Narrow Stance 45 Degree Leg Press
Also known as: Close-Stance Leg Press, Narrow Leg Press, Narrow-Feet Leg Press
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Description
Press the sled of a 45-degree leg press with your feet only a few centimeters apart to shift more of the work onto your quads. Feet inside hip width keep your knees close together, so the press becomes more knee-driven: the front of your thighs works harder than in a hip-width stance, and your glutes chip in mostly at the bottom. Your back rests on the pad the whole time, which makes this a simple way to add quad sets without loading your spine. Expect to handle less weight than on your regular leg press.
How to Perform
- Load the plates evenly on both sides of the sled, a little lighter than for your usual leg press.
- Sit all the way back: hips down in the seat, back and head on the pad.
- Set your feet flat and parallel mid-platform, a fist's width apart or less, toes pointing up or turned out just a touch.
- Press the sled off the stops, turn the safety handles out to free it, then hold the seat handles beside your hips.
- Bend your knees and lower the sled for about 2 seconds, knees side by side and traveling straight toward your chest.
- Lower to about 90 degrees at the knee. Your thighs reach your ribs early, so stop before your hips lift off the seat.
- Drive the sled back up through your whole foot, heels down, and stop just short of locking your knees.
- At the top of the last rep, turn the safety handles back in and let the sled settle onto them.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Use 8–15 reps here, often as the quad-focused second leg exercise after squats or a regular leg press. For strength, 6–8 works, though most lifters save their heaviest pressing for the standard stance. When all your sets reach 15 at the same depth, add 10 kg (a 5 kg plate per side) and drop back to 8; switch to 5 kg jumps when progress slows.
- Foot height is a separate lever. A low and narrow stance bends the knees more and loads the quads even further, as long as your heels stay flat; moving the feet higher brings in more hip bend and more glutes.
- A burn in the front of your thighs is what you're after. Pressure in your lower back means you went too deep, and a sharp pain at the front or inside of the knee usually means your knees are caving or your heels are lifting. If the narrow stance pinches your hips, widen your feet a little or go back to the standard Leg Press.
- Substitutes: Leg Press (hip-width stance, easier on hips and knees), Machine Hack Squat (more upright and even more knee-driven), Lever Horizontal Leg Press, Smith Squat. To make this one harder without more plates, pause for 2 seconds at the bottom of every rep.
Common Mistakes
- Feet jammed together so the knees knock or cave in as you push. Leave a small gap, about a fist's width or less, turn your toes out slightly and drive each knee over your second toe.
- Tailbone curling off the seat at the bottom, because narrow feet bring your thighs to your belly sooner. End the descent just before it lifts, or move your feet a bit higher.
- Heels peeling up and the push coming from your toes because the feet sit too low. Move them up until the whole foot stays flat at the bottom.
- Feet sliding wider rep by rep until it turns into a regular leg press. Note where they sit against the platform edges and reset them before every set.
- Loading the plates you use with a hip-width stance and cutting the depth to make it work. Strip weight until every rep reaches about 90 degrees at the knee, and keep that depth from set to set or your logged numbers won't mean much.
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