Table 1.
General data regarding the exercises tested, the sample size, the participants’ gender and age, the training experience time, the surface electromyography (sEMG) collection method, the outcomes, and the main findings of the selected articles.
| References | Exercises Tested | Sample | Age (Years) | Experience (Years) | sEMG Collection Method | sEMG Activity Recorded of Muscles | Main Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escamilla et al. (2001) [15] | Squat versus leg press with different feet positions and stances (0° forefoot abduction, 30° forefoot abduction during wide and narrow stances. Leg press high and low feet position) | 10 men Lifters | 29.6 ± 6.5 | 10.1 ± 7.7 Squat, 9.0 ± 8.3 Leg press | 4 reps 12RM | Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and gastrocnemius | Foot abduction position did not affect thigh muscles’ activity during squat and leg press exercises. |
| Bolgla et al. (2008) [35] | Unilateral leg press versus step-up, step-down, straight leg raise, squat, single leg stance at 30° and full knee extension | 8 women and 7 men | Women 22.2 ± 2.9, men 24.5 ± 3.2 | Trained, not specified | 3 reps 33% BW | Vastus medialis | Vastus medialis activity was greater during unilateral leg press than the rest of the exercises. |
| Da Silva et al. (2008) [14] | Leg press with low foot placement (LPL), high foot placement (LPH), and inclined to 45° (LP45) | 14 women | 21.5 ± 1.6 | >6 months | 5 reps 40%–80% 1RM | Gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and gastrocnemius | LPL and LP45 elicited greater rectus femoris and gastrocnemius activity at 40% and 80% 1RM. LPL elicited greater rectus femoris and vastus lateralis activity. LPH elicited greater gluteus maximus activity. |
| Gorostiaga et al. (2011) [21] | Leg press | 13 men | 34 ± 5 | Trained, not specified | 5–10reps at ~83% 1RM | Vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and biceps femoris | Vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity decreased progressively with extension. Biceps femoris activity was higher as extension increased. |
| Hahn (2011) [22] | Leg press at 8 distinct knee angles (30–100°) | 18 men | 30 ± 6.3 | Trained, not specified | 3 sets of 3 reps, 24 contractions per knee angle. Maximal isometric contraction | Biceps femoris, vastus medialis, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius medialis, and tibialis anterior | Vastus medialis and rectus femoris activity decreased with knee extension. Gluteus maximus and biceps femoris activity increased with knee extension. Tibialis anterior activity increased with knee flexion, peaking at 90–100° knee flexion. |
| Walker et al. (2011) [33] | Leg press at 2 s concentric phase and leg press with explosive concentric phase | 9 men | 29 ± 4.1 | Trained, not specified | 1 single rep per each technique. 40%–60%–80% 1RM | Biceps femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris | Vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity decreased progressively with extension. Biceps femoris activity remained low and consistent from 40°–120° knee flexion. No significant differences were observed, for any muscle, at any loading intensity, during explosive contractions. |
| Peng et al. (2013) [24] | Leg press versus leg press with submaximal isometric hip adduction force (LP+), and leg press with vigorous isometric hip adduct force (LP++) | 10 men | 21.0 ± 1.4 | Trained, not specified | 3 reps per exercise. 53 kg + 80% BW | Vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and hip adductor longus | Greater hip adductor longus activity during LP++ for concentric and eccentric phase. |
| Schoenfeld et al. (2014) [12] | Leg press at 75% 1RM (high load) versus 30% 1RM (low load) | 10 men | 21.3 ± 1.5 | Resistance trained >1 year | 30% 1RM to 75% 1RM sets to failure | Biceps femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris | Greater overall muscle activation during high load set. Greater vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity than biceps femoris. |
| Gonzalez et al. (2017) [6] | Leg press to failure 70% 1RM and 90% 1RM | 10 men | 22.8 ± 2.7 | 4.6 ± 1.8 years | 70%–90% 1RM reps to failure | Vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris | Vastus lateralis elicited greater activity than rectus femoris, and rectus femoris elicited greater activity than vastus medialis. Greater overall muscle activation during 90% 1RM. |
| Machado et al. (2017) [20] | Leg press inclined 45° (LP45), LP45 with physio ball between knees, and LP45 with elastic band around knees | 13 women | 22.5 ± 2.9 | Trained, not specified | 10 reps 70% 10RM | Biceps femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris | Greater vastus medialis activity during LP45 with physio ball between knees. Leg press with elastic band around knees increased rectus femoris activity. |
| Alkner and Bring (2019) [1] | Flywheel leg press, knee extension isokinetic dynamometry, barbell front squat, weight stack leg press, and weight stack knee extension | 8 men | 28 ± 6 | Trained, not specified | 8 reps 10RM | Vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris | Flywheel technology and isokineticdynamometry induced higher eccentric muscle activation compared to traditional devices like barbells or weight stack devices. |
| Saeterbakken et al. (2019) [34] | Leg press, Smith machine and squat | 19 women |
24.1 ± 4.5 | 4.5 ± 2.0 | 3 reps 1RM | Rectus abdominis, oblique external, and erector spinae | Lower trunk muscle activation during leg press. Smith machine and squat elicited similar muscle activation. |
Exercise abbreviations: LPH, high feet leg press; LPL, low feet leg press; LP45, 45° inclined leg press; LP+, leg press with isometric hip adduction; LP++, leg press with vigorous isometric hip adduction. Other abbreviations: BW, body weight; MVIC, maximal voluntary isometric contraction; reps, repetitions; RM, repetition maximum.