When I first began bodybuilding and leg training my legs and glutes would both be sore the next day. The leg press I used in the begining was the Cybex leg press, the same one in Dorian's Blood and Guts movie. Still to this day I have not found a better leg press. Anyway, when I use to use that one I knew back then that if your feet were placed higher up on the platform your hamstrings and glutes were hit and if your feet were placed lower your quads were hit. I always kept my feet were my heels were lined up with the black traction material thingy, at the very bottom. In other words I know my feet placement was good. But every time I'd have a leg workout my legs would be fried the next day, the second day even worse. Loved it.
Now of course the gym I train at doesn't have this leg press. They have one of the more modern ones, not sure who it's made by. But it's not just this leg press. It's the leg press at other gyms in my area as well. Every time I complete a leg workout the next day my quads are never sore, only my glutes. And believe me, it's not my feet placement. I never go to high with them. I usually always keep my feet spread apart about shoulder width or just inside shoulder width. I do this for all leg training, well except for hacks, ever so often I'll move my feet in a little closer for those.
I know I said "Leg Press", but it's really not just the leg press that's causing this. I usually always start off with a few sets of extensions, then do about 4 to 6 sets of leg press. Then I'll do hack squats. I guess I say leg press because it's the bread and butter of my workouts. At times I'll start off with leg presses then hacks, then finish off with extensions. But no matter what I do, the next day, it's always glutes that are sore, never my quads like they use to be.
So, I'm almost 100% positive it's not my feet placement, at least not on leg presses. So that leaves two, maybe three other things. This is what I wanted to get your opinion on. We'll go ahead and say 3 things just to make it look official. Okay, so lets look at what 3 things it could be:
1. Shoes. I always push through my heels on all leg workouts. I also always wear Nike Shox or something similar to train in. You know, your basic jacked up-in-the-heels tennis shoe. Could this be the problem? I don't think so, I was actually going to leave this one out, but still figured I'd ask. Seemed like when my quads did get sore back in the day I still wore a similar shoe though. Thoughts? Or what's the best tennis shoe or training shoe to wear for training legs?
2. This one could be a possibility. Not my feet placement vertically, but horizontally. In other words, could the width of my feet placement be causing this? I know that this usually has to do with hiting certain parts of the thigh (close feet=outer quad, wide feet=inner, narrow/insider shoulder width=whole quad, etc). So surely this couldn't be why, but then again maybe there's something i'm overlooking. Thoughts? Is it feet width distance?
3. Personally, this is what I think it is. Want to hear your opinion's especially on this one. Okay, knee placement. When I place my feet on the platform I do turn my toes out slightly, then I let my knees align with them, possibly even letting them point further outside then they should. Don't get me wrong, it's not extreme or anything like that, but still this could make a huge difference, even an ALL quad exercises.
Lets use this as an example. Lets say your knees are pointed outward to the point where if you were to go all the way down, instead of your knees stopping on your chest or stomach, they would naturally flow out towards your arms or sides. The other way would be their not pointed out, nor in. Just to the point were they are pointed straight up to the ceiling and if your were to have your feet spaced shoulder width apart and let your legs go all the way down they would basically touch your chest or delts. If your feet were closer together then of course your stomach or chest would stop them. See what i'm saying?
So if the knees are just ever so slightly pointed out, could this be what's bringing the glutes more into play instead of the quads? Should I focus on keeping my knees more "center" or pointed up to the ceiling and not let them jut out even ever so slightly? What do you guys think? Is this the problem?
Now of course if I didn't name something or I'm leaving something out, please feel free to share. This is driving me crazy and seriously impending my leg development/training. Any help you guys can offer would truly be a blessing in disguise. I think it's because of the knee thing, and I think something that little has a greater impact then I ever realized hence the reason I never really paid that much attention to it. But, like I said, I open for all suggestions or help to get this problem fixed. Remember, it's not just leg press, it seems to be doing this no matter what I do.
Thanks guys,
Thoth