Do you do leg extensions and why? I don't.

[Dangkolo]

why you don't keep the reps at 30-50 reps....I think you could avoid any injury that way......

We all want avoid injury and I understand what you are saying, I just really never felt the need for them and even when Phil prepared me for my contest he never included them. Take a look at some of my old pics, My quads are not all that but I don't believe my tear drops are suffering either.

Just my 2 cents

 

[brineal]

I wouldn`t eliminate extensions, I never hed any injury by incorporating in my leg rutin, and many other bbs with big leg devolapment(Tom Plaz, Phil Hernon just a few exemple) In a muscle stimulating study, safety squts hed 88% muscle fiber stimulating effect, seated leg extensions 86%, hack squats (90 degree angle) 78% and leg press 86%. If you know how do them correctly you will have no injury.

ive seen similar studies but I always feel like theyre suspect. whenever im reading them, im thinking, this is done with EMG using ergometer, and yes, those leg extensions will get the EMG screaming, especially if the ergo. is set at certain levels, that doesnt necessarily mean they are a useful exercise. Although extensions are excellent for isolation, thinking about total fiber recruitment, a squat or a leg press will incorporate a greater number of fibers across more muscle groups ( b/c of size principle of muscle fibers and number of joints included in the movement). extensions are an unnatural movement, the body is not really designed to bear weight in that motion. Also and because of this, the amount of weight which can be used is limited.

 

[KillerStack]

A few months ago I tore a piece off my teardrop doing front squats with a relatively light weight. Was just thinking I should start doing leg extensions, since I thought tears are very uncommon with them. But if Gunther really tore his legs that badly on them it makes me wonder.

What exercises CAN I do, being injury prone? Hacks are out of the question, feels like quads are about to rip off even with almost no weight. Back squats place lots of tension on the quad tendon and I get inflammation there. Front squats felt great until i heard a ripping sound. Thankfully it wasn't too bad. Just left a pretty small indentation.

I guess the solution is just to do very high reps on everything, like 50-100?

 

[KillerStack]

Leg extension is one of the best for peak contraction for the front thighs.

Yeah there's practically no tension when locking out a squat or leg press. But how important is "peak contraction"?

 

[Aaron Osaka]

Never.

 

[Elvia1023]

Like others stated if you watch your weight and do them correctly you shouldn't have any problems. I love them but only use them at a low weight for high reps (25-100). This is mainly done at the end of my workout. I sometimes warm up using extensions. If you go too heavy your asking for knee problems in the future.

You should try this at the end of your quad (leg) workout... you do 60 reps split into 4 15's. No rest in between apart from changng the weight. Your first 15 reps should be a low/moderate weight. I usually do 50kg or so but you could do much less if needed. After 15 reps quickly go to about 40kg (if you done 50), then 15 reps with 30. Your final 15 is back at your heaviest weight so in this case 50kg. Pick your weight carefully at the start. Go nice and slow on every rep. I guarantee your quads will be destroyed... shaking and unable to stand straight afterwards if you do these effectively.

 

[nickels]

I did them in high school.

 

[emeric delczeg]

ive seen similar studies but I always feel like theyre suspect. whenever im reading them, im thinking, this is done with EMG using ergometer, and yes, those leg extensions will get the EMG screaming, especially if the ergo. is set at certain levels, that doesnt necessarily mean they are a useful exercise. Although extensions are excellent for isolation, thinking about total fiber recruitment, a squat or a leg press will incorporate a greater number of fibers across more muscle groups ( b/c of size principle of muscle fibers and number of joints included in the movement). extensions are an unnatural movement, the body is not really designed to bear weight in that motion. Also and because of this, the amount of weight which can be used is limited.

Yes sguats and leg press incorporate more muscle groups, extension is only for the front leg muscles. Well extension of the leg it is naturla movment, just think about when you kick with your lage, you do extenstion.

