How to Use a Leg Extension Machine With Weak & Painful Knees

Exercise Without Knee Pain

The leg extension machine is an excellent piece of workout equipment that can be used to improve the strength in the knees and quad muscles. Unfortunately, this exercise can be kind of difficult to do if you are someone dealing with weak and painful knees. Today, I am going to explain how I did assisted leg extensions with one of my clients. The video linked above will give you a great live demonstration of what I did as well!

The Simple Fix

One thing to note with this technique, is that you will need a training partner to work with when you are doing this exercise. Whoever is the one doing the leg extension machine, should then get into the machine. What you will do, as noted in the video, is put the resistance stack as low as it can. Then, the partner will actually help move the extension machine out in front. Once the actual machine is extended out, the partner who is working will slowly lower the machine back down into the starting position. The free partner, will them assist with the first part of the movement again. The working partner, will of course lower the machine all the way down to the starting position again. This will be done multiple times until exhaustion.

What Are We Doing?

This technique of exercise is called “eccentrics.” We are doing the eccentric phase of this specific exercise only, compared to doing a concentric and eccentric. The eccentric is much easier to do. By doing eccentrics, over time we can build the strength to do a full concentric and eccentric exercise. Another way to think about this is doing a push-up. Lowering yourself on a push-up (eccentric) is much easier than pushing yourself actually back up (concentric.) You can practice push-up lowers, forgoing the concentric, and then building back up over time!

Before You Leave..

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How To Use a Leg Press Machine With Bad Knees

My Knees Hurt! If you enjoy using the leg press machine at the gym, but struggle to use it consistently because your knees often hurt when doing it, today that is all going to change. This article detail why you might have any pain when doing a leg press, and make simple modification to hopefully…