Often times, people rely on two fundamental exercises when training their legs; machine leg extensions (for quadriceps), and machine leg curls (for hamstrings). And although this isn't awful, there is significant room for improvement. Here's why:
Quadriceps
While the leg extension machine may seem like a safer alternative to lunges and squats, it's actually quite the opposite. A study at the Mayo Clinic determined that leg extensions place significantly more stress on your knees than free-weight lunges and squats do. Why? The resistance during a leg extension is placed near your ankles, which leads to high amounts of torque being applied to your knee joint very time you lower the weight. So, next time you train, substitute dumbbell lunges for extensions!
Hamstrings
The main function of your hamstrings is to extend or push your hips forward. The machine leg curl, however, only requires you to flex your knees. While this is good, there are other exercises that will train your hamstrings to do both. The Swiss-ball hip raise and leg curl requires both knee flexion and hip extension so it's a better choice!
As with all exercises, please pay particular attention to proper form and technique as it will help you maximum your results!
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