Leg Press Machine

How to adjust

Set the travel stops at the highest notch that still lets you reach your full depth, so if you fail the sled lands on the stops instead of on your chest.
If the back pad angle adjusts, pick the setting that keeps your hips and lower back flat against it through the whole range; with a fixed back pad, skip this step.
Load plates evenly onto the weight horns on both sides of the sled, and fit collars if the machine has them.

Sit all the way in with your lower back and hips flat on the pad, feet hip-width apart in the middle of the platform, toes turned out slightly.
Press the platform up until your legs are nearly straight, then turn the safety handles out to unlock the sled.
Inhale and lower the platform over 2-3 seconds, knees tracking over your toes, stopping just before your hips or lower back start to lift off the pad.
Exhale and press back up through your whole foot until your knees are nearly straight, without locking them.
At the end of the set, press the platform up, turn the safety handles back in so the sled rests on them, take your feet down, and only then get out of the machine; unload the plates once you are standing.

Set the travel stops before you get in, and always have the safety handles engaged as you get in and out — they are what holds the sled when you can't press it back up.
If you get stuck at the bottom and can't press it up, grab the handles, rotate the safety catches in so the sled rests on them, take your feet down and slide out to the side; if you can't reach the catches, hold the platform up with your legs and call whoever is next to you to set them, and never let the platform press down onto your chest.
Stop when your lower back starts to lift off the pad, and do not lock your knees out at the top.
Lower the platform slowly and under control; don't drop it and bounce out of the bottom.