Single Leg Press

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

try single leg leg presses are the BEST exercise for gaining improved musculature in your legs and yes that includes significant bulk. Single leg leg press is definitely the most superior exercise for leg development.why single leg??

I prefer that to the double leg version because I feel you can get an increased range from single leg version.You can realy test your will power and mind in this exercise when done single leg because a) you have the assurance that its safe because your other leg can come to your rescue just before the point of a full hamstring/glute rupture and 2 because you can just simply keep pushing rep after rep without the need for phenominal technique as the technique is relatively straight forward as long as you have a sound training background.

You can`t compare it to front squats or any other more complex life . Its worked wonders for my quad bulk and the beauty of it is in my view a pure muscle building body builder type exercise meaning its more of a mechanical load issue and you can get the most intense contraction in your rectus femoris providing you go as deep as humanly possible (of course the glutes are most active in deepest range too).

HOWEVER for sports performance and atheltes its something which must be utilised selectively due to the fact that its more of a muscle exercise than one which relies heavily on an elite CNS and furthermore it is notorious for tightening up the hip flexors etc which is a disaster for athletes. I initially did this for rehab after knee surgery but soon relaised it was the “secret” to having quads which would gain respect instantly.

2

This is likely all very true, but i still dont like it when all of my 45lb plates are missing from the squat racks because somebody took them and loaded them all on the leg press.

3

I wouldn’t say that it “is definitely the most superior exercise for leg development” but I do love some single leg press.

The best quad pump I have ever had has been from single leg press following some front squats. I have had IT Band issues for a while so finding something that developed the VMO was a huge priority on leg days. I can honestly say that single leg press developed my VMO more than anything else. I to do an accessory workout on my leg days after squatting. Single leg Press 5x10, Single Leg Extension 5x10 each leg, Single Seated Leg Curl 5x10… Quick and gets some good results!

4

[quote]gifted gonads wrote:
The single leg press is a good accessory movement. Squats are still more important.[/quote]

I fixed that for you.

5

[quote]Chris87 wrote:

[quote]gifted gonads wrote:
The single leg press is a good accessory movement. Squats are still more important.[/quote]

I fixed that for you.[/quote]

This.

May I ask what a hamstring/glute rupture is, Gifted Gonads?

6

[quote]gifted gonads wrote:
try single leg leg presses are the BEST exercise for gaining improved musculature in your legs and yes that includes significant bulk.
…
You can`t compare it to front squats or any other more complex life .[/quote]
Dude, you should’ve taken the username grande gonads, because that’s a heck of a claim.

This kinda sounds like, “You don’t need to worry about having good technique as long as you have good technique.” Weird.

When are overly-tight hip flexors not a setup for disaster? Meaning, why would tight hip flexors be more of a problem for athletes rather than bodybuilders?

As per your profile: 5’10", 176 pounds.

Pics of physique/quads with which to gain respect instantly?

7

you don`t have to be 200ibs to have top quads at 5 10 ! what is peoples obsession with looking like big potatoes juiced off their heads but with small gonads! im not in2 pix and all that son , im not here tryin 2 set the grounds for admiration but rather to discuss some training issues of significance. The reason tight hip flexors are more problematic for athletes than bodybuilders is due to the fact that atheltes particularly in sports where there is a needs for speed and/or acceleration demand more from the muscles by way of explosive stretch and power generation , so tight hip flexors may not be great but not so much disastrous for a bodybuilder but for an athlete tight hip flexors will mean either poor/diminished performance and/or i
njury .

8

GG…I have done these for a while because I also have IT band issues (like someone else posted). I never really saw any improvement in quad size though. Do you place your foot high or low on the platform? Do you stay in the middle or toward the outside? Just curious.

9

I typically go high with foot placement and focus on heel drive. I also like to go explosive on the concentric and slow and controlled on the eccentric.

I feel like I have seen this argument before… How is this any different then when Mike Boyle said that he prefers Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats or Bulgarian Split Squats or whatever they are being called these days over back squat. For some reason people swear by leg press as a great tool for hypertrophy (in fact, I am pretty sure there is a discussion in the bodybuilding forum on this very site that says it is better than squats for hypertrophy) but take one foot off and you are an idiot for thinking that.

Tell me this…
Can you get hypertrophy from leg press?
Can you get hypertrophy from squats?
Can you get hypertrophy from bulgarian split squats?

