It's probably because those men have short torsos and long legs - people with that build have to bend over more to stay upright during squats (barbell back squats, specifically) than people with long torsos and short legs, so the muscle use shifts away from the legs/quads and towards the hips/lower back. So for people with short torsos and long legs, the leg press and squat don't use the same muscles, and strength from one doesn't translate specifically into strength for the other. http://nattyornot.com/in-defense-of-the-leg-press-reasons-not-to-squat/ More likely, the lardchugger in the OP is doing puny, shitty leg press "reps" of a couple inches if she's not lying entirely.