Where To Put Feet on Leg Press For Glutes (2024)

February 23, 2024

If you're looking for a way to get a booty-ful workout, you might want to try the leg press machine. The leg press is a great exercise for targeting your lower body muscles, especially your quads, hamstrings, and calves.

But did you know that you can also use the leg press for your glutes? That's right, with some simple adjustments to your foot placement and technique, you can turn the leg press into a glute-press!

In this article, I'll show you how to use the leg press for your glutes, and share some tips and tricks to maximize your glute activation and development.

Glute Anatomy

The glutes are the muscles that make up your buttocks. They are composed of three main muscles: the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus.

Glute Activity During Leg Press

So, are the glutes active during the leg press? The answer is yes, but it depends on how you perform the leg press.

The leg press is primarily a quad-dominant exercise, meaning that your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs) do most of the work. However, by changing your foot position and angle on the leg press machine, you can shift some of the load to your glutes and hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your thighs).

Generally, the glutes are more active when you place your feet higher on the platform, point your toes outward, and widen your stance. These adjustments increase the range of motion of your hips and knees, which allows your glutes to stretch more at the bottom of the movement and contract more at the top.

However, don't go too extreme with these modifications, as they can also increase the stress on your lower back and knees. A good rule of thumb is to keep your feet within shoulder-width apart, point your toes no more than 45 degrees outward, and place your feet no higher than two-thirds of the platform.

How to Increase Glute Recruitment

Besides changing your foot placement and angle, there are other ways to increase glute recruitment on the leg press:

Pause at the bottom. By pausing for a second or two at the bottom of each rep, you can eliminate any momentum and force your glutes to work harder to push the weight back up.
Use a glute loop. A glute loop is a special resistance band made to target your glutes. It adds extra tension to your abductors (the muscles that move your thighs outward), which are part of your glute complex. By using a glute band on the leg press, you can activate more muscle fibers in your glutes and make them work harder.
Do single-leg presses. By doing one leg at a time, you can isolate each glute and prevent any imbalances or compensations from occurring. You can also increase the range of motion of each rep by resting your non-working leg on the floor.

Final Thoughts

The leg press is not only a quad killer but also a booty builder. By following these tips on how to use the leg press for your glutes, you can sculpt a stronger and rounder butt in no time!

Shop Leg Press Machines

FAQs

Where To Put Feet on Leg Press For Glutes? ›

Generally, the glutes are more active when you place your feet higher on the platform, point your toes outward, and widen your stance. These adjustments increase the range of motion of your hips and knees, which allows your glutes to stretch more at the bottom of the movement and contract more at the top.

Keep Reading ›

Where should your feet be on a leg press to target your glutes? ›

Placing your feet high and wide on the platform targets your glutes, hamstrings, and adductors. That's because it involves more hip extension and allows for greater flute stretch.

Get More Info ›

How do you prioritize glutes on leg press? ›

To bias your glutes on the leg press you want to place your feet high and narrow. You can do single leg or both legs. I program both variations in my programs as well as paused reps, 1/4 reps, slow eccentric, slow eccentric and paused ( if you know you know ).

Know More ›

Does foot placement on leg press matter? ›

A high foot position increases the amount of hip movement achieved with a leg press and reduced the range of movement demands on our knee joints. As such you will feel greater stretch, and a higher load being placed through the glutes and hamstrings. This is important for the quadriceps dominant athlete!

What is the 45 foot placement for leg press? ›

45 Degree Leg Press Tips

A shoulder-width stance places most focus onto the quads. To activate the glutes more, adopt a wider foot placement and slightly turn the toes out. To engage the adductors more, take a narrow foot placement.

See Details ›

Which leg press is good for glutes? ›

Wide Feet Leg Press for Glutes:

Back to the middle of the platform, move your feet out wider than shoulder-width apart. For this leg press glute position, you'll need a ton of flexibility because it'll work your hip flexors as well as your hamstrings and glutes.

Read On ›

What is the best foot position for squats for glutes? ›

A popular variation that helps target the glutes a bit more than the quads is when you stand with your feet a bit wider and turn your toes out slightly. In a wider stance squat you will feel more glute activation—even more when you add resistance. In the more narrow stance you will feel a bit more quad activation.

Get More Info Here ›

Why don't I feel my glutes during leg press? ›

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.

Tell Me More ›

Should leg press be slow or fast? ›

Once your legs are extended, lower the weight toward your body. Keep this motion slow and controlled, and inhale while you're performing it. You don't want to let the weight fall toward you. Stop lowering the weight when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.

Discover More ›

What is the best foot position on the leg press to target glutes? ›

However, if you are doing the high stance, most people recommend using a regular or standard placement. If you are somebody who wants to work on your hip extension, and you want to activate your glutes and hamstrings, then this high foot placement is the best option for you.

Get More Info Here ›

How to target glutes on leg press? ›

Generally, the glutes are more active when you place your feet higher on the platform, point your toes outward, and widen your stance. These adjustments increase the range of motion of your hips and knees, which allows your glutes to stretch more at the bottom of the movement and contract more at the top.

Is leg press better than squats? ›

Leg Press Isn't as Good for Functional Strength

And that's precisely why you can't ditch the squat. Because the leg press provides back support that the free weight squat doesn't, you aren't getting the same core activation when you ditch the barbell for the machine.

Get More Info ›

Should legs be high or low on leg press? ›

Placing your feet higher on the footplate will work your gluteus maximus and hamstrings to a greater degree. Placing your feet lower on the footplate will emphasize the quads more, but this also puts more stress on the knees and should be done with caution.

Where do your feet sit on a 90 degree leg press? ›

STARTING POSITION: Sit in the machine, positioning your back and sacrum (tailbone) flat against the machine's backrest. Place your feet on the resistance plate, toes pointing forward and adjust your seat and foot position so that the bend in your knees is at approximately 90 degrees with your heels flat.

Where do you put your feet on a glute trainer? ›

To achieve maximum glute activation during hip thrusts, position your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and parallel to each other. Make sure your heels are firmly planted on the ground, and your toes can be pointing forward or slightly turned outward. This foot placement will encourage optimal glute engagement.

Read The Full Story ›