If you're a guy who lifts weights, doing kickbacks might work your back thigh muscle way more than the leg press — like 76% more, according to one study.

34

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

34

Community contributions welcome

34

Electromyographic Comparison of Five Lower-Limb Muscles between Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises among Trained Men.

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2021 Mar

The study found that the kickback exercise activates the biceps femoris muscle in the hamstring much more than the leg press, which matches exactly what the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Electromyographic Comparison of Five Lower-Limb Muscles between Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises among Trained Men.

Score: 34

DOI: 10.52082/jssm.2021.56

Similar Assertions

For guys who lift weights, doing leg presses or kickbacks works the butt muscle just about the same — neither one gives you a bigger advantage in muscle activation.

34

0

83%

If you're a guy who lifts weights, your front thigh muscle works way harder during leg extensions than during leg presses — probably because the movement challenges how that muscle crosses two joints at once.

34

0

78%

When comparing hip thrusts and squats at the same effort level, the front thigh muscle (quadriceps) works just as hard in both exercises.

26

0

75%

When doing a hip thrust with a barbell instead of a squat, the butt and back of the thighs light up more on muscle sensors during the same level of effort.

26

0

75%

For guys who lift weights, the inner thigh muscle works just as hard during leg presses and knee extensions — these two exercises use that muscle in a similar way.

34

0

73%