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BeginnerLeg Extension Machine

About

It's a workout that can intensively train the muscles in the front of your thighs!

How to One Leg Extension

Starting Position

1. Position your body in the center of the machine and adjust it so that the back of your knees touches the edge of the pad.

2. Set the ankle pad to be above your ankles.

3. Pull your feet towards your body so that your ankles form a 90-degree angle.

4. Hold the handles and keep your hips and back pressed against the machine.

Proper Form

1. Please lift until your knee is fully extended.

2. Please contract from the front of your thigh near the knee up to the top of your thigh near the hip.

3. Slowly lower down until the angle of your knee is 90 degrees while resisting the weight.

Breathing Technique

Exhale when you raise your legs and inhale when you lower them.

Muscles One Leg Extension Works

Muscles used

Quadsfront of the thighs from above the knees toward the hips

Main muscleSit in the machine and straighten one knee to lift the pad forward. The main muscle driving this movement is the quad of the working leg. It contracts to extend the knee and lift the lower leg.

Supporting musclesThis is an isolation exercise, so no other large muscle group should be doing much of the work.

How it should feelAs you extend the leg, the front of the working thigh should tighten and feel full. Near the top, the quad should feel the strongest.

Signs you're offIf your hips lift off the seat or your torso leans to one side, quad isolation is breaking down. If you snap your knee into lockout, your knee joint may take extra stress.

Remember thisKeep your hips fixed to the seat and lift the pad by squeezing one quad.

Setting Up for One Leg Extension

Setup orderAdjust your body position so your knee rests on the edge of the seat → Position the ankle pad in front of the ankle of the leg to be exercised

knee position
Set it like thisWhen sitting on the seat, first adjust your body position so that the knee of the leg you will be exercising naturally rests on the edge of the seat.
How to checkMake sure your knees aren't pushed too far up on the seat or sticking out too much.
Ankle pad
Set it like thisAfter aligning your body, adjust the pad position so that it is right in front of the ankle of the leg you are exercising.
How to checkThe pad should be placed right in front of the ankle, not on the top of the foot or the middle of the shin.

Watch out forAvoid starting with knee of the leg being exercised does not align with the edge of the seat, or the pad is positioned in the middle of the shin when starting.

Stance for One Leg Extension

Foot widthSit with your hips against the seat, and place the working-side ankle behind the pad.

Where your weight goesKeep your hips and back against the seat, and keep the ankle behind the pad.

Upper body positionSit so the working-side knee lines up with the moving axis of the machine.

Why it mattersIf your knee position is off, your knee may feel uncomfortable as you extend the leg.

How to Grip for One Leg Extension

Grip typeHold the handles on both sides of the seat with both hands.

Grip widthHold the same position on both handles, so one hand is not farther forward or back than the other.

How hard to gripPlace the handles in the middle of your palms and wrap your thumbs around them.

The Key Point for One Leg Extension

Press your buttocks against the seat, lift one shin forward, and tighten the front of your thigh.

Think of it like thisA feeling of tightening the front of the thighs

Before the fixLean your body back or quickly spring your leg up.

After the fixI feel tension in the front of one thigh, and my torso isn't shaking.

Common Mistakes in One Leg Extension

Leaning back with the upper body and spreading the legs wide
Why it's wrongIf you lean your upper body back, you will spread the pads using your waist and momentum rather than pushing with the sides of your hips.
How to fix itSecure your pelvis and back to the seat, and push the pad outwards to the side of your hips.
Spreading the knees quickly as if bouncing
Why it's wrongIf you bounce too quickly, the gluteus medius retains its position for a shorter time, and the stimulation to the target muscle weakens.
How to fix itMaintain tension on the sides of your hips while controlling the movement slowly both when spreading and returning.
The direction of the toes keeps shaking
Why it's wrongIf the direction of your toes is uneven, stimulation may leak to the outer thigh or the front of the hip joint rather than the side of the buttocks.
How to fix itKeep your toes pointing forward or slightly outward, and move your knees in the same direction.