Training & Nutrition - How much can you legpress ?

I just tried the leg press in the gym for the first time ever. I was able to work up to 362 lb. before quitting. I dunno, i think i had a little more in me, but not much more. I thought it was ok, until i talked to my cousin, a personal trainer. He told me i should be repping 500 lb. :(

Somebody else told me that you're supposed to be able to press 2.5 times your body weight.

Discuss.

Your cousin needs to get his certification updated.

You press whatever you can feel comfortable with without putting too much stress on the knees and lower back.

Too late for me to pull out the basic certification books to directly quote the materials so you can see what the current guidelines are, but I will get them out soon and post what the accepted guidelines are.

What kind of personal fitness trainer certification does your cousin have, when did he get it, and how often does he attend conventions, which ones does he attend, and when did he attend his last convention?

Koffee

I used to be a gym rat till I found biking. Yes I was repping for 500+ maxing out close to 1000 lbs I would be sore for a few days after doing Quads. But now I go for reps and lighter weight. Need to save those legs for riding. I usually do around 2-3 sets 200-300 lbs for 15-20 reps.

i agree i could max aroung 1000lbs but when i do that kind of weight it puts a lot of strain on me.....just be carefull and use good form. You will be better off doing lower weights and higher reps.

yeah, i was repping like 320 pretty easily. Is that decent, or should i look for more weight?

The most I've ever leg pressed is 815lbs for 6 reps. I'm a girlie & sure didn't like the way my legs were starting to look so now I cut it off at 300 to 400 lbs. It took quite a while to work up to that poundage & the most important thing in weightlifting isn't how much, it's using proper form and taking your time moving up in weights. You'll get to where you want to be in time -- although real heavy leg pressing might not go too well with cycling. :D

I know I can leg press at least 200lbs..... :D That's my weight, plus the weight of my little boy. I havent leg pressed in years, so I dont have a clue.

So out of all the gym machines there are, what is the single most effective machine or exercise at helping cyclists get stronger? Is it the leg-press machine?

They also say the average guy should be able to bench press their own weight. All the legs workouts can be beneficial. Squats and lunges would probably be the best though.

Wow, I must be a weakling. At 5'10" and 165 lbs, I don't think I can get 300 lbs up. When I do hit the weights, I'll work up to 230 lbs, 12 reps. I've always been much more of an endurance type though.

ya know for a biker i think you would like to have slim and very tone leg muscles....popeye legs are for shortbursts of extreme power, not the best for long range biking. if you ride BMX you may want to lift heavy, but for cross country or road riding i think that endurance isthe most important.

so i say 350lbs at 3 sets of 15 will be exactly what the doctor ordered, its a good workable weight and will keep you from bulking too much. I say rmember the golden rule, if you want to bulk up do low reps high weights and if you want to slim and tone do lower weights and higher reps.

Legpress? I don't know . . . I squat.


And, knemo. "I say rmember the golden rule, if you want to bulk up do low reps high weights and if you want to slim and tone do lower weights and higher reps."


I hope you know you cannot spot reduce.

Originally posted by Richard Cranium
So out of all the gym machines there are, what is the single most effective machine or exercise at helping cyclists get stronger? Is it the leg-press machine?

Squats are the best all around muscle builder. If you have a bad back then you would probably do leg press instead.

Originally posted by sherpa
Squats are the best all around muscle builder. If you have a bad back then you would probably do leg press instead.
Agreed. Squats are the best in terms of building strength and muscle mass. And to answer the topic: My weight 173. I'm able to do 675 lb. on the leg press.

And what counts as an "official" leg press?

Can it be on one of those 45-degree-angle racks that you load plates on, or is it the old Universal leg-press machine, or is it any variety of newfangled leg press machines with varying positions and leverages? I've used a few different machines and find each has a vastly different feel and considerable variation in the weight you could lift.

And how far do you have to bend your legs? I see people bend their legs anywhere from 25% to 100% of the possible full-range of motion. To me, 100% is when your ankles are hitting your buttocks or at least your calves are pressed fully against your hamstrings.

Given the myriad of possiblities, I don't think you can easily compare numbers unless everyone agrees to use one kind of machine for a specified range of motion.

