Leg Extension Exercise Tips

Video Transcript

"Leg extension works the upper part of the thigh known as quadriceps, hence four muscles that make up the quadriceps. Also into the intricate stabilizers of the knee. A very common piece of equipment that you'll see in every gym and can also be one of the most unsafe pieces of equipment if not adhered to correctly. So the first thing that you want to do is make sure you've got a weight selected again, that you're going to fatigue the quadriceps in about twelve to fifteen reps. You'll always see these that put you at a little bit of a decline or incline depending on which direction you're coming from. With this one I like to do unilateral, one leg at a time. It really helps just focus on all the mechanics on one side. You've got a lot going on here. We're going to take that knee joint, which is the hinge joint responsible for stabilizing this exercise. And we're going to line it up with that point of origin. You always see one of these, obviously were the bar comes from on the leg extension. Now I try not to encourage this slumping back into the back pad on the seat here. I like people to be a little more upright, neutral pelvis and then I'll be out front usually, and if you notice where, if you have one of these that starts where the knee is flexed forward, I want you to come out so you have a nice line from your knee to your ankle when you start this exercise. Try never to start any type of lower body exercise with that knee flexed and loaded. We're going to come out here, starting point, and we're going to come up to the point where we feel it. All these muscles connecting down into the side of the knee here on the top of the leg into the knee. But we don't want to lock out the joint. And back down. Big inhale on the way down because you're going to exhale on exertion which contraction phase. Boom, right there, peak contraction. And if you need to, you can grab here. Just try not to squeeze. Keep breathing. A lot of people will squeeze up here with their upper body, and all the oxygen can't get downstairs where you're working right now. And it's not going to take a whole lot of weight to fatigue one side at a time. Again, knee nice and soft and you've only got one side you have to concentrate here at a time. And you really want to hold it and make sure that you hit those muscles where they insert there into the top and side of the knee. And that's what physical therapists like best when they use this piece of equipment. One more, hold up and squeeze. And again, when you come down to that stopping point, go ahead and put your other leg in there and slide over so you don't let yourself get that flex and loaded position with your knee too far forward. And then you just work the other side the same way. Come in, if you got somebody to pull that pad out there to a starting point, that's even better. Other leg on the inside, but you're going to leave this one on slack. Boom, still at that point of origin there, right there where that hinge is in the piece of equipment. And I've got myself lifted upright. I'm using my core. If you need to, you can hold on here. And release. And that's a good way to hit the quads. The four muscles on top of the thigh there. Good performance, good therapy, muscle and it also is good for strengthening and stabilizing the knee."