1. Who likes to lift with legs
The biggest feature of the leg lift is that the upper body is leaning on the stool. The immobilization of the body reduces the participation of the core muscle group, increases the isolation effect on the quadriceps, and allows better control of the lift range.
There are several types of practitioners who prefer to use leg lifts:
For advanced people, increase leg circumference and portray thigh muscle lines.
People who can’t squat down or are uncomfortable.
Beginners, the core strength is too weak, and the squat is not stable enough.
2. Causes of low back pain
In order to enhance the training effect, advanced people often use heavy weights and increase the range of motion. When doing leg presses, straightening the knee is a very dangerous movement, so generally increase the knee retraction when descending.
Beginners who are not good at squatting may not be stable enough when exerting force due to their weak strength.
Therefore, during the leg lift, the hips and waist may be suspended from the stool, and the pelvis is tilted backward. This backward tilt will straighten the angle of the lumbar spine (normally it is slightly lordotic), laying a hidden danger for low back pain.
Reason 1: When the pelvis is tilted backward, the intervertebral disc at the lumbar spine will be compressed by the vertebral body and bulge backward, which may compress the surrounding nerves.
Reason 2: When the lumbar spine itself is already at an unsafe angle, the weight of the instrument further increases the burden on the lumbar spine.
3. How to avoid
To minimize the potential risks of leg presses, here are 4 tips.
Tip 1 Make sure that your waist and hips are attached to the stool to prevent a backward pelvic tilt.
Tip 2 Reduce the descent slightly, making sure the weight is on the legs and reducing the involvement of the pelvis and lumbar spine.
Tip 3: When you feel that the quadriceps muscle is insufficient, lower the position of the feet slightly, which can increase the range of motion of the knee joint and reduce the activity of the hip joint, thereby increasing the stimulation of the quadriceps femoris.
Tip 4 When using heavy weights, use a belt to help increase intra-abdominal pressure, which allows the core muscles to better protect the lumbar spine.
Post time: Jun-17-2022