Final month, I talked about how I’ve reincorporated weight machines into my strength-training exercises to good impact.
This yr, we’ll be doing a little articles on how one can use numerous weight machines correctly. One of many advantages of utilizing machines is that they’ve a a lot simpler studying curve than lifting barbells. However there are some things it’s best to find out about utilizing every with the intention to keep away from ache and damage and use them most successfully for constructing measurement and power.
First up in these tutorials is the leg extension machine, which targets your quadriceps and your quadriceps alone.
There’s some folklore on the market that the leg machine could cause accidents and places an excessive amount of stress on the knees. However this isn’t borne out by analysis, which has discovered that leg extensions are secure, together with for ACL rehabilitation.
There’s additionally a fantasy that leg extensions aren’t purposeful. However quad power interprets to every thing from strolling to working, and significantly to explosive actions like leaping and chopping. Additionally, as a result of individuals usually use compensating muscle tissue when doing different leg workout routines (particularly in the event that they’re coping with accidents), leg extensions, by isolating the quads, will help appropriate power imbalances created by these compensating methods. That is helpful in stopping new accidents, in addition to re-injuries, significantly a second ACL tear.
Not solely are leg extensions a secure strength-building train, additionally they assist offer you outlined and meaty legs, so you may confidently put on your shorty shorts round city. And, because you’re solely transferring a single joint, they carry out this perform with out requiring the form of restoration you want after doing the squat or leg press.
However since leg extensions, like all workout routines, are solely secure to do in the event you do them proper, let’s get into how one can carry out them correctly.
Setting Up the Machine
My dwelling health club, plate-loaded leg machine doesn’t have as many adjustment choices as one you’ll discover in a industrial health club, so I couldn’t dial in my place as a lot as you may be capable of, however this a typically good set-up place.
The leg extension itself is a straightforward motion. The massive factor it’s important to take note of is establishing the machine earlier than you begin doing them.
There are a number of changes to make to the machine earlier than you start this train to make sure ergonomic consolation, maximization of strength-producing, hypertrophy-creating drive, and the prevention of undue ache and pressure in your joints:
Weight stack/plates. There are totally different faculties of thought on what weight it’s best to use for leg extensions. One is that it’s best to go together with decrease weight since you’re solely utilizing a single joint to maneuver the burden, and also you’re not capable of exert that a lot drive with out type breaking down. To get the hypertrophic stimulus with decrease weight, you’ll must do excessive reps within the 15-20 vary. For those who’re going to go the excessive rep route with leg extensions, carry out them on the finish of your exercise, so that you don’t fatigue your self for the principle leg train just like the squat.
The opposite faculty of thought is that so long as you may carry out the reps with good type and with out ache, you may keep on with the standard 8-12 rep vary prescribed for hypertrophy and go heavier.
Experiment and discover what works for you.
Seat again distance. The seat again could be adjusted forwards or backwards. Positioning it accurately will reduce undue pressure in your knees and let you produce most drive. You need to transfer the seat again in order that whenever you sit down, your knees will not be too far in entrance of the sting of the seat’s base, nor too far again. Your knees ought to align with the leg bar’s pivot level. The creases on the backs of the knees ought to sit in opposition to the sting of the butt pad.
Leg pad top. The pad that may sit on high of your decrease legs can typically be adjusted up or down. The pad ought to relaxation the place the ankle flexes. Not up in your shins or down in the direction of your toes.
Leg bar vary of movement. The leg bar could be adjusted in order that it sits kind of underneath the seat’s base. The additional again it sits, the larger the vary of movement that shall be doable in your leg extensions. Modify the leg bar to full depth to maximise the vary of movement.
There’s typically additionally a pad that may be adjusted over the thighs to lock them down. As your butt/legs shouldn’t come up in the event you’re positioned accurately and do the train correctly, this pad isn’t vital.
When you’ve acquired all these changes in place, chances are you’ll need to make an observation someplace of the numbered positions of every piece, so the subsequent time you utilize the machine, you received’t must spend time fiddling round and making the changes by trial and error.
Doing Leg Extensions
Now that the machine is about up proper, it’s time to do a correct leg extension:
Gradual and managed. The massive mistake individuals make with this train is bouncing/swinging the leg bar up, utilizing momentum, and letting it drop again down. As a substitute, you need to carry the bar up and produce it down in a gradual and managed method. Gradual and managed is the trail to hypertrophy.
Raise the bar. As you elevate the leg bar, you’re not lifting your butt and hips up. You’re not rocking forwards and backwards; solely your legs are transferring, not the higher half of your physique. Butt stays in touch with the seat’s base pad; again stays in touch with the seat’s again pad. Lean again just a little. Grip the handles to maintain your butt down.
Steadily convey the bar up till you attain full knee extension/peak contraction. Pause for a second throughout this high maintain. Squeeze. Really feel and relish the burn.
Decrease the bar. A lot of hypertrophy occurs throughout the eccentric section of a carry, so decrease the bar in the identical gradual and managed method that you just lifted it — its descent ought to take a full one to 2 seconds.
Somewhat than slamming again down, the burden ought to simply gently contact the burden stack because it returns. When you hear it frivolously clang, carry the bar up once more and do one other rep.
Toe place makes little distinction. Preserving your toes straight forward versus angling them just a little inwards or outwards can create small variations by which components of the quads get labored. However except you’re an elite bodybuilder, this isn’t one thing you should fear about. Preserving your toes straight or tilted barely in is ok. Do no matter feels most snug for you, as this may enable you produce most drive.
Go for full vary of movement. Go all the way in which up and all the way in which down with every rep. For those who can solely carry the leg bar midway up, the burden is simply too heavy.
Go laborious. Don’t simply mindlessly crank out leg extensions, tacking them on to the tip of your exercise with out giving them a lot effort. Simply going by the motions received’t construct muscle. You have to be doing units that convey you inside one to 2 reps of failure.
Positive it hurts, however it hurts so good, child.
Leg extensions could be carried out utilizing only a single leg at a time, which could be helpful for addressing power imbalances.
As a result of leg extensions solely work the quads, they need to be carried out in a program that features different leg workout routines like squats, leg presses, and lunges.
