Table 3.
Data on sEMG activity in studies comparing the leg press with some of its variants.
| References | Exercise | Medial Hamstrings | Lateral Hamstrings | Biceps Femoris | Vastus Medialis | Vastus Lateralis | Rectus Femoris | Gastrocnemius Medialis | Gluteus Maximus | Hip Adductor Longus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escamilla et al. (2001) [15] | Leg press high feet narrow stance | ~15% MVIC peak | ~13% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | ~47% MVIC peak | ~39% MVIC peak | ~14% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a |
| Leg press high feet wide stance | ~20% MVIC peak | ~16% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | ~50% MVIC peak | ~33% MVIC peak | ~15% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | |
| Leg press low feet narrow stance | ~11% MVIC peak | ~12% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | ~48% MVIC peak | ~46% MVIC peak | ~22% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | |
| Leg press low feet wide stance | ~15% MVIC peak | ~12% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | ~50% MVIC peak | ~37% MVIC peak | ~22% MVIC peak | n/a | n/a | |
| Bolgla et al. (2008) [35] | Unilateral leg press | n/a | n/a | n/a | 41% ± 19% MVIC mean | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Da Silva et al. (2008) [14] | Leg press low feet 40% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~42% RMS | n/a | ~50% RMS | ~38% RMS | ~26% RMS | ~40% RMS | n/a |
| Leg press high feet 40% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~44% RMS | n/a | ~50% RMS | ~27% RMS | ~38% RMS | ~37% RMS | n/a | |
| Leg press inclined 45° 40% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~46% RMS | n/a | ~52% RMS | ~48% RMS | ~40% RMS | ~39% RMS | n/a | |
| Leg press low feet 80% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~96% RMS | n/a | ~95% RMS | ~96% RMS | ~77% RMS | ~81% RMS | n/a | |
| Leg press high feet 80% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~85% RMS | n/a | ~81% RMS | ~63% RMS | ~40% RMS | ~115% RMS | n/a | |
| Leg press inclined 45° 80% 1RM | n/a | n/a | ~81% RMS | n/a | ~87% RMS | ~87% RMS | ~74% RMS | ~100% RMS | n/a | |
| Peng et al. (2013) [24] | Leg press | n/a | n/a | n/a | 25.53% ± 8.43% MVIC mean | 31.28% ± 11.83% MVIC mean | n/a | n/a | n/a | 7.44% ± 4.69% MVIC mean |
| Leg press+ | n/a | n/a | n/a | 26.53% ± 10.06% MVIC mean | 32.36% ± 12.97% MVIC mean | n/a | n/a | n/a | 11.12% ± 6.55% MVIC mean | |
| Leg press++ | n/a | n/a | n/a | 26.77% ± 10.21% MVIC mean | 33.84% ± 14.91% MVIC mean | n/a | n/a | n/a | 20.83% ± 8.58% MVIC mean | |
| Machado et al. (2017) [20] | Leg press inclined 45° | n/a | n/a | ~17% RMS | ~80% RMS | ~70% RMS | ~42% RMS | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Leg press 45° with physio ball between knees | n/a | n/a | ~18% RMS | ~100% RMS | ~98% RMS | ~39% RMS | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Leg press inclined 45° with elastic band around knees | n/a | n/a | ~19% RMS | ~43% RMS | ~76% RMS | ~63% RMS | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Abbreviations: +, leg press with isometric hip adduction; ++, leg press with vigorous isometric hip adduction; MVIC, maximal voluntary isometric contraction; RM, repetition maximum; RMS, root mean square; n/a, not available.