The Best Foot Placements for Leg Press Muscle Growth

What are the best foot placements for a leg press during training?

One of the oldest tips often shared by keen gym-goers has been to have a narrow feet position for leg press and squats, with your toes pointing forward.

“This will grow your quads faster!” they say.

But does science agree?

One study used trained subjects with nine years of leg press experience and ten of squats, to do eight different testing sessions on different foot placements for leg press. They did every combination of:

So what did they find?

By using electromyography (which works by placing electrodes on a muscle and recording their activation) they found minor differences in the calves and hamstrings depending on the leg press feet position, but the average readings for the quads weren’t significantly different between all eight variations of foot placements for leg press!

Another study asked the same questions of foot placements for squats amongst master lifters who had a squat of over 200 kilograms, and the same conclusion was drawn: the width of a squatting stance makes basically no difference.

But some of the hardest and seasoned gym-goers still weren't convinced.

In 2021, another study was conducted into the best foot placements for leg press, in conjunction with trained subjects.

Using 13 females and 15 males, the study had the athletes perform six leg presses at 70 per cent of their one-rep max, doing so using five different foot placements for leg press:

And what was found this time?

Again, using electromyography on all muscles of the quads and glutes, the study concluded:

“The inclined leg press exercise produces the highest muscle activation in the vastus medialis, regardless of the velocity, feet stance, or gender.”

The authors add that given there seems to be no difference in muscle activation when it comes to foot positions for leg press, then we should use whatever stance we prefer when training legs.

But as I’ve touched on previously, electromyography isn’t always the best indication of muscle growth, it’s simply just a measurement of muscle activation. Other studies have used more superior ways of measuring muscle like ultrasound (for muscle growth) which is a much better indication.

Focusing on things like foot placements for leg press isn’t going to make much difference to your muscle growth, but focusing on something like training frequency can.

How many times can I train my quads per week?

Research shows us that muscle protein synthesis levels (your body using protein to build and repair muscle) return to normal after 36 hours.

This means a particular muscle group (in this case, your quadriceps) are ready to be trained again!

For example, you’re better off training your glutes on a Monday and again on a Wednesday when you’re fully recovered, as opposed to once per week in a traditional muscle growth workout split.

But women have it even better here than men!

A meta-analysis reviewing 24 studies here in Australia found that women can train their quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves two to four days per week.

Other research finds that women recover their strength faster than men after a taxing workout, meaning they’re able to jump back in and train the same muscle group again.

So focusing on training frequency when it comes to your legs will yield better results than worrying about something trivial like foot placements during exercises.

The bottom line on foot placement and angles

Is that foot placements for leg press are unlikely to make any difference when it comes to growing your quads.

You should just use the stance during leg press and squats that is the most comfortable. Further research might use ultrasound to measure muscle growth after an extended period of training legs with nutritional intake, including protein, identical across the board.

However, at this stage, the recommendations are to place your feet wherever you like during leg presses and squats, as one particular foot placement for a leg press is not likely to be superior to another.

Focusing on training frequency is a better strategy at this stage for optimal quads growth.