Leg extensions
LegsMachineBeginner
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About
Leg extensions are an isolation exercise for the quadriceps performed on a machine: you sit down, place your shins behind a padded roller, and extend your knees against resistance. All four muscles that make up the quadriceps—the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius—are engaged. Of these, only the rectus femoris also crosses the hip joint, which is why the angle of the backrest is a machine setting worth paying attention to.
How to do it
- 1Adjust the seat so that your knee aligns with the machine’s axis of rotation, then sit down with your back pressed against the backrest.
- 2Position the roller low, against the lower part of your shins, just above your ankles.
- 3Recline the backrest as far as it will go, grasp the handles, and keep your pelvis and back pressed firmly against the pads.
- Equipment
- Machine
- Level
- Beginner