Last Updated On August 14, 2023
Developing a brilliant pair of legs is impressive. But, whether you’re male or female, beginner or advanced, if you’re looking to grow your legs, you need to use the leg press and squat.
But, which exercise is the best?
In this article, I'm pitting the leg press vs. squat and will show you which is the best exercise to develop your leg muscles.
Leg Press Vs Squat Differences: Which Is Best For You?
1. Best For Sports Performance - Squats
When comparing leg press vs squat for sports performance, the squat comes out on top, in my opinion. I believe the squat is superior as it is a true compound exercise using almost every part of your body to help stabilize and move the weight you’re lifting.
The free weight nature of the squat has been proven to be superior for athletic performance in many studies. It helps increase running speed, jumping height, and power development.
However, while it is the better exercise between leg press vs squat, it's worth mentioning that the squat has a longer recovery rate. This is useful to know as the last thing you want to do is have a fatigued lower body on game day.
The leg press is a good option if you require a lower body exercise to develop your lower body while maintaining a fantastic recovery rate. Although, you will sacrifice some sports performance benefits.
Related Article - Hack Squat Vs Leg Press
2. Best For Beginners - Leg Press
If you’re a beginner looking to develop your lower body, you’re undoubtedly looking at the leg press vs squat.
The squat is a complex movement that can take a long time to figure out for some gym-goers. It uses multiple joints, and a lot of upper body stability, making it easy to get wrong. However, the leg press is a far simpler movement for beginners to pick up, and it doesn’t require upper body stability.
It’s also worth noting that men and women have different strength abilities. Most men will be able to squat an empty barbell without needing to build up to the weight, while I have experienced some women struggling to squat a 44lb barbell.
Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and the best exercise for you will depend on numerous factors. Some beginners may find using dumbbells much easier on leg day.
Read our article on dumbbell squat vs barbell squat to see which is better for you.
3. For Hypertrophy Training - Squats
Deciding which leg press or squat is best for hypertrophy is tough.
The squat is a fantastic compound exercise that places huge amounts of stress across multiple muscles in your body. But, it doesn’t allow you to lift as much weight as the leg press does.
On the other hand, the leg press allows you to place a large amount of weight onto the leg press machine to overload your lower body.
Ideally, I would suggest including both movements in your workout program. The squat will give your body an all-around workout, while the leg press will help you add volume.
4. Best For Body Composition - Squats
Both the squat and leg press are brilliant for developing strength in your lower body, but which is the best for you?
The squat burns a significant amount of calories during the movement and is an excellent exercise for strength development. After all, it’s one of the main exercises included in strength competitions.
On the other hand, the leg press is effective at building the lower body and is adaptable to help you target specific areas by adjusting your foot placement.
But, I don’t feel it has as significant an effect as the squat does on your body.
5. For Ease Of Movement - Leg Press
In general, the leg press is far easier to perform when compared to the squat, and this is because it is a more straightforward movement with fewer pointers to remember.
The leg press also requires less upper body stability as you’re sitting in a seat rather than standing up supporting a heavy barbell.
Another reason the leg press is easier to perform is because it’s suitable for all shapes and sizes. Often, taller individuals struggle with the squat thanks to their long limbs and lower mobility.
See Also - Do Squats Make You Shorter?
Muscles Worked
After comparing squatting vs leg press for the muscles worked, the squat comes out on top every time, and it works a significantly larger amount of muscles than the leg press.
But, most people think the squat is excellent for your glutes, and while it can be, the exercise uses more quads than glutes. On the other hand, the leg press is a brilliant glute developer.
To target your glutes using the leg press, move your feet high and wide and press as usual [1].
Equipment Used
When it comes to squatting vs leg press for the equipment used, the squat is far easier to perform in a home gym and pretty much anywhere else. This is because the leg press requires a large specialist machine to perform the movement.
However, if you’re concerned about safety, the leg press might be the best option for you. This is mainly because you don't need a spotter with the leg press. During the leg press, the machine can’t crush you as the weight stoppers would be hit before the weight reaches you.
But, during the squat, unless you have a squat rack with safety bars, you’ll need a spotter to ensure you don’t get stuck with a heavy barbell on your back. Spotters are essential when doing heavy lifts.
We have an article dedicated to which lifts require a spotter, so you can stay safe while lifting.
Leg Press Vs Squat Conversion Formula - How Much Weight To Do?
When it comes to the leg press, the seated position places the focus entirely on your lower body. Your upper body isn’t needed for stabilization, meaning you can lift more weight using the leg press.
In general, most gym-goers can leg press around 2.5-3x the amount of weight they can squat. This is especially true when you use a 45-degree leg press. The angle decreases the difficulty of the leg press, applying the force in a different way (which makes it feel lighter).
If you’re a beginner, you should always keep the weight relatively low to start with and focus on nailing your form. Intermediate gym-goers can start to increase the weight once they’ve perfected the leg press movement.
Once you've been training for a while and feel confident, you should be able to lift 3x what you can squat. When you get to this point, you can increase the weight over time to help stimulate further muscle growth in your legs.
