The Tight-Foot Leg Press Blaster

Pressure Cascade · Mechanism

Slide those feet together on the leg press platform, because the Narrow Stance Leg Press is about to blast your outer quads with the kind of focused intensity that makes them feel like they're being individually interrogated. This intermediate machine exercise takes the leg press — a classic quad builder — and narrows the foot placement to shift the emphasis from overall leg development to the outer sweep of the quadriceps.

You sit in the leg press machine with your feet placed close together — about hip-width or narrower — on the center of the platform. You lower the sled by bending your knees, bringing the platform toward your chest until your knees are at least at a 90-degree angle. Then you press the sled back out by extending your legs, squeezing your quads at the top like you're trying to push the platform through the wall behind it. The narrow stance forces your outer quads — particularly the vastus lateralis — to take on more of the load, building that sweep that makes your thighs look wider from the front than from the side.

The leg press is one of the safest ways to move serious leg weight, because the machine supports your back and the guided path eliminates the balance demands of a free squat. The narrow stance variation simply shifts the emphasis without adding risk, which makes it an excellent tool for targeted quad development. After a few sets, your outer quads will be so pumped that you'll have a visible ridge running down the outside of your thigh, like a mountain range on a topographic map. Press with narrow feet, blast those outer quads, and build thighs that make pants shopping an exercise in frustration and pride.