How to do it
- Set the seat so the pivot lines up with your knee joint and the pad sits above the ankle.
- Extend the legs until they are fully straight and squeeze hard.
- Lower slowly until just before the stack touches down.
Cues that matter
- The full lockout is where the quads work hardest — earn it.
- Lean the torso back slightly to bias the rectus femoris.
Common mistakes
- Slamming the stack and using momentum out of the bottom.
- Cutting the top of the range short.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Quads
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus medialis
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Leg Extension in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the quads with different equipment — for a day the machine is taken, or a gym that does not have one.