STUDY FINDS THAT MECHANICAL CHANGES AFFECT LEG MUSCLE ACTIVITY.
BY: HERS STAFF
Brazilian researchers set out to verify how changes in mechanics and weight loads affect muscle activity in the legs when doing variations of the leg press - horizontal, 45-degree, and the feet placed high and low. When they measured the electromyographic activity of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius and gluteus maximus, they found that mechanical changes affect leg muscle activity related to the load used. Here’s how to put their findings to work for you:
| YOU WANT TO TARGET: | USE THIS LEG PRESS: |
| Rectus femoris (middle quad) | 45-degree leg press, or place your feet lower on the horizontal-press platform, for eight reps |
| Gastrocnemius (calf) | 45-degree leg press, or place your feet lower on the horizontal-press platform, for eight reps |
| Vastus lateralis (outer quad) | Place your feet lower on the horizontal-press platform for eight reps |
| Gluteus maximus (glutes) | Place your feet higher on the horizontal-press platform for eight reps |
