Leg Press vs. Squats: Both Are Classic Exercises of Leg Day & Everyone From Beginners to Veterans Knows About It
When it comes to leg exercises, you have plenty of options. But, those who are beginners have gone through injury or any other reason, like pain in body parts, which limits them from doing certain exercises. For instance, many struggle to do squats, but they’re comfortable doing leg press. Nonetheless, in this article, we’re going to focus on these two leg exercises, leg presses, and squats, with a side-by-side comparison table of Leg Press vs. Squats, which will help you understand and give more clarity about it.
No doubt, both are great leg exercises, but leg presses can become a more beneficial and easier option, especially for those who have gone through a back injury. Both leg presses and squats are primary exercises for working your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, but they also have certain differences.
Leg Press vs. Squats – A Side-by-Side Comparison
| Leg Press | Squats | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscles Worked | It focuses mostly on quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, depending on how it’s done. In other words, it focuses solely on major leg muscles. | Squats force you to maintain balance, and they use all the muscles in the leg press, along with your back and core muscles. In other words, it works your entire lower body. |
| Mobility | Easy for a person with average mobility. | It requires you to have good mobility. |
| Equipment | A good leg press machine is required. | It can be done anywhere with a barbell or as a bodyweight exercise. |
| Level | It is best for beginners as the equipment is easier to use. | Beginners can do it, but you should know how to do it with proper form. |
| Pressure on Spine | No direct pressure on your spine. | Improves your core strength. |
| Technique | Not very functional. | Techniques are tricky. |
| Best For | It is best for someone who is going through injury rehab or is a complete beginner. | It is best for everyone who wants improved performance. |
| Safety Level | It is completely safe as the equipment comes with safety stops. Hence, if you fail to lift the weight you want, it won’t crush you. | You have to be careful about your PRs (Personal Records) as if you fail to lift the weight, you’re likely to get injured. |
| Weight Lifted | Easy to lift more weights. | It gets harder to lift heavy weights. |
| Muscle Isolation | Leg press gives a better quadricep isolation. | Squats are a compound exercise that targets other muscles, along with the quadriceps. |
| Variations | 45-degree Leg Press, Vertical Leg Press & Seated Leg Press. | Front Squats, Back Squats, Split Squats, Goblet Squats and Box Squats. |
| Body Motion | Fixed motion. | It requires you to stand and then lower down your body. |
| Balancing | You don’t need to balance your body as you’re using equipment. | It would help if you stayed balanced all the time, as you’ll start in a standing position and lower down into a sitting position. In addition, it becomes more challenging as weight increases. |
Leg Press vs. Squats – Our Closing Thoughts
Both leg presses and squats are essential leg exercises. However, as you can see above, they also have their own differences.
Squats are considered a compound exercise that uses more muscles in your body. On the other hand, the leg press is quite a beginner-friendly exercise, which is safer for someone with an injury or a beginner.
Nonetheless, we hope you’ve got an answer to the question of what the difference is between the leg press and squats. Happy lifting!
