Exercise Video Demo:  We’ve all seen those guys in the gym.  They have massive biceps, a broad back, chisled chest, huge shoulders and then legs so tiny it makes them look as though they’re about to tip over!  Not only are powerful legs important for a well balanced and defined physique, but they’re a calorie burning machine!  The largest muscle group of the body are the leg muscles and there are almost countless ways to train them. This Leg Extension Exercise Video Demo shows you proper technique for anyone’s level of fitness.

The Quads

The Quadriceps Femoris literally means “4 headed muscle of the femur.”  It’s main function is as the extensor muscle of the knee joint and it is also a flexor of the hip joint.  An extensor muscle increase the angle of a body part and a flexor decreases the angle between two body parts.  When doing a Leg Extension exercise you’re straightening the knee thus creating a larger angle, and a squat would be an example of the quads working as a flexor muscle because it is shortening the angle at the hip.

Leg Extension Exercise Video

1.  Sit back comfortably on the leg extension machine.  Your knee should be in alignment with the axis of the machine.

2.  Pick a comfortable weight on the weight stack for your first set.  While grasping the handles located on either side of the seat, execute the exercise by straightening the leg.

3.  Slowly lower the leg back to the starting position without allowing the weight to rest back on the weight stack until you’ve completed your full set of reps.

Tips for the Leg Extension

–  It’s important to keep your abs tight and back stable against the seat rest.  This will help you to avoid the tendency to want to use momentum to lift the weight up.

–  Using a tempo of  1:2 lower the weight back to starting position at a rate that is twice as slow as you raised it.  This will keep the quads under tension for a longer period of time by focusing on the “negative” part of the movement.

–  Don’t allow the weights to rest in between reps.  The goal should be constant tension until the full set is complete.

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