When you place your feet on the top of the foot plate during leg press…

When you place your feet higher on the foot plate during a leg press, it shifts the emphasis of the workout to different muscle groups. Here’s what happens:

1. Greater Emphasis on Glutes and Hamstrings: A higher foot placement decreases the angle at which your knees bend, causing the exercise to target the glutes and hamstrings more. Your quadriceps are still engaged, but the workload is redistributed, emphasizing the posterior chain.
2. Less Stress on Knees: With your feet higher on the plate, there is less forward movement of the knees past the toes, reducing the stress on the knee joints. This can be beneficial for individuals with knee discomfort or injuries.
3. Range of Motion Changes: A higher foot placement typically reduces the range of motion in the knee joint, which can alter the mechanics of the movement, focusing on hip extension more than knee extension.

In contrast, placing your feet lower on the footplate increases the range of motion at the knee, emphasizing the quadriceps more. Therefore, the position of your feet on the leg press plate can help you target different muscles depending on your fitness goals.