LEG EXTENSIONS

Aside from stretching, I rank leg extensions high on my importance list every time I'm working on my legs.  With pretty much every lower body exercise, your knees are the center of the impact.  Therefore, you want them to be as limber and warmed-up as possible, but for people who do a lot of heavy lifting (and women wanting to build up their booty) you always want your knees to be as strong as possible.

There is, however, much debate on whether leg extensions do more bad than good for your knees.  Some studies show that this exercise might cause too much strain--which, of course, is the exact opposite of what you're trying to do.

Personally, I had some issues with my knees growing up as an avid dancer and basketball and soccer (indoor and outdoor) player.  These activities put a lot of pressure on my joints, including my knees and I found they would puff up with water after intense workouts, especially running.  I never went to the doctor to get them checked out because they didn't get to the point of keeping me from exercising, but when I started lifting weights, they did start to bother me more often.

When I first started to try to build my lower body, I would do a lot of squats and lunges.  Being inexperienced and lifting heavy weight is NOT a good combination.  I didn't stretch or warm up properly.  My knees took the heat of the weight.  As soon as someone suggested I begin my weights sets with a round of leg extensions, I saw a big change in my workouts.  The muscles around my knees began to get stronger, and therefore support my knees for a steadier, more intense workout.  So adding leg extensions worked for me and I feel that they have helped support my knees during my heavy-weight lower body workouts.

But since there is debate on whether this exercise is good for you, I strongly suggest you do your own research first.  If you do decide to try adding leg extensions to your workout, make sure you do them the right way for the safest, most effective result:

*Adjust the machine according to your body's size, height and range of motion to avoid doing the exercise wrong and to prevent injury!

-  When sitting on a leg extensions machine, your knee joint should align with the pivot point on the machine.

-  Your back should be flush against the back of the chair (as with any exercise, engage your abdomen muscles to support your back)

-  Angle your feet slightly outwards.  This is the natural position of the body--pointing your feet and toes straight actually twists the knees the wrong way, so be sure to rest at a comfortable, natural position.

-  Do not let your ankles come as far as to be underneath your knees, bring them down to just slightly angled in front of your knees.  Bringing your ankles down under your knees (the farthest the machine will go) takes the tension off your quads and puts all of the strain on your knees--this is the opposite of what you want from a leg extension exercise!  You may use less weight this way because the quads tire faster, but you won't need as much!

As with any exercise, don't be afraid to ask someone to show you the proper way...pick out the person with the best leg muscles!  And always, always: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY