Don’t Squats and Leg Presses Work the Same Muscles?
Question: This may be a dumb question, but don’t leg presses cover the same muscles exercised by doing squats? They seem to be the essentially same motion to me.
Leg Press: Skimpy Outfit Optional
Answer: You are correct in that squats and leg presses do stimulate approximately the same muscles.
However, squats utilize more muscles because of the stabilization required. For example, the lower back has to isometrically contract in order to keep you from falling forward as you squat. Likewise, the glutes do FAR more work in the squat as opposed to the leg press due to hip extension that occurs during the squat.
Those are just a couple of examples of how the two exercises are different. But that’s not to say that leg presses are not a good exercise… they are! But I would not consider them a replacement for barbell squats.
All the best,
Dr Clay
