Really Weak at Leg Press Compared to Squat

Hey guys I just tried leg pressing for the first time In… A long ass time. I loaded 5 plates on each side and it felt like a ton. In have a vid up of a 385 beltless squat and I’m sure I could hit a 275 front squat at least. Weird thing is it felt good to get blood flow into my quads the way the press was hitting them. Any input besides things like “you’re a weak fatboi try harder”

My input is who gives a shit about how much you leg press. Its a machine lift. I’d be much, much more concerned if my squat was the weak link relative to my leg press.

umm, not sure I understand, 10 plates are more than 7 plates.

[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
umm, not sure I understand, 10 plates are more than 7 plates.[/quote]

Well, not necessarily when the plates are sitting on rails at an incline. Its easier to push weight on wheels up an incline than it is to lift weight straight up without mechanical assistance.

Yea i’d agree with “who gives a shit” about how much you leg press. Just curious since people can usually load up plates on plate on the leg press regardless of their ability to squat

and yea, the plates on a leg press have different leverages and mechanical assistance. Obvs.

[quote]Learning2Lift wrote:
Yea i’d agree with “who gives a shit” about how much you leg press. Just curious since people can usually load up plates on plate on the leg press regardless of their ability to squat[/quote]

Part of moving weight on any particular movement involves practicing the movement/specific adaptation. I suspect if you actually trained leg press for a month your leg press numbers would improve dramatically. But I still stand by my first post. If you feel like the leg press is making you stronger and putting good training stress on your muscles, that’s what its good for, but I seriously would not sweat the apparent disparity between your squat and the press.

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:

[quote]Learning2Lift wrote:
Yea i’d agree with “who gives a shit” about how much you leg press. Just curious since people can usually load up plates on plate on the leg press regardless of their ability to squat[/quote]

Part of moving weight on any particular movement involves practicing the movement/specific adaptation. I suspect if you actually trained leg press for a month your leg press numbers would improve dramatically. But I still stand by my first post. If you feel like the leg press is making you stronger and putting good training stress on your muscles, that’s what its good for, but I seriously would not sweat the apparent disparity between your squat and the press vis a vis the actual poundages. [/quote]

God damn it. I meant to edit not quote.

I’m gonna give it a try since it seemed to cure some aching in my quads. I’ll post about it if I come up with any signifigant in terms of transfering to my squat or deadlift. or just any interesting notes as far as quad pain.

Yea I agree I’m defnitely not used to the movement or loading pattern. I’m going to keep doing them at least once a week since they seemed to rejuvinate my quad soreness a little and hit some areas that needed bloodflow. I’ll post about it if I find that they help my squat or deadlift or if I discover anything interesting about how my legs feel afterwords.

[quote]Learning2Lift wrote:
Yea I agree I’m defnitely not used to the movement or loading pattern. I’m going to keep doing them at least once a week since they seemed to rejuvinate my quad soreness a little and hit some areas that needed bloodflow. I’ll post about it if I find that they help my squat or deadlift or if I discover anything interesting about how my legs feel afterwords.[/quote]

Leg press never really had any carry over to numbers for me. But it did help drastically on a light day to get some blood to sore muscles to help with recovery. 5 sets of 10 at a weight that would make me sweat but not grind and I was ready to tear it up again in 4 or 5 days pain free. I am not back at a point right now where that is necessary but that little tool has been tucked away and will be there as soon as I do need it.

Yea that exactly what I was going to do. I do that with leg extensions, high reps to get bloodflow into ligaments that don’t have good circulation

… Learning2lift let me say this in the nicest most beginner way I can… No one and I mean no one me, anyone here, your mom, your girlfriend even your boyfriend after this thread nor should you give any FUCKs about your leg press compared to your Squat. I like you I do but please get this out of your head.

Might be because you’re using a difference stance/ foot placement (wide, hip dominant squat vs narrow, quad dominant leg press) or it might be that you’re used to squatting and not used to leg pressing. Either way it doesn’t really matter.

Girlfriend actually broke up with me Reed. Said she saw some 15 year olds leg pressing more than I could. Nah lol I’m not concerned its just a funny little thing I noticed. Thanks for the input guys. I’ll post an update if anything interesting happens.

1 Like

If you want a bigger leg press, you need to model yourself on successful leg pressers, like octogenarian and direct conduit to the Heavenly Father, His Holiness Pat Robertson. Through the power of Christ and his Holy training regimen, he is able to leg press over 2,000 pounds.

Supplement with lots of prayer and his patented age-defying shake and you will do fine.

Wives, girlfriends, ladyboys, girlymen…who needs 'em. I just found a cool new abductor/ adductor machine. Might set a PR today.

DO YOU EVEN ADDUCT BRO?

[quote]Learning2Lift wrote:
and yea, the plates on a leg press have different leverages and mechanical assistance. Obvs.[/quote]

I think you’ve answered your own question there, but just to paraphrase:

“I’ve just done an exercise I’ve not done in years and I didn’t hit the random numbers I pulled out my arse because they seemed ‘about right’”

[quote]dt79 wrote:
Wives, girlfriends, ladyboys, girlymen…who needs 'em. I just found a cool new abductor/ adductor machine. Might set a PR today.

DO YOU EVEN ADDUCT BRO?[/quote]

I prefer to do them in the squat rack with a resistance band. While balancing on a bosu ball. I’m following 5/3/1 for the innie-outie adductor machine.

[quote]Learning2Lift wrote:
Hey guys I just tried leg pressing for the first time In… A long ass time. I loaded 5 plates on each side and it felt like a ton.[/quote]
The first time you squatted, did you put 225 right on the bar and drop down deep? Or did you start with 45, get a feel for it, move up to 95 or 115, then eventually 135, and then 185…? Same idea, different exercise.

I agree with the rest of the crew that, ultimately, moving massive weight on the leg press is only really good for bragging rights (and it’d be a fairly lame brag at that). Don’t forget, too, that a lot of guys seriously cut the ROM short in exchange for more weight.

Since you’re using it as assistance work, stick with whatever weight keeps you in your intended rep range. If that means using 2 plates a side but the ROM and tension give you the quad work you’re looking for, then who gives a crap?