Seated Leg Extensions

[adzy]

Hey guys,
One of the personal trainers approached me the other day while i was doing my seated leg extensions. He went on to say that this particular exercise puts a lot of stress on a certain part of the leg (can't remember specifically). He said if i were to do this exercise then not to go heavy, or alternatively not perform it at all.

Is there any truth to what he was telling me. I really like the contraction i get from this exercise and the massive pump! I'd feel guilty not attacking my quads in this way.

What do you guys think?

[jjfman]

Alright mate I'm not a big fan of this exercise bcoz I do feel when going heavy it does put alot of stress on my Knees. I do keep it in my leg routine though I use it as a warm up for my squats to get the blood into the knees or I use a reasonable weight and really control it and get the squueze at the top. But as for training heavy on leg extensions it's a no go for me.

[adzy]

So using the routine you do, are you seeing good progress specifically in the quads?

[BigBuck6]

In simple terms, this exercise does put a a great shearing force across the knee joint. On the other hand physical therapists use it extensively in their knee injury rehabilitation programs. With that being said, I would suggest staying under 80% or so of your 1rm. Going heavy is relative to the individual as I personally stack that whole machine and still bust out 10 reps so be careful and use proper form. Another variation is to turn your feet in, out, and straight ahead to hit some different angles to real feel a burn in your quads.

[adzy]

Thanks for the reply BigBuck, I've never adjusted my feet at all, i always have kept them straight ahead.
I was advised to use the exercise to strengthen my knee after i dislocated it a few years ago (unrelated to body building).
However this guy was implying working a lot lower than 80%, I've personally never felt any discomfort but than again it only takes one time for an injury to occur.

[jjfman]

Yeah I do see good results this is my leg workout

warm up 3 light sets leg extension

5 sets squats
2 sets single leg press (machine)
3 sets stiff leg/Russian deadlift
3 sets lunges holding DB
4 sets calve raises

Some may say that's over training but I've built that routine up through the years and added exercicses/sets/reps as my legs grew stronger.

[green22]

I use it as a warm up, then at the end as a final quad pump. Usually I dont go over 130 lbs as heavier weight does hurt my knees. I like the pump from extentions but never use it for mass. Squats take care of that.

[FireGuy]

Not the best exercise in the world for the knees and turning your feet inwards or outwards only compounds the issue.

[adzy]

Judging by the feed back I might just have to include the exercise at the end of my leg workout or immediately after squats to finish those quads off. Ill keep it relatively light with higher reps (12-15).