Pilates
Reformer Feet-in-Straps Leg Press
The Reformer Feet-in-Straps Leg Press trains your thighs and glutes as you straighten bent knees to press your feet away on a diagonal, keeping your legs parallel and your trunk steady.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Low injury risk
- Rest 45 sec
How to do it
- Lie on your back on the carriage with your feet on the footbar and your shoulders against the shoulder rests.
- Slip the foot loops over the arches of your feet, one foot at a time.
- Bring your legs into a parallel, hip-width position with your knees bent toward your chest.
- Press your feet away on an upward diagonal by straightening your knees.
- Bend your knees to return to the starting position with controlled carriage movement.
Form cues
- Keep your pelvis heavy and still.
- Press evenly through both straps.
- Exhale as you press.
Common mistakes
- Turning the knees outwardKeep your kneecaps facing the ceiling rather than opening into a frog position.
- Pressing the legs too lowAim along a higher diagonal if your lower back arches during the press.
- Pulling the knees too far inwardEnd the return before your tailbone curls off the carriage.
- Snapping the knees straightSlow the end of the press so you reach extension without forcing your knees backward.
Safety
Excessive resistance or fatigue can strain your knees or lower back. A slipping loop or uncontrolled return can make the carriage move abruptly.
- Have a qualified Pilates instructor show you strap entry and exit and select an appropriate spring setting before your first set.
- Check that the loops and rope attachments are secure and both ropes are adjusted equally.
- End the set if you cannot prevent the carriage from slamming into its stop.
If you have knee, hip, or back pain, use a smaller pain-free range and seek advice from a physiotherapist if discomfort persists.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pilates Reformer
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 8–12 reps
- Rest
- 45 sec
Use a spring setting that lets you control both directions; lighter springs are not always easier.