leg press

noun

plural leg presses

: an exercise in which a person sits on an exercise machine in a seated upright or inclined position and uses their legs to push away from a weighted platform attached to the machine

The quadriceps do most of the work during a leg press, with support from the hamstrings and glutes.

—Jody Braverman

Because your back is supported and there are hand rests, a leg press tends to be more consistent and can be safer to execute than a squat.

—Chuze Fitness

also : the machine on which a leg press is performed

The seat-back of a leg press should be situated so your legs sit just shy of a right angle (90 degrees) and not pushed too far forward.

—John Tavolacci

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above