Vertical Leg Press

Also known as: Lever Vertical Leg Press, Plate-Loaded Vertical Leg Press

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Body Part: Legs

Description

Lying on your back under a plate-loaded sled that runs straight up and down, you lower the platform toward your chest and press it back up until your legs are straight. The quads on the front of your thighs do most of the work, and the glutes help at the bottom of the rep.

How to Perform

Load the same plates on both sides and set the safety stops just below the lowest point you plan to reach.
Lie on your back on the bench with your hips under the platform and your head, back and hips flat on the pad.
Place your feet flat on the platform about hip-width apart, toes turned slightly out. Hold the handles or rest your hands beside your hips.
Press the platform up slightly to take the load off the safety catches, then release them.
Bend your knees and hips and lower the platform over about 2 seconds, knees tracking over your toes, until your thighs come close to your chest.
Stop before your hips start to lift off the pad, then press through your whole foot to drive the platform straight up.
Straighten your legs at the top without snapping your knees into lockout, then start the next rep.
After the last rep, lock the safety catches with your legs extended before you take your feet off the platform.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Start with less weight than you use on a 45-degree leg press. Here the full weight of the plates and sled bears straight down on you.
Feet higher on the platform bend your hips more and bring in more glutes. Feet lower bend your knees more and load the quads harder, but your heels lift sooner.
Sets of 8-15 reps work well. Add plates only when you reach the top of the range with the same depth on every rep.
Expect to feel it mostly in the front of your thighs, plus the glutes near the bottom. Pain at the front of the knee is a sign to shorten the range or move your feet higher.
If you get stuck at the bottom, lower the platform onto the safety stops instead of fighting the weight.

Common Mistakes

Lowering so deep that your hips curl off the pad and your lower back rounds under the load.
Letting your knees cave inward as you press.
Snapping your knees into lockout at the top, which leaves the full load resting on locked joints.
Doing shallow half reps with too much weight on the sled.
Pushing through your toes so your heels lift off the platform.
Dropping the platform fast and bouncing out of the bottom.
Pushing on your knees with your hands to finish a rep.