Is it quite OKAY to do 45 Degree Leg Press alone to replace squat?

Question

I am not a fan of squat to work out my leg, mostly for safety reasons.

Is it OKAY to do 45 Degree Leg Press to replace squat ?

By doing that alone, can I build myself a pair of strong-looking legs?

Answer 1

It is not going to replace squat.

You can see which muscles the squat hits here and leg press here.

You see, in the squat you use other muscles as well like your erector spinae, obliques and abs. These muscles are used for stabilization.

I would also argue that depending on your squat technique the leg press will hit different leg muscles with different loads.

However, if you want to just build your leg muscles I would say that leg press is sufficient to build your quads. If you want to build strong looking hams and other leg muscles then leg press or even squats are not optimal and you should also do some other accessories.