The leg extension is a popular gym exercise that targets the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thighs. However, it’s also an exercise that places a lot of strain on the knees due to the unnatural motion. Fortunately, you can build leg strength effectively through alternative exercises that don’t put pressure on the knee joint.
Squats
Squats are one of the best compound leg strengthening exercises you can do. They target your quads, hamstrings and glutes while sparing the knees. To emphasize the quads like you would with leg extensions, do:
Front Squats
With the barbell held in front of your torso rather than behind your shoulders, front squats better isolate the quadriceps. Make sure to keep your chest up to avoid excessive forward lean.
Narrow Stance Squats
Position your feet closer together and squat down so your thighs dip to at least parallel depth or deeper. The narrower stance really works the quads.
Lunges
Forward lunges and their many variations develop leg strength while keeping the impact lower than squats. Some great quad-focused lunge variations include:
Walking Lunges
Take a larger step forward into each lunge to increase the range of motion for your quads. Keep your torso upright as you walk.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Stand with one foot elevated behind you, descend into your lunge until your front thigh is parallel, drive back up powerfully. Doing all reps on one side, then switching, provides a great quad burn.
Drop Lunges
Step into your lunge, lower down so both knees bend to 90 degrees, drop your back knee to the floor with control. Drive back up to standing, alternate legs with each rep.
Step-ups
Step-ups target your glutes and quads without particular knee strain. You can up the intensity by:
Using a Weighted Vest
Add extra resistance to make each rep more challenging without impacting your joints much.
Increased Step Height
Use a box or bench 12 to 24 inches off the ground. The taller the box, the tougher it’ll be on your thighs.
Single Leg Step-ups
Removing the assistance your back leg provides requires greater effort from your front leg quadriceps.
Sled Training
Pushing a weighted sled trains your quads and glutes to apply force while moving. Using a leg press machine sled is easiest, or you can get an outdoor pushing sled. Simply keep your chest lifted and drive the sled forward using force from your heels.
Using alternatives to leg extensions allows you to build leg strength while being kinder to your knees. Experiment with the options above to find those you like and can progress over time.
Also discover – Leg Extension Alternatives
