So, it is workout time, and you want to exercise your legs, but you do not know what to choose between; doing squats or leg presses. You may want to go for the one that is safer and more effective than the other. Whether you wish for squats or leg presses will depend on what you want to achieve at the end of each exercise. They both have their benefits, risks, and limitations.
Have a look at this article to choose the one that meets your needs.
Leg Presses
To perform leg presses, you will need a leg press machine to do the seated exercises. You will prepare by leaning on the backrest and laying your legs on the footrests. To start exercising, you will bend the knees, straighten the legs and later bend them and keep repeating the cycle.
One of the most important leg press benefits is that it allows you to concentrate on working out the leg muscles since you will have your back and arms resting. Here are some of the pros and cons of this kind of exercise.
Pros
- Leg presses allow you to gain leg strength since you will be focusing on the leg muscles.
- They are the best for working out quads since the exercise does not require more emphasis on hamstrings and glutes.
- Unlike squats, which needs you to have a spotter, you can do leg presses alone as long as you have a machine.
- If you want to work the quads or glutes, the exercise allows you to adjust the feet position to isolate which area you want to work out.
Cons
- You need a machine to do leg presses.
- There is a risk of injuries to the knees if you lock your knees.
- You may end up overworking one leg over the other if you do not do proper leg variations.
Squats
There are different ways to do squats. You can use machines or do without, but the idea is to bend your knees while squatting and then straightening up. You will need weight, and you can use dumbbells or barbells.
Pros
- Squats will help you gain core strength.
- You will build your muscles equally, unlike with leg presses where you concentrate on one area alone.
- You can work all your leg muscles with squats, and when you add weights like the barbell, you also work out the upper body.
- It helps in posture improvement since you have to pay attention to how you position your back while squatting.
Cons
- You can suffer injuries to the back if you do not do the squats well.
- You may strain the shoulders if you use heavyweights.
- You need a spotter when doing squats.
- Knee injuries may occur during exercise.
If you are looking for the right exercise between squats and leg presses, you need to determine what you want from your workout. Squats will be best if you want an overall activity in your body. Leg presses will be suitable if you will concentrate on only one area or have a problem with your upper body.
You can use both exercises to benefit from what each has to offer. They both work for the same muscle groups and help work out the lower body.