Either way, I've nothing to brag about. A couple years ago I used one of those 45-degree racks with barbell plates, and did about 425lbs (plus the weight of the rack) for 12 reps. 100% range of motion. I weighed a little under 200lbs. These days I lift lighter weights and concentrate on riding my bike for general fitness.

I know I was able max in the upper 900's once and I had the number "1,000" rolling around in my mind somewhere so maybe I got that high. I think pressing 2.5x your weight is probably right. After all, you can jump on just one leg. For me, that's 260 lbs/lg minimum...
Don't forget that some of the weight depends on the machine. The closer the seating angle is to 90 degrees the easier (or is it harder) it is to press the weight.

Originally posted by Aloner



I hope you know you cannot spot reduce.

i think i meant to say elongate, not remove muscle...sorry

The squat is the standard for comparison as far as leg power is concerned. There are so many variations of leg press set ups it would be difficult to make accurate comparisons. Some have heavier sleds and some operate of of pivots. There are also many ways in which back support angle and foot positions can affect how much a person can leg press.

Of course it takes at least a few weeks for a beginner weight trainer to get his body position and form fine tuned for proper squatting.

I can legpress somewhere around 500-550lbs. Riding helps so much.

-Dan the Man-

I had our club record at 998 pounds for 45 reps, someone just beat me at 50 reps. Today I go for 65 reps with a summer goal of 100 reps. As my press has improved from 450 pounds at 20 reps last may to todays number, I am beating my cycling buddies on the mtn bike climbs with ease. I still need to improve the longer road climbs though.

All leg presses are different. It depends on the model you are using. Some let you put up crazy numbers without even being that strong.

Squats are the only true indicator oh how strong your legs are.

I usually do 3 sets of 15 reps, 300lb when I go to the gym(which btw, isn't too much).

I weigh 135lb and am 5' 6" tall.

squats I think I can do 100lb + the bar. I'm not sure how much the bar weighs though, big difference between squats and leg press.

All leg presses are different. It depends on the model you are using. Some let you put up crazy numbers without even being that strong.

Squats are the only true indicator of how strong your legs are.

I agree. I use a smith machine at home for squats......much safer...

Problem is, when I go for heavy numbers/low rep sets, I have absolutely no climbing legs for two days... :(

I like this question, especially since I'm more of a power lifter than a cyclist.

Body weight: 238
Squat (official) - 806 / 832 (non-official)
Leg Press - 1600+ (all the plates I can put on it).

We'll see how it works out after I recover from my ankle surgery....may be awhile before I see those weights again (lol)

You'll spin a 53-11 easily. If you have good endurance and cardiovascular you'll be fast. I don't know howq tall you are , but I'm 6'2" and trying to "cut up" so I can be just as fast on climbs as I am on flats.

Endurance and cardiovascular are the reason's I cycle. I'll stay in the gym for the rest of my life, but I don't necessarily want to carry the bulk all of my life. I'm looking forward to my first century.

As mentioned above, all leg press machines are not created equally therefore the squat is the best way to compare leg strength.

Although, I've never tried to "max" out, I have been able to do 325 once at the end of a hard set of squats. I'm not sure what I could do if I my goal was a one rep max. I'm 5'9" and weigh about 185lbs. What do you squat?

So out of all the gym machines there are, what is the single most effective machine or exercise at helping cyclists get stronger? Is it the leg-press machine?


More cycling.

More cycling.

I agree...not to mention if you are going to do any leg exercises, it should be slow reps with lighter weight than if you are trying to be ripped for body building competitions.

Last year I was able to routinely put (10) 45lbs per side on the leg press rack so I could do 900lbs for a couple final sets. This year I am focusing more on lighter weight and leaner muscle mass. You don't want to look like "Arnold" if you want to be a better cyclist... ;)

man. give up this bull crap. do front full squat. it's easy as all crap on your knees as long as you keep your weight on your heels. i've had tendonitis problem in the past from squating and man... this type is really easy on my knees.

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/fitness/askem_front_squat.html

just start off with 135. you'll have to develop ballance and form. this will really build your legs up.

look at all that stuff under the jv askem part of the site. it's good stuff IMO.

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/articles.html

man. give up this bull crap. do front full squat. it's easy as all crap on your knees as long as you keep your weight on your heels. i've had tendonitis problem in the past from squating and man... this type is really easy on my knees.