In my experience, both men and women get fantastic results from using the leg press. However, men tend to want larger quadriceps while women prefer to have better glutes and hamstrings [2]. If you’re looking to target a certain muscle group using the legs press, try adjusting your foot placement.
Note: The placement of your feet will impact the amount you can leg press. For more information, read our guide on leg press foot placement!
Here are two tables showing the average weights you should be able to lift on the leg press and squat.
Leg Press | ||
|---|---|---|
Cell | Male | Female |
Beginner | 1.5-1.7x bodyweight (1 rep) | 1.2-1.3x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Intermediate | 2.6-2.8x bodyweight (1 rep) | 2-2.2x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Advanced | 3.8-4x bodyweight (1 rep) | 3.3-3.6x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Squat | ||
|---|---|---|
Cell | Male | Female |
Beginner | 1-1.2x bodyweight (1 rep) | 0.7-0.8x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Intermediate | 1.5-1.6x bodyweight (1 rep) | 1.1-1.2x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Advanced | 2-2.1x bodyweight (1 rep) | 1.5-1.8x bodyweight (1 rep) |
Leg Press - Exercise Overview
The leg press is a fantastic lower body exercise that works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and adductors.
It’s one of the best exercises for beginners as it’s easy to learn and doesn’t need a spotter. I often get my clients to start on the leg press to help develop base lower body strength before moving on to more complex movements like the squat.
The leg press exercise requires a specialist machine which is available in multiple variations. The most popular is the 45-degree leg press, but the seated leg press and vertical leg press are also used.
When it comes to your form, you should never lock your knees during the leg press. I can’t state this enough, I’ve seen far too many videos online of people’s legs inverting due to their knees over extending... it’s not a pretty sight. Other than that, it’s a brilliant exercise for all ability levels.
Related Article - Best Leg Press Machines
Pros
Cons
Squat - Exercise Overview
The squat is a complex compound exercise that is commonly known as the king of all exercises. It’s highly regarded as one of the most impressive lifts as it requires raw strength, skill, and perfect technique to do it effectively. It’s one of the big three lifts in weightlifting competitions for good reason.
During the squat, your body recruits a lot of muscle fibers, especially in your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, making it a fantastic lower body developer.
While it’s one of the best exercises around, if you’re new to exercising, you might struggle with the traditional barbell back squat. If this is the case, try goblet squats as they place less load on the body and are a perfect place for beginners to learn the movement.
One of the best things about the squat is that it doesn’t require much equipment, all you need is a weight (barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.), and you’re good to go.
Pros
Cons
Should you do squats and leg press on the same day?
Yes, you can do squats and leg press on the same day. They are important strength exercises that should be included in your leg day. This is also what suits the individual better, their ability to recover from the training, and training goals.
If you are a beginner and your legs are sore for days after doing the session, chances are your body isn't quite ready to handle that about of training volume. Both exercises require a lot of energy which can leave a beginner struggling to recover well.
However, if you are a well trained individual then there is no reason you can't do both in the same session. Squats are a more technical movement than the leg press so it's important they are prioritized, then you can isolate the quads after by using the leg press.
The aim of training both on the same day would be to challenge yourself with the squat and build strength around this movement pattern, then you can isolate the quads and use it as a finisher to get towards failure. Using a leg press rather than squat to do this is a much safer option and reduces chance of injury.
Common Leg Press Vs Squat Questions
You can squat and leg press on the same day without a problem. Sure, you might be a little tired, but it’s an excellent way to add volume to your leg day.
I’m a big fan of doing heavy squats and then moving on to the leg press to work my legs using a lower weight and higher rep range, and I’ve found it significantly improves my quadriceps development.
The deadlift is an entirely different exercise from the squat and leg press. The deadlift is a hip hinge movement that uses your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back to move the weight.
But, the squat and leg press is a knee dominant exercise that relies heavily on knee flexion to move the weight. During the squat and leg press, your quads, hamstrings, and glutes are worked.
Unfortunately, working your leg muscles doesn’t mean they will reduce in size, and you can’t spot reduce an area of your body simply by working it.
If you want to lose weight in a certain area, you need to lose weight all over, and this can be achieved through a calorie deficit and exercise. If you’re looking to increase your leg’s muscle mass, leg press and the correct diet will help you grow your quads.
When it comes to squatting frequency, you want to ensure you don’t overdo it. Your legs are like any muscle in your body; they can get fatigued.
Training your legs using squats can be done 2-3 times per week, depending on how many sets and how much volume you do. Always allow adequate recovery between squatting sessions.
Conclusion
If you’ve been looking to grow your leg muscles but have been stuck trying to decide which is the best option, you’ve undoubtedly wondered which is best between the leg press vs. squat.
In my opinion, the squat is a far superior movement that has numerous benefits you can benefit from. But, that doesn’t mean the leg press doesn’t have a place in your workout routine. Try adding either exercise to your workout program and watch your legs grow.
References:
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538193/
2.https://www.physio-pedia.com/Hamstrings
