Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Quads

Leg Press

MachineCompoundEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Quads, Glutes

Also adductors

You need

Leg press

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
Platform
1Start
Platform
2Bottom
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Feet shoulder width, mid platform
  2. 2Lower until your knees come toward your chest
  3. 3Keep your lower back on the pad

Most common mistake

Huge weight, tiny range.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #3 for cycling
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Carries straight over to cycling

Compare with

vs Belt Squatvs Safety Bar Squatvs Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat
A
For quads
#7 of 33
See the full list →
Research
80
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 80
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchStrong
ProgressionExcellent
Low costStrong

Heavy quad work without balance or load on the spine. Go deep enough to bend the knees well past 90°.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • AFront-Foot-Elevated Split SquatDumbbell
  • ASafety Bar SquatBarbell
  • AHeels-Elevated Goblet SquatDumbbell
  • SHack SquatMachine

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280