can place a lot of sheer force through the joints, especially if pressing heavy weight.
Locking out your knees at the end of each rep also shifts the tension off your lower body muscles for a short second, which can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Instead of locking out your knees, stop short of full extension to protect your joints.
Lifting Your Heels Off the Platform
Often, poor ankle mobility is the primary reason your heels rise off the platform while doing the leg press. As you bring your knees closer to your chest, tightness in the calves can cause you to overcompensate by raising the heels. This removes tension from your glutes and places it through the knee instead. The increased sheer forces on the knee can increase the risk of injury and reduce the exercise's effectiveness.
Allowing the Knees to Cave Inward
This is a common mistake in beginners using the leg press. When the knees cave inward (known as knee valgus), itโs usually a sign of weak abductors or a weak gluteus medius muscle.
As you progress in your lifts and become stronger, your knees are less likely to cave inward when youโre on the leg press. However, to avoid knee valgus and protect your joints and ligaments, avoid using excessively heavy weight on the leg press. You can also practice lateral lunges and resistance band movements to strengthen your adductors and gluteus medius.
Final Thoughts
Using the leg press for your glutes is highly effective in increasing muscle size and growth. A leg press glute workout can be accomplished with just a few small adjustments to your body position, and foot placement or by using some extra equipment.
For a glute-focused press, you can widen your stance or point your toes out more than usual.
There are also lots of leg press variations to emphasize your posterior chain. You can place your feet high up on the platform, or perform a single leg press for your glutes, by doing the exercise with one leg only while laying on your side.
You can also do a leg press exercise with a glute band to encourage extra hip abduction during the entire movement.
Above all, remember to always sink your reps deep in order to encourage your glutes to work to their full capacity.
There are many exercises similar to the leg press for glutes. Check out my article: 9 Best Leg Press Alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Leg Press Work Your Glutes?
Yes, the leg press works your gluteal muscles. However, there are certain foot positions that you can use to target your glutes more than your quads with this exercise. For example, a wider stance with higher foot placement can emphasize your posterior chain.
Which Leg Press Stance is Best for Glutes?
The best leg press stance to use for a glute-biased leg press is a foot placement that is high and slightly wide. However, a regular foot stance will also target your gluteal muscles.
Is the Leg Press Better Than Squats?
Squats are a more functional movement that improves overall muscle development and strength. However, the leg press is a great alternative for beginners, those who struggle with balance, or those who get back or shoulder pain. The leg press is also ideal when you want to target a particular area of your legs.
Do Leg Presses Make Your Butt Better?
The leg press can enhance glute growth and strength, especially if you place your feet in the most optimal positions to target your posterior chain. A foot placement that is shoulder width apart and high up on the platform is ideal for using your glutes in the leg press.
Can Leg Press Replace Squats for Glute Development?
Squats are superior to leg presses when it comes to glute development. However, the leg press is a great alternative to squats if you struggle with back or shoulder pain or youโve had a previous injury. The leg press is also ideal if youโre not yet ready to use a barbell but want to grow your glutes.
What To Read Next:
- 12 Best Compound Glute Exercises For Muscle Size & Strength
- 8 Back-Friendly Glute Exercises (Build Glutes & Avoid Pain)
About The Author
Kent Nilson is an online strength coach, residing in Calgary (AB). When heโs not training, coaching, or volunteering on the platform at powerlifting meets, youโll likely find Kent drinking coffee or enjoying his next Eggs Benedict. Connect with him on Facebook or Instagram.