Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Vertical Leg Press
The vertical leg press is a machine exercise performed lying on your back, pressing a platform straight upward. It trains your thighs and glutes through hip and knee extension.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min 30 sec
How to do it
- Lie on the back pad with your body centered beneath the platform.
- Place your feet about shoulder-width apart on the platform with your entire soles supported.
- Extend your legs enough to lift the platform off its catches.
- Release the catches using the machine’s handles.
- Lower the platform toward your torso by bending your hips and knees.
- Press the platform upward to return to nearly straight legs.
- Engage all catches after your final repetition.
- Lower the platform gently onto the catches.
Form cues
- Brace your belly before each descent.
- Exhale as you press.
- Keep your head on the pad.
Common mistakes
- Hips rolling off the padShorten the lowering range so your pelvis stays firmly supported.
- Knees collapsing inwardKeep your knees pointing in the same direction as your toes throughout the repetition.
- Snapping the knees straightSlow the finish of each press instead of forcefully locking your knees.
Safety
The loaded platform sits directly above you, so a failed repetition or unsecured catch can trap you and cause serious injury. Excessive depth under load can also strain your lower back.
- Before loading, check that every catch works and set the depth stops to prevent the platform from compressing you at the bottom.
- Practice the release and re-racking controls at the machine’s minimum load before adding weight.
- End the set while you can still press smoothly enough to reach the catches.
- Confirm the platform is fully supported by all catches before removing your feet or exiting.
If limited hip mobility or back, hip, or knee pain prevents a comfortable supported position, choose a horizontal leg press or get guidance from a physiotherapist.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Vertical Leg Press Machine
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 8–12 reps
- Rest
- 1 min 30 sec
Start with a load that leaves about two controlled repetitions in reserve.