The leg press, or hip sled, is a machine exercise that works your leg muscles. According to Bodybuildingforyou.com, the leg press builds mass in the thighs without putting pressure on your back. Though the focus is on the quadriceps muscles, the leg press works most of the major muscle groups in the legs.
Quadriceps
According to Bodybuilding.com, the quadriceps are the main muscles worked in the leg press or hip sled exercise. MuscleMagFitness.com notes that the leg press triggers maximum muscle growth in the quads. The quadriceps are used to extend the knee and leg so in the leg press they are the main pusher to extend the legs and press the weight.
Glutes and Adductors
The gluteal muscles of the butt and the adductor muscles around the hip are also involved in the hip sled exercise. Both sets of muscles help to extend the leg and help support the leg as the weight is then lowered. MuscleMagFitness.com calls the glutes and adductor magnus stabilizing or synergists muscles in the movement, meaning they give support and are secondary pushers to the quads.
Calves
Both of the muscles in the calves, the soleus and the gastrocnemius. are involved as secondary targets in the leg press according to MuscleMagFitness.com. The gastrocenemius is more involved when the leg is fully extended, while the soleus is more involved when the leg is bent. Variations of the leg press such as using your toes more and pulling your heels off will involve both calf muscles even more. In fact, training the calves with calf raises in addition to leg presses is a popular use for the hip sled.
Hamstrings
Bodybuilding.com notes that the hamstrings are a secondary muscle that is worked in the leg press. The hamstrings can be targeted more by tweaking the location of your feet by raising them higher than your hips on the press. The hamstring muscles help to push the press up and they are even more active at stabilizing the weight on the downward return of the leg press.
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