 

[Matsuo Munefusa]

^ I did never quite understand why people on bodybuilding boards claim extension is an 'unnatural' movement. I always wonder if they never heard of KICKING

 

[CBRXX]

I've always done leg extensions, but lately I have been having some pain in my left knee. I have since been doing a lower weight with higher reps just to avoid aggravating what may be an injury. I have also stopped doing hack squats and have been doing lots of lighter weight leg presses in place of squats. So far so good. My knee has been feeling a lot better. I figure I'll give my knee a break for a few more weeks then start doing more squats and higher weight on my squats as well and see how it goes. Man, getting old s*&ks! But I do like doing leg extensions at the end of my leg workout.

 

[emeric delczeg]

Yeah there's practically no tension when locking out a squat or leg press. But how important is "peak contraction"?

If you competing in body building than is important, if you in power lifting than is not important.

 

[Phidias]

I do lots of extensions... but it's simply cause I've become too lazy to do squats or even leg press anymore... :naughty:

 

[ericraven2003]

I was speaking to Dave Palumbo today. He asked me if I was going to do leg extensions (we were at the gym). I said something like "I don't do leg extensions unless my lower back is messed up or something is wrong". He looked kind of surprised. I explained that I was of the belief that muscles grow and all you can do to show what they look like is to get leaner... which is why I'd just rather do all pressing motions for my quads. More bag for your buck.

His idea wasn't that they add more or less striations... but that they involve/activate muscles that don't get hit hard enough during the pressing motions, more stabilizers, etc. From this, I derived that this is the reasoning behind getting more sepration from such an exercise.

I probably won't change what I do... but it was the first time in a long time that somebody really made me question one of the very basic things I do (or don't do) because his reasoning made some sense.


Thoughts? Experiences?

In my best Mike Myers voice "Tauwwk amongst ya selves".

I started having serious knee pain, so I took the advice of a doctor that told me to cut out leg extenions and foucs on proper squats and dead lifts( I hate both but my knees were kiling). Within 2 months, 90% of my knee pain was gone. I will never do them again.

 

[JonnyO]

I like them, but dont so them all the time. Last workout I did some heavy sets of them at the end of my workout, followed with some medium weight 21's on the extension...my legs havent been that sore in a long time. Great exercise when done right in the routine.

 

[brineal]

Yes sguats and leg press incorporate more muscle groups, extension is only for the front leg muscles. Well extension of the leg it is naturla movment, just think about when you kick with your lage, you do extenstion.

knee extension is natural but it is not natural for the body to bear weight during knee extension

 

[ericraven2003]

knee extension is natural but it is not natural for the body to bear weight during knee extension

Exactly.

 

[Aaron Osaka]

ive seen similar studies but I always feel like theyre suspect. whenever im reading them, im thinking, this is done with EMG using ergometer, and yes, those leg extensions will get the EMG screaming, especially if the ergo. is set at certain levels, that doesnt necessarily mean they are a useful exercise. Although extensions are excellent for isolation, thinking about total fiber recruitment, a squat or a leg press will incorporate a greater number of fibers across more muscle groups ( b/c of size principle of muscle fibers and number of joints included in the movement). extensions are an unnatural movement, the body is not really designed to bear weight in that motion. Also and because of this, the amount of weight which can be used is limited.

Excellently summed up.

 

[sexyboy]

yup i love them i do em dorian yates style pre exhausted then ill go to leg press and finish with squats. Eithe way somtimes i dont do leg presses but im always finishing with squating or hack squats i use more legs and less back and i dont need to use alot of wieght cuase i am fried.'

SB

 

[brineal]

^ I did never quite understand why people on bodybuilding boards claim extension is an 'unnatural' movement. I always wonder if they never heard of KICKING

how many situations in everyday life have forced you to kick with a hundred plus pounds of resistance?

 

[Muler]

I start off my quad day with 1 set of 100 reps on the leg extention machine ad then at the very end of quads, i do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. The 100 pre workout is brutal!!! You will feel muscles you dont usually feel.

:yeahthat:

I have been doing the 100 reps set preworkout for about a year now, (you can drop a plate at 50 if you need to, but try not to stop). I started this after watching a Branch Warren video. I like it for warming up the knees so they are really primed not to mention the pump is incredible.