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/fitness/askem_front_squat.html

just start off with 135. you'll have to develop ballance and form. this will really build your legs up.

look at all that stuff under the jv askem part of the site. it's good stuff IMO.

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/articles.html



Great exercise for maximum quad development. Prepare to not be able to walk for 2 days after!

b.s. i was able to walk and cycle just fine.

http://home.earthlink.net/~acoggan/misc/id4.html


http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=strengthstern

2 x 45lb plates x 20 rep's to warm up
4 x 45 lb plates x 15 rep's
6 x 45 lb plates x 15 rep's
8 x 45 lb plates x 15 rep's
10 x 45 lb plates x 10 rep's
6 x 45 lb plates x 15 rep's

then its off to leg curls or lunges

my weight? 180-185

Leg day at the gym (45min & out):

squat: 130lbs + the bar, 3 x 10 (not on a smith machine)
hack squat: 270lbs, 3 x 10
standing single leg curl: 70lbs, 3 x 8
standing calf raise: 300lbs, 3 x 10

non leg day: 3mile / 30min treadmill
The local gym has normal stationary bikes which are very uncomfortable to me & the crank length doesn't work for me either. I finally got on the road for a very short few km's since Dec 17 when I put the bike away. It's still too slushy out there at this time of the year in Montreal.

when i'm in the gym i use 180 lbs on the leg press machine and try to do 4 sets of 15 reps. along with hamstring curls, leg extensions, calf raises, and then 45 mintues of short intervals on the stationary bike i'm completely spent. my upper body doesn't get too much attention.

many many times people come by and give me advice, saying that if i want to bulk up i should cut back the cardio, up the weights, and cut the reps. sometimes it's tough to explain that i'm working out for a reason, to get better at cycling. most guys at the gym give the advice that they know best, which is packing on muscle for asthetic reasons.

Read up on Dr. Arthur Jones studies at West Point on weight training. Multiple sets of multiple reps do not add strength any more than single sets of reps to failure. Doing multiple sets/reps does take up more time though. I have been doing this type of training since last May, my total body strength measured over 12 exercises with weight x reps has increased close to 187%. My biking improvement especially climbing is been fantastic, use to be able to do a loop I have 22 miles with plenty of hills at an average speed of 14mph now at 21mph...Body weight 228lb, height 6'0".

Be careful on heavy squats, use very strict form with a good spotter or you will be sitting out the season. BTW did 998 lbs on leg press kness coming all the way to chest for 102 reps, I don't care what type of press you use that is both a strenght training and cardio workout/blow up. lol

Read up on Dr. Arthur Jones studies at West Point on weight training. Multiple sets of multiple reps do not add strength any more than single sets of reps to failure. Doing multiple sets/reps does take up more time though. I have been doing this type of training since last May, my total body strength measured over 12 exercises with weight x reps has increased close to 187%. My biking improvement especially climbing is been fantastic, use to be able to do a loop I have 22 miles with plenty of hills at an average speed of 14mph now at 21mph...Body weight 228lb, height 6'0".

Be careful on heavy squats, use very strict form with a good spotter or you will be sitting out the season. BTW did 998 lbs on leg press kness coming all the way to chest for 102 reps, I don't care what type of press you use that is both a strenght training and cardio workout/blow up. lol


Post a pic of your thighs....I'm having trouble with 1000lb leg press for 102 reps.

Post a pic of your thighs....I'm having trouble with 1000lb leg press for 102 reps.

hell, the majority of posts in this thread stink like a port-o-potty at a chili cookoff.

hell, the majority of posts in this thread stink like a port-o-potty at a chili cookoff.

no kidding. here's a pic of my legs. no honestly...they're really mine ;) :

http://www.nicbri.addr.com/BIG_LEGS_FRONT.jpg

they come in handy when i'm sprinting around cars on the highway.

I use the 45 degree incline machine. Last workout I did 3 sets of 10, working up to 8 plates (360lbs) on the last set. Nothing to write home about, but not bad for me.

no kidding. here's a pic of my legs. no honestly...they're really mine ;) :

http://www.nicbri.addr.com/BIG_LEGS_FRONT.jpg

they come in handy when i'm sprinting around cars on the highway.



When are you starting bulking? They'll really come along then.

:D

there's answer in this link ===> www.s_lieg_press._gim.com (linoczka.blox.pl/html)