Toe press is a very specific exercise that pumps the triceps muscle of the legs. As a rule, the triceps muscle receives a load when lifting a weight upward, be it your own weight or some kind of apparatus. In this case, you are not pulling the weight up, but pushing it, which creates unusual stress in the muscles, and unusual stress is always a stimulus for muscle hypertrophy. In general, the triceps muscle is one of the most durable muscles in the human body, which means it contains many slow muscle fibers, as a result of which it must be trained in a large number of repetitions and approaches. It goes without saying that it is advisable to give a varied load.
It makes sense to use the toe press during leg training , which is usually used by athletes with long limbs. In general, problems with training the triceps muscle are experienced either by those who have long tendons and short muscle bundles, or by those who simply have long limbs. Those athletes who do not observe lag in the triceps muscle may not need to train it separately at all. Of course, we are talking about amateurs, since professionals should train everything, but if you do not know how to properly perform a toe press, then most likely you are an amateur. So, if the calf muscles and soleus muscles are not lagging behind, then we do not recommend paying special attention to their training; 1-2 exercises will be more than enough.
Muscles at work
When performing the exercise “Seated toe press in a machine,” all muscle groups of the lower leg are involved in the work. During work, the lateral muscles receive a greater load.
The main focus of the toe press is the calves . The internal and external bundle of the calf group is well worked out. The latter is often less developed than the former. This is explained by the difficulty of loading this muscle group during other exercises.
The main equipment is a simulator.
Additional weight can be used if you have a pumped back and strong lower back muscles. Otherwise, you risk injury.
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What muscles are pumped?
During execution, the following muscles sway in a person:
Calf - they make up the main volume of the lower leg and they are responsible for the relief of the lower leg.
Soleus - located internally under the calf muscles.
There is no need to stabilize the body when doing bench presses. Apart from the lower leg, other muscles generally do not take part in the work.
The main advantage is that it carries absolutely no load on the lower back. If you choose any weight, you still won’t put stress on your back. The advantage of this exercise is that even people who have problems with the spine can do it. But, nevertheless, before you start training, it is best to get advice from a specialist, especially if you have been seriously injured.
If you do these exercises regularly, you will achieve the following:
- The muscles of the lower leg become denser and more prominent
- Muscle mass increases and the fat layer in the calf area decreases.
- The elasticity of the Achilles tendons increases, which significantly reduces the risk of injury.
- Improves postural stability during the barbell squat and improves results and performance in athletic competitions.
Execution technique
Be sure to include the Seated Toe Press technique in your program (it should be performed at the beginning of the main workout).
Starting position:
- sit comfortably in the exercise machine;
- place your socks on the platform (on the lower part);
- your heels should hang slightly off the platform;
- straighten your legs so that together with your torso they form a right angle;
- straining your calves, lift the weight up with your toes;
- hold at the top point and then return to the starting position.
As you exhale, press the weight up, and as you inhale, you return to the starting position.
Squeeze the platform so that your legs are straight (with minimal bend in the knee joint). In this case, the lower back should be pressed tightly against the bench, and the head and shoulder joint should be slightly raised.
How to do it
Toe press technique
The tactics for performing these workouts are as follows.
First, you should take the correct posture in the simulator. You need to sit down so that your lower back and back are pressed tightly against the back of the machine. Toes should be on the edge of the platform and heels should be left free.
How to start doing the exercises.
- You need to exhale and press the platform away from you with your toes, so that the ankle straightens to the maximum.
- At the top point of the amplitude, you should make a short pause for about one respiratory cycle.
- You need to take a breath and return to the original position, while lowering your socks as low as possible and stretching your calves to the maximum. This is 1 repetition.
You need to perform the required number of repetitions. The average number of sets is three or four, 15–20 repetitions.
The main difference from the leg press is that it must be performed several times. The more repetitions you do, the better. The training should not be stopped until the burning sensation can no longer be tolerated.
To perform these exercises, you can use a Smith machine. The tactics remain the same, only you will need to lie with your back on the floor and press the barbell.
https://youtu.be/Wqan5aV88LM
Recommendations
To make your bench press as effective as possible, use these tips:
- During the set, keep your knees stable and do not straighten them completely, i.e. keep them slightly bent.
- It is advisable to pause for 1–2 seconds at the final point. This is quite difficult, but allows you to get the most out of your workout.
- The first approaches should be performed with maximum amplitude to achieve peak contraction and full muscle stretch. In the last approach, after you can no longer do a single full repetition, perform repetitions with partial amplitude until failure.
- After performing the exercise, carefully stretch your shins.
- For experienced athletes: by changing the position of your feet on the platform, you can focus the load on the outer or inner heads of the calf muscles. By spreading your toes out to the sides relative to your heels, you will load the inner (medial) heads the most. By bringing your toes inward, you will force the outer (lateral) heads to work.
