Thread: Pull on lower lumbar while leg pressing

Make sure you keep your back pressed against the pad and don't let the lower back round.

I had the same problem with my gym's leg press. The seat has only 2 settings, and one I'm too close so I can't get a full ROM and the other I can get full ROM but I'm not tight into the seat and my lower back would usually rise.

I would ditch it. I did. It's not worth it. I was having trouble squatting and deadlifting for a month because of that leg press. Just stop using it.

Or, I heard Gaz say using a unilateral variation will put your lower back in a safer position. I've never done one-leg leg press but I figure you would have your opposite leg on the ground and it would probably force your lower back into the seat.

Nevertheless, don't mess with your lower back.

I don't do em. Just another damned machine, and another reason to leave the machines alone. They are, Mostly, and I repeat, MOSTLY for those that want to be seen moving alot of plates, or have some sort of fear or need a crutch. Unless of course your gym just sucks ass and doesn't have much free weights. Machines...one size does not fit all.

Every once in a while I might load it up to do calve presses, but I usually use the other coat rack, aka the Smith machine to do those.


Leg press.......And why?

I see guys everyday that can leg press 20 plates, but can barely squat down to get their freakin' gym bags.

happened to me last year and it got that bad i ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back. i had trouble after that with squats and deadlifts. sounds to me that ur tight all through hamstrings and all through glutes up back. start doing alot of stretching with back, hams and legs. give up the leg press for a while and maybe go to osteopath and get any knots worked out that u may have.

Thanks for all the 411. I do squats and have increased my weight on them by 40lbs in the last 3 months. Still can't do much I'm working on it. I added the leg press because well it's been shown to be part of an overall effective leg workout by some lifting mags and pro bodybuilders (Pro's and cons have already been beaten to death in another recent thread here so no need to go over that again). I do my legs on Sunday mornings at 5:00 am and I'm the only one in the gym the whole time so I'm not trying to impress anyone with the number of plates I'm lifting. I'd like to drop the leg press since I don't need aback injury so what other exercises can I do that will hammer quads, hamstrings and glutes in addition to squats or should that be the only one?
Thanks.

Front squats, lunges, one-legged squats, step-ups.