Seated leg flexion and extension is a good fitness exercise. Of course, seated leg flexion and extension also has many functions. However, many people do not know the essentials of the seated leg flexion and extension. Of course, some people still know the essentials of the action. So what are the essentials of seated leg extensions? Let’s learn about seated leg extensions together!
Essentials of leg flexion and extension in seated position
1. After selecting the weight, sit on the leg extender, with your ankles behind the pad, your feet close to the ankle pad, hook your toes, sit upright, with your buttocks and lower back close to the seat cushion, raise your head, and lift your chest , draw in your abdomen, face forward, and hold the edge of the seat or the handle. This is the starting position of the movement.
2. While exhaling, use your quadriceps to slowly extend your knee joints through the full range and extend your legs to the maximum extent. Make sure the rest of your body remains still in the seat. Hold the tense position for 1 second.
3. While inhaling, slowly lower the weight to the original position, making sure not to exceed the 90-degree angle limit in front of the calves.
4. Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.
Precautions for leg flexion and extension in sitting posture
1. In the preparation stage, adjust the mat so that it falls on your ankles, making sure that there is a 90-degree angle between the upper and lower legs of your legs. If the angle is less than 90 degrees, it means the knees are past the toes, which puts unnecessary pressure on the knee joints.
2. Keep the knee joint parallel to the axis of the machine, and adjust the position of the back pad if necessary. If possible, keep your knees in contact with the front edge of the seat.
3. Sit as far back as possible, keeping your buttocks and lower back close to the seat at all times.
4. When the legs are completely straightened, the knees must not be completely straightened. Most of the force will be borne by the muscles, otherwise the knees will be easily injured.
5. During the movement, you must achieve "unison of thought and movement" and always focus on the quadriceps muscles.
6. This action can also be performed unilaterally, that is, one leg at a time.
Common mistakes in seated leg extensions
1. The upper back is too far back
The upper back of the body leans too far back, instead of pressing the buttocks and lower back against the stool. The sitting posture is very relaxed and lazy, so that the back of the bodyThere will be a big gap in the surface. As a result, you can only do half of the movement, which greatly reduces the range of movement and reduces the stimulation of the quadriceps muscles.
2. Lean forward
When the quadriceps muscles contract and lift upwards, the body should not lean forward, and it is not advisable to lift the gluteus maximus muscles to use force. This will put a lot of pressure on the waist and easily cause waist injuries. The main reason is that the exercise load is too large and the details of the movements are not paid attention to. When starting to practice, the load should not be too heavy and should be done gradually.
3. Use inertia
Just throwing the weight up, without performing peak contraction, as if using inertia, quickly throw the weight out, or even let the equipment leave the feet, this is of no use.
4. Not hooking the toes
The quadriceps muscles are not completely contracted; the toes are always raised during the entire movement. The purpose is to keep the quadriceps muscles in a tense state and improve the quality of the movement.