Whether you just started weightlifting or have been at the gym for some time, it is common to want to know how you rank against other people, both weightlifters and regular people. In this article, I will discuss the average leg press weight for males and give tips on how you can develop your leg press PR.
The leg press
The leg press is an excellent lower body developer and is the most common alternative to the barbell squat as they work the same muscle groups. You can use the leg press machine to work several lower body muscles as they target your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves.
A primary advantage of the leg press is that with the machine, you need not worry about the stress a barbell places on your back or falling with the bar, as the machine takes care of that. I recommend the Leverage squat machine if you prefer the leg press machine.
Average leg press weight
Before we go into the details, it is essential to understand that several factors affect how much weight one can press. As a result, you must understand your limits in relation to these factors. The average leg press for males at the beginner stage is 100 – 150 lbs. However, when you switch to the intermediate level, the average leg press weight for males is about 250 – 300 lbs. As an advanced weightlifter, your competition is steeper, and your category's average leg press weight is around 350 – 580 lbs. If you make your way to the elite weightlifting category, against all odds, the average leg press weight for males in your category is around 700 – 800 lbs.
It is essential to remember several factors affect what you can carry. For example, Your age, body weight, muscle mass, experience, and general fitness level play essential parts in how much weight you can leg press.
💡 Quick Tip: You can increase your overall strength by starting small and using simple, portable gym equipment. I recommend the Hex Dumbells for this, as they are cheap and easy to use for beginners
Hex Dumbells
Tips to improve your leg press PR
Eat well
Eating is essential to weightlifting as it provides your body with the necessary energy to perform energy-intensive activities like weightlifting. You should ensure your meals are nutritious and well-balanced so that you can reap the best benefits from your meals.
It is also vital that you eat at the proper periods daily. Beginning your day with a nutritious and balanced meal replenishes your blood sugar, helping your body power your muscles and brain.
Furthermore, having a balanced breakfast is especially critical on days you have to work out. This is because not eating such breakfast can make you feel lethargic or lightheaded during the exercises, making it harder to do any proper work.
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Increase your calorie intake
Increasing your calorie intake is critical to improving your weightlifting PR, including your leg press. This is because you typically surpass your limits in weightlifting when you get stronger, and there is a positive correlation between more muscle mass and increased strength. As a result, you need to build muscles, so you have to increase your calorie intake.
Calories are essential to body development. Your body uses a specific amount of calories daily to keep your body alive. You need to consume more calories than this amount to ensure that your body has enough calories after working out to help with muscle repair and building. Some meals are higher in calories than others, so you can leverage those meals to help you reach your daily calorie goal.
Rest well
Resting well is also essential to outdoing your previous attempts while weightlifting. As established, there is a positive correlation between more muscle mass and increased strength. Because resting well is necessary for your body to repair and build muscles, you have to ensure you have a healthy sleep pattern. You should sleep for at least eight hours daily to give your body enough time to develop your muscles.
Be consistent
Consistency is vital in weightlifting. As you consistently work your muscles, your body adapts to new stress levels, making you stronger. However, your body also tends to forget after a while and returns to the strength level that is instead necessary to go through a regular non-weightlifting day. Because of this, increasing your PR in the leg press may be challenging if your weightlifting approach is irregular.
Use a comprehensive leg training program
Because most exercises are compound exercises, they can help you develop overall strength across various muscles. As a result, you should include other lower-body exercises in your weightlifting program. This will subsequently increase your leg strength, making it easier for you to surpass and set new leg press PRs.
Other lower body exercises
Kettlebell squats
Kettlebell squats, as the name implies, are squats that you do with kettlebells. Many weightlifters use kettlebells to develop their explosive and athletic movements. Kettlebells are very flexible, so you can also use kettlebells like the Rogue Kettlebell for different exercises. For example, you can use them for lunges, kettlebell curls, and many more.
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Barbell squats
Barbell squats are one of the most common powerlifting exercises for the lower body and are the free-weight alternative to the leg press. It involves loading your barbell with your desired weight and squatting with the weight and barbell on your upper back. Because of the exercise’s challenging nature, you may need a squat or power rack to safely and optimally perform it, and I recommend the SML-1 rogue 70″ monster lite squat stand.
💡 Quick Tip: Try out the Rogue Echo Bar 2.0 if you want to add some weighted resistance for your lunges with a barbell.
Rogue Echo Bar 2.0
Lunges
Lunges are great for working multiple muscle groups in your lower body at once. It is a common leg-strengthening exercise with different variations to include variety in your exercises. The workout typically targets your glutes, hamstring, quadriceps, calves, and obliques.
