Hayden SaundersLeg press machines are not your easily available cheap piece of fitness equipment and you will not find them in all gyms either. However, this does not mean you cannot do leg press exercises without a fitness machine. In this article, we will share with you some exercises that will give you the same benefit that a leg press machine will give you in terms of focussing on core areas such as quadricep muscles and lower body. You can focus on the same areas if you repeat the sets as you do with a regular leg press machine.
A great alternative to press machine is resistance bands as they are really versatile and will give you the same effectiveness in terms of results that you will get with a press machine. Compared to a leg press machine, they are cost effective as well and comes in many different types for you to choose from.
What is Leg Press?
Leg Press is a form of weight training exercise in which you have to push some kind of weight or a resisting force with both your legs. The range of motion in the leg press is short, that is, to whatever extent you can push your legs that could vary from person to person. This exercise affects three core areas largely: quadriceps, glute muscles, and hamstrings.
Ideally, this workout is done on a press machine but that also does not mean that in the absence of this fancy workout machine you cannot perform leg press routines. Sometimes you might not be able to go to your gym or the leg press machine might need some repair. In situations like this, a stability ball, or ankle weights or resistance bands can do wonders for you.
Advantage Of Leg Press
Leg press is one form of exercise that you should try doing every alternate day without a skip as it focuses on all areas of your lower body and effects the muscles as well. Aforementioned, the core areas of focus are hamstrings, quadriceps, butt and glute muscles. It also engages in your calf muscles and inner thighs. The idea is to use some kind of resistance to push it away from your legs and then make your legs straight after which you have to control the movement while returning back to the resting position.
Leg presses exercises are usually done by those who want to flatten their tummy, or want a chiseled lower body or get over a prolonged injury pain mostly in the lower body.
How To Do Leg Press Without A Machine
1. Use Of Bands
If you want to try a new and interesting technique of doing leg press, try using resistance bands. This is even more beneficial for older people who have recently recovered from an injury or a surgery. Another category of people that it can cater to are those who like to workout from their homes but at the same time they do not want too many equipments in and around their rooms.
How To Do It: Lie flat on your back and tie the band on the bottom of your legs with your shoes on. Now hold the band with either of your hands or both. The pressure should be as such that you feel the resistance when you press. Push your foot where you have tied the band away from your body and squeeze the glute muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings as you do it, until you push your legs to a straight position. Now bend your knee slowly to get back to the initial position. Repeat this set on each side for 10 to 20 times.
2. Leg Press With Stability Ball
Doing leg press with a stability ball requires high-intensity pressure and resistance as compared to a regular leg press machine. The focus areas here will be your glute muscles, quads, and thighs.
How To Do It: You have to sit over the stability ball and then move forward as long as you comfortably support your shoulders over the ball. After this, you have to try straightening your leg, while squeezing your butts and your quadricep muscles and making your abs tight. Hereafter, place your butt on the ground and bend both the knees. Repeat this for about 15 to 25 times.
3. Use Of Ankle Weights
The weight range of ankle weights is between 1 to 10 pounds. Doing leg press with ankle weight is similar to exercising with resistance bands. The only major difference is that your workout session will be against gravity when you use ankle weights, unlike resistance bands that works against resistance.
How To Do It: You can do leg press with either one leg or both at one time. Sit on your chair by its edge, while your hands will support you on the chair from behind your body. Now slightly lean towards the back and then put your legs out. This will directly affect your legs and your thighs.
4. Squats With Dumbbells
Doing squats with dumbbells is another effective way of doing leg press. This exercise affects the glute muscles and quads, without the use of a pretty fitness machine.
How To Do It: Stand straight and hold the dumbbells in both of your hands. Your feet and shoulders have to wide apart and your back should be straight, and not arched. Now slowly lower yourself in squatting position and then push back to the resting position again while standing up. Repeat this set with the dumbbells for the next 5 minutes without rest.
Leg press is one exercise that targets almost all of your lower back and is really effective for toning down your calves and thighs. Not having access to a leg press machine should not be an issue for you anymore since you are now acquainted with these effective leg press exercises without the use of a press machine. You could also do them when you are traveling and none of the equipments mentioned here will even take in a lot of your space. The leg press exercise with the bands can also be performed while you are sitting, what really matters how well you use the technique.
