Want to build powerful lower-body muscles? Then the leg press machine deserves a top spot in your gym routine. It works every muscle in your legs: quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

However, while this resistance machine offers a lot of benefits, using it without taking proper precautions can lead to back injuries.

How to Use a Leg Press Machine With Proper Form

1. Sit on the machine with your back and hips pressed against the seat.
2. With your knees bent to 90 degrees (or as far as is comfortable), place your feet on the sled, hips-width apart. Brace your core.
3. Maintaining contact with the seat, exhale as you press through your entire foot to extend your legs.
4. Once you begin to extend your legs, rotate the safety bars to allow for a greater range of motion.
5. Continue pressing until just before your knees are locked out. Pause for one second. Then return to the starting position by re-bending your hips and knees.
6. Rotate the safety bars back to their original position before returning to your starting position.

Tips to Avoid a Back Injury on the Leg Press Machine

1. Make Sure Your Seat Is in the Correct Position

Properly positioning the seat on the machine stabilizes your entire body. Full joint stabilization allows your leg muscles to engage through every resisted motion.

Here are some tips to get everything set up correctly, according to gym equipment retailer Select Fitness USA:

• The seat-back of a leg press should be situated so your legs sit just shy of a right angle (90 degrees) and not pushed too far forward.
• Sit up straight with your hips and spinal column pressed against the back pad of the machine.
• Your head and neck should both be straight and relaxed. Let your arms hang at your sides.
• Your feet should be hip-width apart and pressed flat against the platform.
• Keep your knees aligned with the tips of your shoes throughout the exercise.

2. Don’t Add Too Much Resistance

Too much resistance can also cause back strain when using the leg press. An appropriate level of resistance allows you to be challenged yet also use the machine in a controlled fashion. When you exceed this reasonable amount of resistance, you may lose control over the weight, according to Select Fitness USA. And that can create an imbalance in your joints.

Common leg-press mistakes that affect your joints are:

• Overarching your lower spine
• Hyperextending your knees
• Elevating your hips
• Straining your neck

All of these issues have a direct and negative effect on your spinal column.

3. Move at a Slow, Steady Pace

Steady, measured motions make for a far more productive workout. Speeding up and going too fast won’t give your muscles enough time under tension (the amount of time a muscle is under strain), which will limit your gains, according to Piedmont Healthcare.

Maintain a workable weight and you’ll be able to perform the movements at an optimal speed.

To further avoid injuries while on the leg press machine, make sure the safety locks are in place before you use it. This ensures the weight won't fall on you if you’re unable to lift it, according to Select Fitness USA.

If you’re not sure how to use the leg press machine, ask a trainer to spot you or answer any questions you may have.

How to Treat Lower Back Pain From the Leg Press Machine

If you strain your back on the leg press machine, rest and ice your back for the first 24 to 48 hours after your injury, according to Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms of a strain include pain that worsens when you move, limited range of motion, and muscle cramping or spasms.

After the 48-hour mark, you can ease back into activity — not moving can prolong symptoms and delay recovery. But pay careful attention to how you’re moving, and stop if your back begins to hurt.

If your back doesn’t feel better after two weeks — or if you felt a pop or tear at the time of the injury — get a healthcare checkup. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, also let your doctor know if you:

• Can’t stand or walk
• Have pain or numbness radiating down your leg
• Feel sharp, stabbing pain in your back
• Start getting pain in a new area of your back

Leg Press Machine Alternatives

If you find that the leg press machine isn’t ideal for your body, needs, or goals, try these standing exercises to strengthen your leg muscles:

1. Dumbbell Squat

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. You can turn your toes slightly out or point them straight ahead. Hold the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in.
2. Fill your chest with air to set your core. Maintain a tight, vertical torso throughout the movement with a natural arch in your low back.
3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as low as you can safely and comfortably go). Your knees should be in line with your toes. Keep your chest up and your weight in your heels.
4. Push your feet into the ground to stand back up.

2. Dumbbell Lunge

1. Stand upright with both feet together. Hold the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in.
2. Step forward with one foot in front of your body. (Your feet should be hip-width apart throughout the movement.) Take a big enough step that your front knee forms a 90-degree angle. Land with your front foot flat on the floor, and grab the ground with your toes. Drive your back toes into the ground.
3. Bend both knees and drop toward the floor with control. Keep going lower until your back knee is about an inch off the ground (or as low as is comfortable). Keep your chest tall. (Some forward lean is OK.)
4. Finish the rep by returning back to your upright standing position. Bring your front foot back to your back foot.