High-Foot Leg Press

Muscles worked by the High-Foot Leg Press

Primary

GlutesGluteus Maximus

Secondary

HamstringsHamstring MusclesQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt.

Equipment

Leg Press

Also called: leg press machine, 45 degree leg press, horizontal leg press, plate-loaded leg press, sled leg press.

How to do the High-Foot Leg Press

1. Set the back pad and seat so your lower back stays supported and your knees can bend without your pelvis rolling under.
2. Place both feet high on the platform at about shoulder width, with the toes tracking in the same direction as the knees.
3. Lower the sled by bending the hips and knees until you reach a comfortable depth without the lower back lifting from the pad.
4. Press through the whole foot and extend the hips and knees without locking the knees aggressively.
5. Lower the sled under control and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Form tips

• Keep the pelvis heavy against the pad; a high foot position does not justify rounding the lower back at the bottom.
• Keep the heels and the whole foot planted rather than letting the toes carry the sled.
• Use a depth that preserves pelvic position instead of chasing a deeper range with a tucked pelvis.

At a glance

High-Foot Leg Press in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Close-Stance Leg Press
• Horizontal Leg Press
• Leg Press
• Single Leg Press
• Wide-Stance Leg Press
• Banded Figure-4 Stretch
• Banded Glute Bridge
• Banded Good Morning

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "high-foot-leg-press",
  "name_en": "High-Foot Leg Press",
  "name_de": "Beinpresse mit hoher Fußposition",
  "name_es": "Prensa de piernas con pies altos",
  "description_en": "A leg press with the feet placed high on the platform, shifting more of the movement toward hip extension and the gluteus maximus while the back stays supported.",
  "description_de": "Eine Beinpresse mit hoch auf der Plattform platzierten Füßen, die den Anteil der Hüftstreckung und des großen Gesäßmuskels erhöht, während der Rücken gestützt bleibt.",
  "description_es": "Una prensa de piernas con los pies colocados altos en la plataforma, que desplaza más trabajo hacia la extensión de cadera y el glúteo mayor con la espalda apoyada.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "leg_press",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "hamstrings",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day",
    "glute_focus",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "leg-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set the back pad and seat so your lower back stays supported and your knees can bend without your pelvis rolling under.",
    "Place both feet high on the platform at about shoulder width, with the toes tracking in the same direction as the knees.",
    "Lower the sled by bending the hips and knees until you reach a comfortable depth without the lower back lifting from the pad.",
    "Press through the whole foot and extend the hips and knees without locking the knees aggressively.",
    "Lower the sled under control and repeat for the desired number of repetitions."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stell Sitz und Rückenpolster so ein, dass der untere Rücken gestützt bleibt und das Becken nicht nach hinten kippt.",
    "Setze beide Füße etwa schulterbreit weit oben auf die Plattform und richte Zehen und Knie in dieselbe Richtung aus.",
    "Senke den Schlitten durch Beugen von Hüfte und Knien ab, ohne dass sich der untere Rücken vom Polster löst.",
    "Drücke mit dem ganzen Fuß und strecke Hüfte und Knie, ohne die Knie aggressiv durchzudrücken.",
    "Senke den Schlitten kontrolliert ab und wiederhole die Bewegung."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ajusta el respaldo para que la zona lumbar permanezca apoyada y la pelvis no se redondee al bajar.",
    "Coloca ambos pies altos y aproximadamente al ancho de los hombros, alineando rodillas y puntas de los pies.",
    "Baja el carro flexionando caderas y rodillas hasta una profundidad cómoda sin despegar la zona lumbar del respaldo.",
    "Empuja con todo el pie y extiende caderas y rodillas sin bloquearlas con fuerza.",
    "Baja el carro bajo control y repite el número deseado de repeticiones."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the pelvis heavy against the pad; a high foot position does not justify rounding the lower back at the bottom.",
    "Keep the heels and the whole foot planted rather than letting the toes carry the sled.",
    "Use a depth that preserves pelvic position instead of chasing a deeper range with a tucked pelvis."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte das Becken am Polster; eine hohe Fußposition rechtfertigt kein Rundwerden des unteren Rückens.",
    "Lass Fersen und ganzen Fuß auf der Plattform, statt den Schlitten über die Zehen zu bewegen.",
    "Wähle eine Tiefe, bei der die Beckenposition stabil bleibt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén la pelvis pesada contra el respaldo; una posición alta de los pies no justifica redondear la espalda baja.",
    "Mantén los talones y todo el pie apoyados en lugar de empujar solo con los dedos.",
    "Elige una profundidad que conserve la posición de la pelvis."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/high-foot-leg-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/high-foot-leg-press-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "high-foot-leg-press");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.