User:Kaceygreen20/Leg press

History

Model of the "Tomb of Hercules" designed by Sig Klein

For hundreds of years, there have been a plethora of different versions of the leg press that have all contributed to its present state. In its most primordial stages, the concept of pressing a major amount of weight through the legs was more prominent than a physical machine to help its users. The idea of lifting one’s maximized weight through just self power was idealized, pushing towards dangerous and risky measures. One of the earliest found examples was used in the invention of the ‘Tomb of Hercules,’ created by the strongman Siegmund Klein in the turn of the century . His introduction of the forty-five degree angle mechanism with a given platform gave way for the stepping stones towards the modern day leg press and provided a new way to press weight like the public had never seen before. This platform-like idea arose other alternative methods to pressing techniques. George Jowett was the certified World’s strongest man back in the 1920’s and he created a design consisting of a vertical component instead of this forty-five degree placement of the body. Gravity was against the user and a sincerely heavy box held up by rope, putting more danger towards the ribs and back. As new contraptions were created by these influential greats, more courageous lifters came to rise as their purpose was to push their bodies to even higher limits. Around the 1920’s, a german weightlifter by the name of Henry ‘Milo’ Steinborn was famously known for pushing a car on a platform with the brute strength of his legs. The leg press's popularity continued through even the 1970's when Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger added the machine to his workout routine.

Advertisement for York Barbell's version of the Leg Press

The effects physically were appearing rapidly due to improper form and care for safety in using these pressing methods. The focus was primarily on impressiveness, for which the public adored the entertainment, ignoring the sincere health risks of placing severe stress on the muscle without knowledge of the body’s toll. Yet, a different approach became prominent as lifters became further focused solely on using self-made strength, with a barbell rather than any sort machine. These earliest methods were seen in the early 1900’s with images including a plain barbell placed at the bottom of one’s feet, as they lay with their backs on the ground. Evidently this was a less strenuous version of pressing a motor vehicle, yet the setbacks of this method weren’t scientifically known at the time. Further progression in increasing the weight became a challenge for users, considering it was an unreliable way to press up massive amounts of weight, thus the company York Barbell began the first sighting of the combination of a non free-weight leg press machine. Research deemed to be used to advertise a new type of pressing weight that doesn’t include all the major side effects of using a free weight machine. York Barbell introduced a machine with a similar vertical look and added support towards the backside to attempt to reduce injury. Its economic affordability was looked up on, especially for its ability to ‘surprise your friends and acquaintances with the sensational results.’ . York Barbell stepped the development of the leg press in the right direction as it grew increasingly popular and used amongst the greats of bodybuilding. Eventually, the vertical leg press grew less focused upon and the altered and modern version was seen to exist in the eighties, when the forty-five degree angle leg press of Siegmund Klein was brought back into light. The horizontal version of the leg press was the last to arise to further prevent injury and added stress of gravity on the user, patented by J. Feather and J. Walker in 1973. Famous bodybuilders were written in magazines for the effortlessness of the new and improved leg press, but the other vertical and horizontal forms were still prominent and considered to be built in various gyms. Although these newer models were expensive to own for each house owner, the popularity of usage was higher and gyms across the country have accepted all types.

Risks

The leg press presently still raises health risks if the machine is used with proper form. Types of injuries that could arise include strains in the leg muscles or, herniated disks, and even permanent leg damage.

Improper form on the leg press includes arching the back, locking the knees, lifting the gluteus off the seat, straining the spine, and or straining the knee ligaments.