The machine toe press is an ideal exercise for working your calves. Provided it is performed regularly and correctly, you can expect high-quality muscle development and improved athletic performance.
Leg press: features of the exercise
The leg press on the machine is an excellent replacement for squats with weights (barbell). But during squats, there is a possibility of damaging the knee joints, which is almost impossible on a special platform if you follow safety precautions.
The sports platform allows you to strengthen all muscle groups in the lower extremities, as well as develop the hip joints, which is important for the female body.
There is one thing - but! You need to exercise carefully, and increase the weight and number of repetitions gradually. In the first workouts, 15 lifts of 2 repetitions with a break of 30 seconds are enough to give the muscles time to rest.
After 2 weeks, you can make the workout more difficult by increasing the number of repetitions. Of course, at the end of the session it will be difficult for you to make the last jerks, but the severity means that the muscles begin to fill and grow.
Benefit
The leg press exercise on a machine in bodybuilding is the best part of any workout, especially after squats with a barbell. The benefits of the exercise are due to the fact that it increases muscle mass and develops the pelvic organs.
By doing the leg press, your gluteal muscles, along with your quadriceps and hamstrings, receive a highly concentrated workout.
The advantage of the leg press is the absence of negative load on the spine. Simply put, this exercise can be done by everyone without restrictions, be it people with back problems, girls or those recovering from an illness or surgery.
While doing leg presses, blood circulation in the pelvic area improves, thereby stimulating the body's production of the hormone testosterone.
Important! It is necessary to adhere to the correct technique for performing exercises.
Injury hazard
When visiting the gym for the first time, you can easily injure yourself and forget about playing sports forever. Egocentrism should be left outside the gym, because you risk losing your health.
The leg press is one of the most dangerous exercises you can do in the gym.
Most athletes, overestimating their strength, put a huge weight of 400-500 kilograms on sports equipment, while forgetting about their capabilities. Such weight on the platform will not allow you to perform 3 lifts with normal amplitude. Soon, this approach to the exercise will lead to joint rupture, fracture or injury to the lower leg when doing the leg press.
The level of required weights in the first lessons should not exceed 50 kilograms. This will be enough to prepare the muscles for the next stage.
When doing leg presses, you need to gradually increase the weight of the bars and monitor your well-being. The back should always be straight. In addition, you should combine bench presses and squats with a barbell to enhance the effect of the exercise.
Remember! Sports should bring joy, not pain and injury.
Contraindicated for whom
Contraindications include health problems that occur both in athletes who have been injured and in ordinary people who have suffered a heavy load on the spine. Leg presses are contraindicated for people suffering from the following problems:
- Scoliosis of all stages, lordosis, kyphosis. People with these spinal diseases can perform leg press exercises, but under the supervision of a special instructor. Doctors recommend wearing an athletic belt, which will remove excess stress from the vertebrae.
- Diseases or congenital pathologies affecting the knee and ankle joints. If you do not listen to a fitness instructor or your doctor, you can get serious injuries to your knee joints or a ruptured ankle.
- You should not put a lot of stress on your back if you suffer from any disease of the spine or complain of lower back pain. Don’t “play” with weights on the machine and surrender to the will of the trainer, who will select the weight you need.
Important! Contraindications also affect women with diseases of the internal genital organs or during pregnancy.
What muscles are involved?
With the help of a basic exercise, you can ideally pump up any muscle area of the lower limbs and hips. It should be understood that the narrower the position of the legs, the greater the load on the quadriceps.
Let's consider which muscles work on the simulator in addition to the quadriceps:
- femoral biceps;
- buttock muscles;
- knee;
- ankle
The one-leg press enhances the effect on the buttocks, which allows you to increase the load on a certain area.
Focus on different heads
Many people know that the calf muscle is a biceps muscle. It is also called the biceps surae muscle. Accordingly, you can use some tricks to transfer the load to different heads of this muscle.
If you turn your toes outward and place your heels closer to each other, then the load will be greater on the outer head of the shin. Moreover, you should rely mainly on the outer part of the foot. If, on the contrary, you turn your toes a little inward (toe a little), then the load will fall more on the inner head of the shin. In this case, you need to rely on your thumb. that is, on the inside of the foot.
In general, at the initial stage, I would not advise you to bother with different heads if your goal is to increase the size of the lower leg as a whole. And after you have reached the desired size, then you can then focus on one or another part.
conclusions
Taking into account everything that I said above, I can give you an example plan for training the lower leg. This is an approximate plan and should not be taken literally. I bring it here so that you can start from something.
