Vertical Leg Press
The vertical leg press is a machine exercise in which you lie on your back under a footplate and press it straight up by straightening your legs. It works the quadriceps hardest, with the glutes helping more as the knees come further towards the chest.
Also called: Vertical Press, Vertical Sled Leg Press, Lying Vertical Leg Press, Upright-Sled Leg Press · Equipment: machine · Pattern: squat
Step by step
- Set the safety arms so the footplate cannot travel further down than your working depth, then load the plates.
- Lie on the back pad with your hips directly under the footplate and your low back flat on the pad.
- Place your feet flat on the footplate about hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Grip the handles at your sides.
- Press the footplate up a little and release the safety catch. Take a breath and brace your trunk.
- Bend your knees and bring the footplate down under control, knees tracking over your toes. Keep going until your knees are bent to about 90° or your hips are about to lift off the pad, whichever comes first.
- Push through your whole foot to press the footplate back up until your knees are almost straight.
- After the last rep, press to the top, re-engage the safety catch and bring your feet down one at a time.
- Low back flat on the pad
- Knees track over your toes
- Push through your whole foot
- Knees almost straight at the top
- Depth ends before your hips lift
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Quadriceps: vastus lateralis | Prime mover | C |
| Quadriceps: vastus medialis | Prime mover | C |
| Gluteus maximus | Secondary | C |
| Quadriceps: rectus femoris | Secondary | C |
| Adductors | Secondary | D |
| Hamstrings | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Hips curling off the pad at the bottom
Fix: Set the safety arms higher and end each rep before your hips lift.
Knees caving inwards
Fix: Keep your knees tracking over your second toe through the whole rep.
Heels lifting off the footplate
Fix: Keep your whole foot flat and push through your mid-foot and heel.
Snapping the knees straight at the top
Fix: Finish with your knees almost straight, not locked, before the next rep.
Bouncing out of the bottom
Fix: Bring the footplate down under control and press up without a bounce.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceStrengthGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load range — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure. Because vertical-press loads feel heavier than on a 45° sled, many lifters set their working weight fresh on each machine.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit, and training to true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
- Depth — Reviews of range of motion find full range favours leg muscle growth. On this machine usable depth ends where the hips start to lift.
- Vertical press — There is no direct research on the vertical leg press. It shares the 45° leg press's closed-chain, quad-dominant movement.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the vertical leg press in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.