Research

Mixed

Performing leg press exercises with a knee flexion range of motion of approximately 100 degrees yields quadriceps femoris muscle hypertrophy equivalent to performing the exercise with maximum individualized knee flexion (peak ROM) in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are an experienced lifter, you do not need to force your leg press to the absolute bottom if it causes pain or technical breakdown. Stopping at approximately 100 degrees of knee flexion (where your shins are roughly perpendicular to the floor or slightly past) will build your quads just as effectively as going as deep as physically possible. Focus on reaching failure with good form at this depth rather than chasing extreme depth.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
These findings suggest that both knee flexion ROMs are similarly effective for promoting quadriceps femoris muscle hypertrophy over a relatively short training-period in resistance-trained individuals.
Stian Larsen et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2025

Why this rating

High-quality within-participant design with Bayesian analysis providing 'extreme' evidence for the null hypothesis (no difference), though the sample size (n=23) is modest.

Source

Knee flexion range of motion does not influence muscle hypertrophy of the quadriceps femoris during leg press training in resistance-trained individuals

Stian Larsen et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2025

DOI 10.1080/02640414.2025.2481534

rct · n=23Cited 4×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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