Weights Safe for Women Using a Leg Press Machine

Christina Helen Brown — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 13:54:40 +0000

The leg press is one of the most effective pieces of equipment at the gym and works to tone, sculpt and strengthen the entire leg. One of the biggest mistakes women make on the leg press is not using the proper amount of weight. Too little weight can make the press ineffective, and too much can cause serious injury.

Let’s Get Started

Leg presses typically come in two varieties in most gyms.

The sled-style leg press allows you to lie back and position yourself below the weight load, pushing the weight away from your body at a 45-degree angle.
The cable leg press is similar but differs in the direction of the weight. With the cable leg press, you remain in a seated position but push the weight out directly in front of you.
To start, select the amount of weight you feel is appropriate and secure the selected weight in place with the metal pin.

Doing it Right

After you lower the equipment’s safety bar, sit down or lie back with knees bent and feet lightly resting against the weight and slowly extend outward. Your legs should be at a 90-degree angle before you begin. As you extend the weighted press outward, your legs should feel pressure, not pain.

Avoid quick motions or allowing the weight to slam back against the other plates. These are signs that you are not using proper form.

Your Ideal Weight

You should feel a good amount of resistance and pressure, but your movement should still be relatively fluid. A typical amount of weight used for a leg press is about two times your body weight.

Making Adjustments

While pressing double your body weight is a good goal, beginners may want to back off and build up to this weight. Sacrificing form to press a heavier amount will hinder results and could lead to injury. Your ideal weight should feel challenging but not enough to break your form.

Frequency

At each workout, aim for four sets of leg presses, with about 6 to 10 repetitions in each set. Leg press sets should be performed two or three times a week, with at least one day of rest between.

Stretching is IMPORTANT!

Never use a leg press machine without a light stretch afterward. Try a brisk run on the running machine to loosen joints, followed by a few static lunges and quadriceps stretches to make sure your knees, quadriceps and hamstrings are not too tight.

Weights You Should Be Lifting With An Arthritic Knee

Christina Helen Brown — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:05:21 +0000

Most people don’t mention weight lifting and arthritis in the same sentence. But in fact, a number of studies have shown that proper weight training can be beneficial both for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee. The reason it helps is because muscles protect joints, and weak muscles allow cartilage to wear out.

The types of weights that have been studied include free weights and weight machines, as well as exercise bands, which offer a different type of resistance. And while most were effective with the right strategy, it’s best to start with weight machines to increase muscle strength. The next step is to progress to dumbbells, and after several months working with a qualified trainer, resistance bands could be used at home to maintain strength.

The most effective strategy is that participants needed to increase the weight they lifted as time goes on. This allows the benefits to continue to build as muscle strength improves. And the vast majority of successful trainers will suggest that you must workout at least three times a week. In one study on osteoarthritis of the knee, participants benefited from doing three sets of eight reps of various weight machine exercises including biceps curl, chest press, leg press, leg curl, leg extension and standing calf raise.

Arthritis sufferers who do strength training with weights see an improvement in pain severity, physical function, balance and walking speed. It can even help those who are disabled due to knee degeneration, because working out with weight machines strengthens quadriceps muscles, which support the knee joint.

There haven’t been enough studies on the long-term effects of resistance training for arthritis patients, including its safety over time, how the disease progresses, or how psychological outcomes such as depression might be related. Because of that, more information is needed before any solid recommendations can be made for the long haul.

Trainer » weights