The top muscles that are used when you exercise with a Way Hip Sled

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A hip sled is basically similar to a leg press, in terms of exercise. The only difference between the two is that the later involves pushing the weights that are attached to the levers, while the former involves pushing a weight that slides on the runners. Both exercises use the same group of muscles and thus, they are similarly effective. With both these kinds of machines, you do not have to bend the legs so much that the lower back feels rounded. This can lead to a serious injury when heavy weights are involved in the exercise. To get a better idea about how effective this exercise is, take a look at the muscles that are used in it.

The agonist muscles

When it comes to exercising, the agonist muscles are the ones responsible for majority of the movement. In simple terms, agonist refers to the muscles that are targeted by an exercise. When it comes to Way Hip Sled, the main agonists are the quads or the quadriceps muscles. The quads are located on the front of the thighs and these are responsible for extending the knees. This is a group of muscles that are made of four individual muscles that function together, namely, the vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris.

The helper muscles

While the quads do majority of the work, others muscles are also at work when you use a Way Hip Sled, though to a lesser degree. These muscles are usually called synergists and you can refer to them as helper muscles. The main synergists in this case are the glutes or gluteus maximums, soleus muscles, and adductor magnus.

To stop the rocker

When you focus on pushing the weights away using your powerful leg muscles, there are other muscles at work to make sure that your knees can track properly over the feet and do not drop outward or inward. The muscles that are responsible for minimizing the extraneous movement are known as fixator muscles or dynamic stabilizer. In case of this equipment, the main muscles that is responsible for preventing unwanted rocking and wobbling are the gastrocnemius and hamstrings of the calves.

The prescription for your workout

To get the most out of using the exercise equipment, it is crucial for you to select the right weight and perform the right number of steps. To increase the endurance of your leg muscle, sets of fifteen to twenty repetitions with a lightweight are right, while if you are doing three or five repetitions with a heavyweight, it will help in increasing your strength. If you want to increase your muscles size, then you should use moderately heavy weights and you should at least aim for six to twelve repetitions in each set, as per your endurance.

So, these are the muscles that are at work when you use that equipment. Make sure you follow proper instructions while using it, and follow the guidelines of your trainers so as to not overexert yourself.