How to Leg Press In a Smith Machine

Have you ever looked at a smith machine and thought maybe, just maybe, you could use it for a leg press?

Have you seen people perform a vertical leg press on YouTube but don’t have this piece of fitness equipment?

Are you trying to get creative in your home gym and add more leg exercises to your workout program?

While fitness equipment specific to an exercise is nice, you don’t need to unnecessarily spend money and take up space on a vertical leg press machine or standard leg press machine to pump up your legs. If you have access to a smith machine, you can get a great leg workout by using it to perform a

In this article, you will learn

1. The benefits of performing a vertical leg press in a smith machine.
2. How the smith machine leg press differs from a standard leg press.
3. How to leg press in a smith machine.

The Benefits of a Smith Machine Leg Press

Like a traditional smith machine squat, once you have released the bar, the weight has nowhere to go but down. This requires an immediate recruitment of muscle fibers.

Recruit More Muscles Into the exercise.

Unlike the smith machine squat, the weight is not placed on the rear side of your body and is balanced in the center of your foot. This means that you will recruit more of the hamstring and glute muscles into this leg exercise.

Trains the Mind Muscle Connection

All of your attention can be placed on the muscle since your back is rested on the floor. This allows you to concentrate on moving the weight while keeping tension on quads and hamstrings.

Train Safely Without A Spotter

While no leg press exercise can completely protect you from injury, the safety catches on a smith machine are a great way to reduce risk. Setting the safeties just below where you plan to reach a full contraction will ensure that your legs do not crush into your chest if you fail a lift.

Smith Machine Leg Press Vs. Horizontal Leg Press

In a horizontal leg press machine, your torso to hip angle is greater than in a vertical leg press machine. This slight change in the exercise can create a totally different feel and emphasis on the muscles.

Building the Posterior Chain

Thanks to sedentary lifestyles, many people suffer from an imbalance between their quadriceps and their hamstrings. Lifters only take the problem further when they perform the typical quad dominant leg workout consisting of leg press and leg extension exercises.

When you leg press in a smith machine, you press in a way that requires the hamstring muscles to engage at lockout. This exercise provides a more balanced approach to training your leg muscles.

More Muscle Tension at Peak Contraction

When unracking the weight on a traditional leg, press a lifter can hold the weight for quite a while without reducing leg strength. Therefore, you see many people resting at the top of a leg press. You cannot say the same thing about the vertical leg press.

Whether it is in a smith machine or separate leg exercise machine, you will maintain more tension on the legs at the top of the movement. As a result, you may recruit more total muscle fibers with this leg press alternative.

This is also true when using it as a calf raise. The smith machine leg press calf raise is a brutal exercise that is guaranteed to leave your calves sore for days!

How to Leg Press in a Smith Machine

Every smith machine is different and may require you to make modifications to the following instructions. The best thing you can do is practice the exercise and get a full understanding before you use a heavy weight.

Many smith machines have a reverse pitch. This means there is a very slight angle to them. If your smith machine has this angle, begin the exercise facing the direction where your legs will move slightly away from you at the top of the lift.

Step-by-Step Leg Press in a Smith Machine Instructions

1. Preferably with a lumbar pad or towel to support your lower back arch, lie on the ground.
2. Adjust your body to where the barbell is approximately above your belly button.
3. Place the bar in the middle of your foot with your feet approximately shoulder width apart.
4. Get the feel of the exercise by using only the weight on the bar.
5. Determine your appropriate stopping position and set your safety catches accordingly.
6. Place your arms by your side or hold on to the bottom of the smith machine for added stability.
7. Press your legs upward and let the bar unrack as your ankles become closer to your shins.
8. Lower the weight, making sure your knees are not collapsing and stay on the outer edge of your rib cage.
9. Press the barbell back up with all of your leg muscles. Pressing with your quads may cause the bar to rack itself as you lose the position.
10. Carefully rack the weight by rotating the bar.
11. Add weight to the bar and repeat.

Note: You should not take this exercise to failure if you do not have a spotter to assist you.

We hope you have enjoyed this article. If you have questions about how to leg press in a smith machine or have more to add to this article, drop us a line. We would love to hear from you!