It should come as no surprise that general exercise comes with a lot of health benefits. Unfortunately, the type of workouts you are doing might not produce the benefits you want.
For example, let's say you're searching for glute workouts to make your butt look better. Is a leg press the best workout for this goal? Or are there better exercises you can try to improve your glutes?
If you want to learn the answer to these questions, and more, you're in the right place. In this guide, we'll teach you everything you need to know about leg presses and what muscles they affect. Let's get started!
What Is a Leg Press?
Before we learn about leg presses and glutes, it's important to understand exactly what this piece of exercise equipment is. A leg press machine is a bench with a press that contains adjustable weights to meet your strength level.
Basically, you will sit on the bench and apply pressure against the press using your legs. If you've been to a comprehensive gym, you're probably familiar with this piece of equipment.
The benefits of leg presses make them a staple for leg day because it works out the knees, calves, hamstrings, and quads. But, what about your glutes? We'll take a closer look in the next section.
Does Leg Press Work Your Glutes?
A leg press will work all of the muscles in your upper legs, including your glutes. However, there are things you can do with a leg press to really get glutes gains.
First, make sure you have a narrow stance when you use the leg press. Typically you use a wider stance when using this machine. But the closer your feet are together, the more the machine will target your glutes.
Just make sure they're less than three in half inches apart. Another trick to isolating your glutes with a leg press is pushing with your heels. When you push with your toes, you're directing weight toward your calves.
But, when you use your heels, that same weight is pushed to your glutes. Lastly, make sure you're lifting heavy while performing low repetitions.
Between ten to fifteen reps at a controlled pace will help you isolate muscles better. The specific weight will depend on your strength level, but pick one that feels challenging.
Will Leg Press Make Your Butt Bigger?
If you're trying to build a bigger butt, you might be wondering if leg presses are the best way to do this. It's true that leg presses will activate your glutes.
But it's important to note that if you're serious about building it, you'll want to find workouts that isolate this muscle. Doing this will cause the muscle fibers in your glutes to tear.
And, when they tear, they repair with added muscle. Hence bigger butts. This is especially true if you load up on muscle-building substances like creatine.
These workout supplements and what you eat in your diet will also have a big impact on glute gains. But, if you're exclusively trying to focus on your glutes, then you should try to incorporate other exercises into your workout.
Other Glute Workouts You Can Try
As we mentioned in the last section, leg press machines do work on your glutes. But if you're serious about targeting this muscle group, there are other exercises you can do.
In this section, we'll go over three different glute workouts. However, if you need visual cues, then you can find a helpful video describing them here.
Deadlifts
Conventional deadlifts can be intimidating. But they really are a great glutes workout. To do them, you're going to push your hips back. Then, reach down to grab the bar.
Then, allow your knees to bend down in a natural motion. If you're tall, you may need to elevate the bar to not hurt your back. Once you're touching the bar, secure your grip and flex your ab muscles.
Then, push against the floor with your feet. You're going to feel a lot of weight in your quads and glutes. As you reach the top, push your hips forward. Then, drop the bar when you're ready.
If you're nervous about trying deadlifts on your own, consider getting a trainer.
Step Downs
You can think of step-downs as a kind of reverse step-up. Find a step box and get on top. Place one foot close to the edge (while still in full contact with the box).
The other foot can hang off. Then, drop that foot to the ground. Use your stable leg to ensure that you remain balanced.
Drive your foot into the ground heel first until it's firmly planted. Then, step back up to the starting position.
Walking Lunge
This is a great glutes workout for beginners. To make the walking lunge, you're going to start out with your feet together. Then, take a step forward about two feet.
Once your foot is firmly on the ground, allow your knee to begin tracking forward. Meanwhile, your back knee is going to drop straight until it's on the ground.
Then push against the floor with your front foot. Continue driving into it until you're once again in a standing position with both feet together. Repeat this on both sides.
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