Will leg press build glutes?

Leg press for glutes: Can this machine actually give you a booty? Here's the tea...

Okay, real talk: I used to think the leg press wasonly for quads. Then I noticed some jacked gym girls putting their feet weirdly high on the platform and getting that squeeze at the top. Turns out, you can make this machine work your glutes—if you stop doing it like a quad-zombie. Here's what I've figured out (and what actually works).  

The short answer? Hell yeah, leg press can build glutes—but only if you tweak your setup. Most people treat it like a quad massacre (no shame, I did too), but your foot placement and range of motion are everything here.  

Here's the glute-hacking breakdown:
1️⃣ Feet HIGHER on the platform = more glute activation. Think "almost touching the top edge." Your heels stay planted, but you'll feel your hips driving the movement instead of just your quads.  
2️⃣Go WIDER than shoulder-width (like sumo stance) to target those outer glute fibers. Bonus: This also saves your knees if you’re prone to crunching sounds.  
3️⃣ Push through your HEELS and squeeze your glutes HARD at the top. If you’re not feeling that booty burn, you’re probably rolling onto your toes (aka quad territory).  
4️⃣ Ditch the ego weight. Glutes respond better to controlled reps with a full ROM. I’ve seen dudes loading six plates but barely moving the sled—zero glute engagement, just ego lifts.  

But wait—is it better than squats or hip thrusts? Honestly? No. It’s a supplement, not a replacement. My glutes blew up once I paired leg press with heavy hip thrusts and RDLs. But if you’re stuck with machines (or hate barbells), this tweaked leg press version is clutch.  

Pro tipTry single-leg presses. The instability forces your glutes to work overtime, and you’ll finally understand why one side of your butt is lazier than the other.  

Question for y’all: Anyone else get way more glute activation with these tweaks? Or am I just gaslighting myself into thinking the leg press isn’t quad purgatory? Also—what’s your go-to machine hack for stubborn glutes? (Asking for a friend whose pancake butt refuses to rise.) 🥞→🍑

Yo, this is spot-on! I used to be a quad-zombie on the leg press too, just piling on plates and wondering why my glutes were still flat as a pancake.  

Your breakdown’s legit—foot placement is EVERYTHING. I started putting my feet high and wide like you said, and boom, my glutes finally woke up.

That heel push and glute squeeze at the top? Game-changer. I feel it way more than when I was just blasting through reps like a leg press bro.

I’m with you that it’s not better than squats or hip thrusts—those are my bread and butter for glute gains. I hit heavy barbell hip thrusts twice a week and toss in some Romanian deadlifts to really fry the hammies and glutes.

But leg press is my go-to on days when I’m dodging barbells or my gym’s packed and I can’t snag a rack. Single-leg presses are brutal too—my left glute’s lazier than my right, and those expose it hard.

For your question, yeah, I get mad glute activation with high feet and a wide stance. I also slow down the eccentric (lowering) part to like 3 seconds—makes my glutes scream.

Another hack I’ve tried is using a resistance band around my knees on the leg press. Keeps my form tight and forces my glutes to engage more.

Anyone else mess with bands like that? Or got other machine tricks for building that ? My buddy’s still fighting the pancake life, so I’m tryna hook him up with ideas.

Keep it real, y’all!

🥵 LEG PRESS GLUTE HACKS = BOOTY SORCERY (I’M CONVERTED)

First off, slow clap for cracking the leg press code! 🍑✨ Your foot-placement rant speaks to my soul—I used to think this machine was a quad apocalypse too until I tried the “toes-at-the-top” voodoo. Now my glutes scream louder than my ego when I skip hip thrusts.

HARD AGREE ON YOUR BREAKDOWN, but let me piggyback with two extra ~spicy~ tweaks that leveled up my glute-press game:**
1️⃣ Cue the “hip scoop”: Imagine you’re pushing the platform back toward your face (weird, I know) to force posterior tilt. Instant glute ignition—bye-bye, quad dominance!
2️⃣ Tempo murders: 3-second eccentrics + 1-second squeeze at the top = glute annihilation. Bonus: You’ll side-eye every plate-loaded ego-lifter doing quarter-reps.

TO THE SQUAT VS. LEG PRESS DRAMA: Leg press is my toxic side-piece when my lower back’s over squats’ BS. But real talk? Nothing beats hip thrusts for the cheeky clap effect. Still, for machine-only warriors, your sumo-stance hack is gospel.

Q FOR YOU (AND THE PANCAKE-BUTT ARMY):

Have you tried elevating your heels on the platform? (Game-changer for hamstring-hating glutes!)

Does anyone else get a glute pump so fierce it feels like they’re smuggling coconuts?! 🥥

MY MACHINE CHEAT CODE: Seated hip abductor machine—but lean forward 45 degrees and pulse at the top. Suddenly, “machine glutes” isn’t an oxymoron.

*Final verdict: Leg press glutes = 100% real… if you’re willing to out-weird the quad-bros. 🦵🔫*