Why can you get hypertrophy from all of the above yet not single leg press?

Lets not over complicate things and say that something doesn’t work. Stress the muscle and eat gratuitous portions of animals.

10

In the same way as mi hombre el dingo I also do the single leg leg press with high foot placement. the higher u go the more u hit the entire leg specifically the glutes and ischial tuberosity ie the semi tendinosis and the glute hami junction/point where they come together. El dingo I also rate very highly the bulgarian split squats and I can say that they place a tremendous amount of tension through the entire working leg while promoting felxibility for the contra lateral side and as for the working leg promoting not just strength and size but also stability and proprioception. Reverse lunges are great for vmo development too and can be used effectively along side split squats and/or leg press. on the leg press though I frequently go for 25 repers and do max depth too. I do 160kg for 25 reps rest 1mins 30 and repeat 8 sets. its a fuckin burner man , u need a fire extinguisher to calm things down after but its worth it man.
“I`d rather feel alive even if it kills me”

11

my friend Chris Colucci had a lot to say about some of the issues raised! he seemed to be reading the post with binoculars on! next time i got any legal issues ill ask u for legal advice because u seem to scrutinise posts on T-Nation like law documents! Its a powerful thing this internet!I hope u dont have a pencil neck and little chicken legs the way u trying to weigh me up son.

“Pics of physique/quads with which to gain respect instantly”?

12

[quote]El Dingo wrote:
Why can you get hypertrophy from all of the above yet not single leg press?

Lets not over complicate things and say that something doesn’t work.[/quote]
My issue is not that single-leg presses don’t work. My issue is with flat-out declaring them the best (or really, “the BEST”) leg exercise. You did raise a valid point regarding Mike Boyle and the RFESS, but even Boyle was vehemently challenged about his beliefs and he defended his stance with some solid points. Gonads hasn’t exactly done the same as thoroughly or as convincingly.

[quote]gifted gonads wrote:
you don`t have to be 200ibs to have top quads at 5 10 ! what is peoples obsession with looking like big potatoes juiced off their heads but with small gonads![/quote]
I never said anyone had to weigh 200 pounds to have great quads, so I don’t know where you’re pulling that from, but I am pointing out that at the height, weight, and bodyfat listed in your profile, a picture would be very appropriate after boldly stating “I trained with this exercise and it’s responsible for my super-impressive quads.”

To make a claim like that and not follow-up with a pic is textbook Internet bragging and should be challenged as such. If you do back-up your claim with a pic or video, I’ll be one of the first to congratulate you, for sure. (But I still wouldn’t agree about the 1-leg press as best of the best.)

No. I scrutinize posts in T-Nation’s Beginners forum because I give a shit about the quality of advice being put forth to impressionable newbies.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_beginner/blind_leading_the_blind

I saw in one of your other threads that you’re “an ex pro athlete and naturally fast and powerful.” If that’s true, awesome. There’s potential for you to offer some useful info from your experience. However, you popped onto the site out of nowhere and, with your very first post, decided to write a mini-article declaring a relatively-obscure exercise the best movement for the legs.

FYI, your second post, the one that ranted about how bodybuilders can’t run because of their “non-functional mass” was another gem that made me raise an eyebrow and wonder what kind of actual understanding of training you have.

You said a mouthful right there, bud.

[quote]I hope u don`t have a pencil neck and little chicken legs the way u trying to weigh me up son.

“Pics of physique/quads with which to gain respect instantly”?[/quote]
You’re so far away from having a clue, it’s adorable. As far as I can recall, I’ve never, in my 7+ years on this site, made claims along the lines of “I trained with XYZ method and my utterly fantastic results speak for themselves as proof that the method works.” I also haven’t trained or eaten for physique-based goals for months, if not a year or so.

Anyhow, that’s me in my avatar. In my profile hub, there are another half-dozen pictures plus four videos of me actually lifting. Example, this was about seven weeks ago:
[video]2437[/video]

So, yeah. Hi, anonymous-guy-who-gives-inappropriately-broad-generalizations-as-advice. Nice to almost-sorta meet you.

It’s not August anymore, but it’d still be great if you tossed up something current in the August Check-In thread so we all know who we’re dealing with. I wouldn’t expect a former pro athlete to mind a little bit of spotlight. Thanks:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/music_movies_girls_life/august_photovideo_checkin