Do you skip leg days? I don’t and you shouldn’t either. At Speediance we encourage all our members to work out their lower body as much as they would work out their upper body.
Strong legs mean strong quadriceps, but squats and leg presses alone won’t give you that massive wheels. You have to exercise your quad meat with a leg extension for explosive growth. The only problem is most people don’t have access to fancy leg extension machines.
So, what else can you do? One simple alternative is to buy a Speediance Gym Monster. You can do a lot of exercises on this one gym equipment including leg extension alternatives. Or you can opt for a bodyweight leg extension alternatives.
In this blog post, you’ll find leg extension alternatives that you can do on Speediance Gym Monster. Let’s explore the various creative ways to load and isolate your quads without a machine.
Anatomy and Function of the Quadriceps
The quadriceps muscles are composed of four major muscles and are collectively known as quadriceps femoris. The four main muscles that make up the quadriceps are:
Rectus Femoris
This muscle is the longest of the four and runs diagonally across the thigh. It is the only muscle in the quadriceps group that crosses both the hip and knee joints. This means that major squatting patterns won’t maximally stimulate it. You need leg extension or alternative exercises to fully activate this part. This muscle plays a significant role in movements that involve lifting the leg or kicking, such as running or cycling.
Vastus Lateralis
Vastus Lateralis located on the outer side of the thighs. It attaches just below your hip crease to just below your knee making it extremely effective at extending your knee joint. You need this muscle for knee extension activities like squatting and jumping.
Vastus Medialis
Vastus Medialis is a near mirror image of your Vastus Lateralis located at the inner side of the thigh. It originates just below your hip crease to just below your knee. These muscles help stabilize the kneecap and prevent knee valgus (inward knee collapse).
Vastus Intermedius
Vastus Intermedius originates from the upper two-thirds of your thigh, slightly out to the lateral side. It then attaches just below your knee, making it similarly effective at extending your leg like the other quadriceps muscles. It is primarily responsible for knee extension and works in conjunction with the other quadriceps muscles. Growing these muscles helps puff up the entire leg as they grow together.
Leg Extension Machine and It’s Drawback
The leg extension machine is one of the most used machines when it comes to quads muscles. The exercises involve sitting on the machine with a weighted pad on top of your lower legs. Then you use your quads to repeatedly extend your knees and lift your lower legs.
The leg extension is the best exercise that any trainer will recommend for a great quad workout routine. No doubt, it’s an excellent move for strengthening your quadriceps but sometimes you need to mix things up for effective outcomes.
Moreover, aside from the quads, it doesn’t target any other muscles. It is good for developing quads but not for overall leg strength. Plus, it also puts a lot of pressure on the knees, increasing the risk of injury.
Whereas, leg extension alternative work on your quads and other legs muscles as well. They‘re also less stressful on the knees.
Why Alternatives are better
Leg extension alternatives engage more leg muscles, like the glutes and hamstrings. Some exercises even work your core, which is important for good posture and balance.
Here are some reasons why you should opt for leg extension alternatives.
Build Your Overall Leg
Although leg extensions are known to help build the quadriceps, sometimes it does not activate all the four muscles of the quads. To activate all the muscles in your legs including the four quad muscles you might need to target the muscles from different angles. And this is possible only with leg extension alternatives.
No Machines Requires
The leg extension is a great piece of training equipment, but you’re required to have a gym membership or the resources to buy the machine itself. With leg extension alternatives you don’t need fancy machines, you can do the exercise with your body weight or barbells. Moreover, doing leg extension alternatives on Speediance Gym Monster can drastically elevate your workout performance.
Plenty of Options
Most people think leg extension is the only option to train the quads at its best. Well, that’s not true. Leg extension alternatives give you endless possibilities to target your quads from different angles. The plethora of alternatives provides a great selection of options to keep you effectively moving throughout your workout session.
Engage Your Core
Many leg extension alternatives, especially compound movements like squats and lunges, engage the core muscles to maintain balance and stability. This leads to improved core strength and stability, which benefits overall athletic performance and posture.
Better Range of Motion
Compared to fixed leg movement, leg extension alternatives like squats allow for a better range of motion. This can help improve flexibility and mobility in the hips, knees, and ankles. It also improves movement efficiency and reduces the risk of stiffness or injury.
Leg Extension Alternative for Strong Quads
Here is a list of extension alternatives created by Oksana, Speediance fitness coach.
Quad Quench
Exercise 1 - Kneeling Ankle Mobilizer
1.Starting in kneeling position, rotate back leg behind at 90 degree.
2.Holding lead foot to floor, shift your body forward to increase mobility and angle at ankle.
3.Do this by pushing knee forward over toes and be sure to keep heel always on the floor.
Exercise 2 - Kneel Spine Rotate (Right/Left)
1.Kneel with one knee on floor and other leg infront with knee at 90 degree.
2.Keeping chest up, rotate body towards the lead leg and use hands to actively assist the rotation.
3.Do not allow hips to rotate with this movement.
4.After 3-4 times, switch legs and repeat on opposite side.
Exercise 3 - Barbell Back Squat
1.Set machine attach mounts at floor position.
2.Attach the barbell to the mounts.
3.Carfully place barbell on shoulders.
4.Stand with feet hip width apart,toes pointed out slightly.
5.Keeping chest up, drive hips back.
6.Allow knees to come forward in direction toes are facing.
7.Aim to get 90 degrees at both knees,with eyes forward.
8.Driving thru heels, lift body back to start position.
Exercise 4 - Barbell Front Squat
1.Set machine attach mounts at floor position.
2.Attach the barbell to the mounts.
3.Lift Bar to hold in the front racked position.
4.Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart, Toes pointed out slightly.
5.Keeping chest up, push knees forward and hips slightly backwards.
6.Lower body with the aim to sit between your feet.
7.Lower till quads are slightly below horizontal positions.
8.Driving thru heels, lift body back to start position.
Exercise 5 - Left/Right Leg Barbell Lunge(x3)
1.Set machine attach mounts at floor position.
2.Attach the barbell to the mounts.
3.Carfully place barbell on shoulders and setup in the Lunge Stance.
4.Keeping chest up, drop rear knee towards floor
5.Front knee to stay over the foot (don't let knee drift sideways).
6.Aim to get 90 degrees at both knees.
7.Driving thru front heel, lift body back to start position.
Exercise 6- Cable Seated Leg Extension (Left/Right)(x3)
1.Adjust the inclined bench to a seventy-five-degree angle and make sure that the front seat bar is properly supported.
2.Tie the leg buckle on the right ankle and lie on the inclined bench. Bend your right hip and knee, and curl the weight up as far as possible. 3.In this movement, keep your body balanced. Exhale as your knee stretch. Make sure to squeeze your quads tightly and lock your knee joint.
Exercise 7 - Left-Leg/Right-Leg Standing Heel Raises (x4)
1.Stand tall with your right leg on the edge of the footboard and your right hand holding the handle. Grab the beam with the other hand for balance.
2.Raise your right heel off the floor to feel the muscle flex in the calf and lower it back down with nice control.
Let Normal People Look While You Build Abnormal Size and Strength
Not having a leg extension machine doesn’t mean you can’t build monster quads. There are many exercises you can do instead of leg extensions. These alternatives involve more muscles, so you’ll get a more functional workout. Doing leg extensions on a machine will work the quads, but it won’t strengthen any other muscles.
If have just bought the Gym Monster and planning to start strength training, make sure to talk to our trainer. They can create a workout plan that’s appropriate for your overall health and fitness level. Visit an expert if you have knee, leg, or hip issues. You might require supervision to safely do leg workouts.
