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Bodybuilders also like the leg extension because it can produce an enormous pump in the frontal thighs. The leg extension is highly regarded among bodybuilders - including at the advanced level - because it's the only way to completely isolate the quadricep muscles. That doesn't mean however, that beginners couldn't or shouldn't start with exercises like squats or split squats, but people who have trouble with barbell squat form might prefer to start strength training with an exercise that has almost no learning curve. The leg extension machine is so simple to perform, it can be a good exercise for beginners. Plate-loaded leg extension machines are less common, but often seen in well-equipped commercial gyms or on some multi-purpose home gym machines. Every gym has one, and modern leg extension machines usually have weight stacks. However it is most often performed on a leg extension machine because the machine is the most effective.

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The muscles of the glutes, hips, hamstrings are not involved as they are in compound exercises like lunges, leg presses and squats.Ĭan you do a leg extension without a machine? Yes, it's possible to do leg extensions with other types of resistance (bands, free weights or even ankle weights). The leg extension is known as a single-joint (or isolation) exercise because the only movement being worked is extension (straightening) of the leg at the knee. Recent studies have found that the leg extension activates the rectus femoris muscle more as compared to squats. This includes the vastus medialis, the vastus lateralis, the vastus intermedius and the rectus femoris. The primary muscles worked during the leg extension are the quadriceps, the muscles on the front of the thigh. Some people would benefit greatly from this exercise, especially bodybuilders, while others, due to orthopedic issues, would be prudent to take a pass.

The same thing is true for the leg extension. But for some people, due to pre-existing injuries and or unfavorable biomechanics, barbell squats are actually not a good choice at all.

The squat is widely considered the king of lower body exercises, much favored over the leg extension. 'Bad' or 'dangerous' exercises make good headlines and clickbait, but the best coaches today will tell you that no exercise is completely good or completely bad, there is only poor application and poor performance of any movement. No exercise should either be put on a pedestal or condemned without considering the context, including each individual's goals, needs and orthopedic condition. The truth is, almost every exercise has pros and cons, risks and benefits and should be evaluated and prescribed on that basis. This exercise has ended up on lists of 'machines that hurt you,' it has been called 'non-functional,' and has even been criticized as utterly ineffective.Īll of these statements are false. Leg extensions have gotten a bad rap in recent years. Skip to bottom of page for leg extension video demos

Quad sweep development