Due to the mechanics of the leg press, the calves are active during the movement. In a comparable exercise like the deadlift, you press through the heels -- but during a leg press, depending on your leg flexibility, a lot of pressure goes through the ball of your foot. The "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding" states that the leg press is a rival with the squat for the best thigh-building exercise. But if you are experiencing calf soreness from the leg press, it could be an indication that your calves are a limiting factor, and changing this could improve your performance and thigh development.
Leg Press Form
To perform leg presses, sit down at a leg press. Place your feet on the foot plate and press the sled up. Disengage the safety catches. Slowly lower the sled until just before your lower back begins to roll off the pad. You'll see people go lower, but "Strength Training Anatomy" explains that allowing your hips to leave the pad places the weight on your spine. Press the sled back up until your legs are nearly straight.
Minimizing Calf Involvement
Calf involvement is minimized during leg press the same way it is during a squat: by preventing the angle between the foot and the shin from getting too small. People with short calf muscles often squat standing on a squat block, which raises the heels. An option to create a similar effect on a leg press would be to wear a shoe with a thick heel, and then place heel inserts in the shoe to further raise the heel. This will prevent the heel from rising off the plate, allowing you to push through it and therefore taking pressure off your calves. Your leg press's foot plate may have sections of variable angles. Place your feet on a portion of the foot plate that tilts away from you to reduce calf activity. Placing your feet high on the plate reduces quadriceps activity, but it also greatly reduces calf activity by allowing you to press more through your heels.
Stretching and Strengthening the Calves
Besides form, you can actually condition your calves to perform better on the leg press, which will cause them to be less sore. Stretch your calves regularly on the edge of a step or with a strap. By lengthening your calf muscles, you'll press less through the balls of your feet and more through your heels during a leg press. Strengthening your calves through targeted exercise won't reduce calf involvement, but it will reduce soreness after a leg press and will ensure that your calves aren't the limiting factor. Calf raises are the best exercise for building calf strength. Because the calves are extremely tough, in "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends using the heavy resistance only machines can supply. Also, be sure to perform seated calf raises. When the body is bent at the waist, such as during a leg press, the soleus head of the calf becomes heavily involved. To target this muscle, it's important to perform calf raises seated. You can even perform them on a leg press -- be sure to leave the safety catches engaged.
Alternatives
A good alternative exercise for building thigh strength without taxing the calves is the deadlift. During a deadlift, you press entirely through the heels. In fact, it's possible to lift the toes off the ground. This means there's no calf activity. The problem is that while the deadlift is generally regarded as the best exercise for building hamstring, glute and lower back strength, it doesn't target the quadriceps nearly as well as the leg press or squat. "Strength Training Anatomy" explains that you can change this by performing the exercise with a shrug bar. The shrug bar allows deadlifts to be performed with an upright torso posture and the thighs closer to parallel to the ground, as the upper body needn't lean out to allow the bar to clear the knees. This allows the deadlift to build the quadriceps just as well as the leg press or squat.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
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