Exercise Comparison
All Fours Quad Stretch vs Smith Machine Leg Press
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in All Fours Quad Stretch
Only in Smith Machine Leg Press
Instructions
All Fours Quad Stretch
Start off on your hands and knees, then lift your leg off the floor and hold the foot with your hand.
Use your hand to hold the foot or ankle, keeping the knee fully flexed, stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors.
Focus on extending your hips, thrusting them towards the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Smith Machine Leg Press
Position a Smith machine bar a couple feet off of the ground. Ensure that it is resting on the safeties. After loading the bar to an appropriate weight, lie underneath the bar. Place the middle of your feet on the bar, tucking your knees to your chest. This will be your starting position.
Begin the movement by driving through your feet to move the bar upward, extending the hips and knees. Do not lock out your knees.
At the top of the motion, pause briefly before returning to the starting position.
Verdict
Both exercises target the quadriceps. All Fours Quad Stretch is a intermediate exercise using bodyweight, while Smith Machine Leg Press is intermediate and uses machine. Choose All Fours Quad Stretch if you have access to bodyweight, or Smith Machine Leg Press if you prefer machine.