45 Degree Leg Press Machine

The 45 degree leg press machine is a compound lower-body exercise in which you push a loaded sled along an inclined track with your back supported against a pad. That support is its defining feature: because the spine carries no compressive load, you can train the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes heavily without the trunk becoming the limiting factor, which makes it useful for lifters returning from a back problem and for anyone adding leg volume after squatting. Foot placement changes the emphasis. Feet higher on the platform recruit more glutes and hamstrings, feet lower shift the work toward the quadriceps. The one thing the machine will not forgive is chasing depth beyond your control, since letting the pelvis tuck under at the bottom loads the lower back exactly where the machine was meant to protect it.