Sled Side Leg Press

Description

How to Do Sled Side Leg Press

1. 1
   Setup

   Lie sideways on the leg press sled, positioning your top hip and shoulder against the back pad with your body slightly angled.

2. 2
   Setup

   Place the foot of your top leg flat on the sled platform, ensuring your knee is bent and aligned with your foot.

3. 3
   Setup

   Hold onto the handles for stability, and ensure your lower leg is extended and stable, not participating in the push.

4. 4

   Exhale and powerfully push the sled away by extending your top leg, focusing on driving through your heel and engaging your glute and outer thigh.

5. 5

   Control the return, slowly bending your knee and allowing the sled to come back towards you, inhaling as you feel a stretch in your hip.

6. 6

   Repeat for the desired repetitions, then switch sides and perform the same number of reps with the opposite leg.

Tips

• Focus on driving through your heel and engaging your gluteal muscles throughout the entire pushing phase to maximize hip activation.
• Maintain a strong, stable core by bracing your abdominals; this prevents your body from twisting and keeps tension on the target muscles.
• Control the eccentric (returning) phase of the movement, allowing the sled to come back slowly to enhance muscle growth and improve flexibility.
• Keep your entire foot flat on the platform; avoid pushing predominantly with your toes or heels only to ensure balanced muscle engagement.

Common Mistakes

• ×Lifting your hips off the pad reduces the tension on your glutes and abductors; keep your top hip pressed firmly against the back pad throughout the movement.
• ×Rushing the movement diminishes muscle activation and increases injury risk; perform both the pushing and returning phases with controlled, deliberate motion.
• ×Allowing your knee to collapse inward during the press can strain the knee joint; actively push your knee slightly outward in line with your foot to maintain proper alignment.