Sled Side Leg Press

Description

How to do Sled Side Leg Press

1. 01
   Setup

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

2. 02
   Setup

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

3. 03
   Setup

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

4. 04

   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. 05

   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. 06

   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.