- Monday: Standing calf raise (4-5x15-20)
- Tuesday: Jumping exercises (4x10), sitting calf raises (4-5x15-20)
- Thursday: Donkey calf raise (4-5x25-30)
- Friday: Jumping exercises (4x10), sitting calf raises (4-5x25-30)
- Trapezius muscle training
- Muscle growth workout for men
- How to eliminate muscle pain after exercise
- Muscles hurt after training: how to relieve pain
Load distribution
The calf press belongs to the group of isolation exercises. Movement occurs in only one joint—the ankle. The exercise allows you to concentrate the load as much as possible in the lower leg muscles.
Just as you train your abs, your calves should be trained until you feel a strong burning sensation and so-called failure. It occurs quite quickly due to the fact that the calves are a small muscle group and experience significant tension during training.
If we talk about load distribution in more detail, the platform toe press develops:
- calf muscles - make up the main volume of the lower leg and give it a characteristic relief;
- soleus muscles - located inside under the gastrocnemius.
Core stabilization is not required for the toe press. Apart from the lower leg muscles, other muscles are practically not involved in the movement.
The benefits and harms of exercise
The leg press in the machine is the second exercise after classic squats with a barbell for building strong and massive legs. With its help, you can perfectly develop the muscles of the legs without creating excessive axial load on the cervical and thoracic spine.
Most athletes find it much easier to focus on their footwork when performing a leg press than when performing a back or shoulder squat. We all remember very well that a developed neuromuscular connection is simply necessary for muscle growth and progress in strength indicators. So, to tone your muscles and gain muscle mass, the leg press is perfect. Of course, heavy basic squats are no less important for this, and this should not be forgotten. Especially if you are a beginner and your priority is to build some strength foundation in basic movements with free weights. Without this, moving on will be much more difficult. By squatting, we increase hormonal levels and set the preconditions for progress. By doing this exercise, we begin to “polish” what we established with squats.
Calf raises in the simulator: photo and video exercises
The calf raise exercise in the leg press machine pumps up the bottom and inner side of the calf muscle. Emphasizes the bottom of the calf muscle. Formative exercise.
Calf raises on a leg press machine “trim” the bottom of the calf muscle and highlight the inside of the calf muscle, making the calf look much fuller when viewed from behind.
Ankle flexion is a key movement in race walking, running and jumping, as it is the lifting on the balls of your feet and pushing off the ground that gives the body the final impulse that propels it forward or upward. For example, in running or race walking, up to 50% of the total effort of all muscles pushing the body forward falls exclusively on the muscles of the back of the lower leg. That is why the strength of these muscles is extremely important in all sports that involve running, jumping and fast leg movements.
Calf raises in the leg press machine - an exercise for the leg muscles
Technique: calf raises in the simulator
1. Sit in a leg press machine and press your buttocks and lower back firmly into the seat.
2. Place the balls of your feet close to the bottom edge of the platform so that your heels extend beyond the edge of the platform, allowing full ankle extension. The feet are parallel or slightly turned toes outward. The distance between the feet is chosen arbitrarily - as convenient for you.
3. Unlock the platform, grab the side rails and push it up. In the starting position, the legs are straightened (but not locked at the knees) or slightly bent.
4. Without bending your knees, smoothly straighten your ankle joint, allowing the platform to drop down. At the bottom, the Achilles are stretched, but not to the limit.
5. Inhale and hold your breath. Tighten your calves and stand on your toes, pressing the platform up. The pace of movement is slow or moderate. Stop for a couple of seconds and squeeze your calves as hard as you can.
6. Exhaling, straighten your ankle joints and lower yourself to the starting position.
7. The amplitude of movement is relatively small - the angle of flexion-extension of the ankle joint is no more than 30-45°.
Leg Press Calf Raises - Muscles
Tips: calf raises in the machine
1. Rise up and down on your toes at a slow to moderate pace. By performing the movement quickly, you may involuntarily straighten your legs to the point of failure and lock them at the knees, or simply slide off the platform. Both are extremely dangerous.
2. A relatively short range of motion is fundamentally important. The ankle joint should not be fully extended or bent. In this exercise, it is the reduced amplitude that is most optimal for increasing strength and mass in the calves. By fully extending your ankle (when you pull your toes towards you and the platform lowers), you risk losing your grip on the platform and causing it to slip off the balls of your feet.
3. Do not perform the exercise if the platform of the machine or the sole of your shoes has a smooth surface.
4. Keep your psoas, hips and abs in constant tension and fix your body in a motionless position. Movement occurs only at the ankle joint.
5. Do not straighten your legs to the limit (until your knees click) when pressing the platform - this is dangerous!
6. Hold your breath in the positive phase (when you press the platform with your toes) and focus all your attention on contracting the calf muscles. Exhale in the negative phase, allowing the platform to descend smoothly under your complete control.
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