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Overview
Leg extensions are an isolation exercise used to shred up the quad muscles and add definition. Extensions are not considered a mass building exercise… building mass in the legs lies more in the realm of the squats and leg presses. This exercise effectively isolates the entire quadriceps muscle group on the front of the thigh with very little assistance from other muscle groups.
Setup
Leg extensions machines can adjust at both the back rest and at the foot-pressing pad to match your size. Adjust the back rest of the seat so that your knees are just above the end of the seat, and adjust the foot pad so that your ankle rest just below it. Take a seat in the leg extension machine, select a proper weight from the weight stack, and take the hand grips on either side of the seat.
Movement
Use the muscles in your thighs to press the foot pads forward and upward as high as possible. Hold at this top position for a couple seconds and let your legs contract at the peak of this movement. Holding at the top of the movement is where the definition and shredded look is added to your legs. After holding at the top, lower the foot pad back downward until your legs return to their original position.
Tips From the Trainer
As noted above, leg extensions are not a mass building exercise but instead focus on creating definition in the thigh muscles. Mass building exercises such as squats and leg presses are best done before extensions when the legs have full energy. Perform extensions after your heavier leg exercises toward the end of your workout.
Leg extensions can also be done one leg at a time. This can help you to focus more on the leg being worked at the moment.
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