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 the way to 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 is 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 may be some folklore on the market that the leg machine may 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 protected, together with for ACL rehabilitation.
There’s additionally a fantasy that leg extensions aren’t practical. However quad power interprets to all the things from strolling to working, and notably to explosive actions like leaping and reducing. Additionally, as a result of folks typically use compensating muscle mass when doing different leg workouts (particularly in the event that they’re coping with accidents), leg extensions, by isolating the quads, may also help appropriate power imbalances created by these compensating methods. That is helpful in stopping new accidents, in addition to re-injuries, notably a second ACL tear.
Not solely are leg extensions a protected strength-building train, in addition 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 workouts, are solely protected to do in the event you do them proper, let’s get into the way to carry out them correctly.
Setting Up the Machine
My house gymnasium, plate-loaded leg machine doesn’t have as many adjustment choices as one you’ll discover in a business gymnasium, so I couldn’t dial in my place as a lot as you may be capable to, however this a typically good set-up place.
The leg extension itself is an easy motion. The large factor it’s important to take note of is organising 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 power, and the prevention of undue ache and pressure in your joints:
Weight stack/plates. There are completely different faculties of thought on what weight it is best to use for leg extensions. One is that it is 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 power with out type breaking down. To get the hypertrophic stimulus with decrease weight, you’ll must do excessive reps within the 15-20 vary. If you happen to’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 primary leg train just like the squat.
The opposite college of thought is that so long as you may carry out the reps with good type and with out ache, you may stick with the normal 8-12 rep vary prescribed for hypertrophy and go heavier.
Experiment and discover what works for you.
Seat again distance. The seat again will be adjusted forwards or backwards. Positioning it appropriately will decrease undue pressure in your knees and mean you can produce most power. You need to transfer the seat again in order that if you sit down, your knees aren’t 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 can sit on prime 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 direction of your toes.
Leg bar vary of movement. The leg bar will be adjusted in order that it sits roughly beneath the seat’s base. The additional again it sits, the larger the vary of movement that might be attainable in your leg extensions. Alter the leg bar to full depth to maximise the vary of movement.
There may be 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 appropriately and do the train correctly, this pad isn’t mandatory.
When you’ve bought all these changes in place, you might need to make an observation someplace of the numbered positions of every piece, so the subsequent time you employ the machine, you received’t should spend time fiddling round and making the changes by way of 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 large mistake folks make with this train is bouncing/swinging the leg bar up, utilizing momentum, and letting it drop again down. As an alternative, you need to carry the bar up and convey 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 somewhat. 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 prime maintain. Squeeze. Really feel and relish the burn.
Decrease the bar. A lot of hypertrophy occurs throughout the eccentric part of a carry, so decrease the bar in the identical gradual and managed method that you simply lifted it — its descent ought to take a full one to 2 seconds.
Quite than slamming again down, the burden ought to simply gently contact the burden stack because it returns. When you hear it evenly clang, carry the bar up once more and do one other rep.
Toe place makes little distinction. Holding your toes straight forward versus angling them somewhat inwards or outwards can create small variations wherein components of the quads get labored. However until you’re an elite bodybuilder, this isn’t one thing it is advisable fear about. Holding your toes straight or tilted barely in is ok. Do no matter feels most comfy for you, as it will assist you to produce most power.
Go for full vary of movement. Go all the way in which up and all the way in which down with every rep. If you happen to can solely carry the leg bar midway up, the burden is simply too heavy.
Go onerous. Don’t simply mindlessly crank out leg extensions, tacking them on to the top of your exercise with out giving them a lot effort. Simply going by way of the motions received’t construct muscle. You need 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 will be accomplished utilizing only a single leg at a time, which will be helpful for addressing power imbalances.
As a result of leg extensions solely work the quads, they need to be accomplished in a program that features different leg workouts like squats, leg presses, and lunges.
