Be Weary Of This Leg Exercise

A staple in most people's leg day, but is it worth it?

Leg Extensions

Leg Extensions, are they good or bad for you? There's pros and cons to this workout but I feel the cons heavily outweigh the pros. Leg Extensions are a common exercise in almost everyone's leg day. If you follow any bodybuilders they will often recommend leg extensions for growth. Leg extensions are in almost every gym. They are the machine where your sit in a chair and you place your legs under a padded lever. From there you lift your legs engaging nothing but your quads.

I used to do leg extensions quite often but since I've gotten more involved in weightlifting I have strayed away from them. The leg extension machine applies constant tension on your ACL so people with any ligament injury history should avoid performing this exercise. The more you perform this exercise the higher risk you have to knee injuries and problems as you age. In reality this exercise doesn't give you any real life benefits except it strengthens your kicking movement. This exercise is not practical if you care about your long term knee health. Although it does have all these risks, if you're interested in just building your quads this exercise is great as you will see results quick. So all in all if you care about your long term health avoid this exercise, if you want to build your quads fast then leg extensions are for you. If you do decide to remove this exercise from your workout, squats and lunges are a great, safer alternative.