Single-leg extensions aren’t as brutal as squats, but provide valuable benefits for your leg muscles.
If you’re feeling a bit exhausted on leg day, why not try single leg extensions? We understood: stage day it’s rough! But that doesn’t mean you get the green light to skip the leg workout. Not every leg day involves endless reps of the squat. Single leg extensions are an exercise that you can do without applying as much effort as squat would have you.
This unilateral (one limb) exercise works quads; pumping up these muscles means bigger legs. You also don’t need to use too much weight for this routine; in fact, you’re advised to avoid doing it because it’s a unilateral exercise, so you won’t be able to use weights as heavy as bilateral (multi-joint) exercises like squats.
So next time you’re thinking about skipping leg day because you’ve hit your limit for the week, how about doing single leg extensions? In this guide, you’ll learn how to do this exercise, its benefits, and some variations you can add to get the best leg gains.
How to Do a Single Leg Extension
Single-leg extensions target your quadriceps, which are made up of four muscles (rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis). But before you get on the machine and start doing reps, you need to know the proper technique. Here is how to do a single leg extension step by step:
- Adjust your leg extension machine so that your knees are at the edge of the bench with your ankles just below the footrest when you sit down.
- Sit firmly against the back of the machine and hold the handles on both sides.
- Prepare your heartand starting on each side, push your shin against the roller of the machine to engage your quadriceps.
- Extend your leg and make sure to squeeze your quadriceps tight when your leg is fully extended. Do not lock your leg at the top to reduce strain on your knee.
- Slowly drop your leg and raise it for the desired reps.
- Switch legs and repeat.
Tip: Do this exercise slowly to ensure you activate your quadriceps, not momentum. Pause and squeeze each rep as your legs extend for a full quad contraction.
Benefits of Single Leg Extension
Single leg extensions build your quads and help with the leg muscle hypertrophy. Plus, they help prevent muscle imbalances, especially if you’re doing other routines, primarily hamstring exercises. Below are the benefits that bodybuilders get from single leg extensions.
Bigger thighs
Avoid the Johnny Bravo look by building up your legs and thighs with single leg extensions. This exercise encourages muscle hypertrophy by focusing on your quadriceps.
Great warm up exercise
Single leg extensions are a great way to get the blood flowing to your legs to prepare them for other exercises. For example, many bodybuilders do them before large compound movements like squats to warm up their knee joints.
Easier to do
Compared to other leg strengthening routines like deadlifts, squats and leg presses, single leg extensions don’t require as much rate of perceived exertion (RPE) – the intensity you exert during a lift. This is great for weeks on end when you’re feeling maxed out but want to boost your quads.
One Leg Extension Variations
Below are similar leg strengthening routines that also target your quadriceps. Some of them are variations of the single leg extension that you can do without using a leg extension machine.
Leg extensions
Standard leg extensions build both of your legs at the same time. It’s similar to single leg extensions, but you can lift more weight with this routine.
Resistance Band Leg Extension
resistance band leg extensions do not use the leg extension machine. However, they still build your quads. There are many variations, and you can do this with a resistance band, cable machine, workout bench, chair, or even a rail to hold the resistance band in place for the movement.
Natural leg extensions
With natural leg extensions, you use your body weight to isolate yourself and focus on your quadriceps. One of the ways to achieve this is to enter a pumps position, raising your feet using a sturdy box or bench, then lowering your knees. This routine is great for higher reps.
Sissy squats
Sissy squats are another quad-focused bodyweight exercise. In this routine, your legs move over your toes, putting your quadriceps under an extreme stretch.
Leg anatomy
Your legs include many powerful muscles that help you make big and small movements, like standing or sprinting. They also help stabilize your body and support your weight. Let’s look at the muscles in the anterior and posterior portions of your leg muscles responsible for their function.
Anterior leg muscles
your front leg muscles run from your hips to your knee. The main muscles here are the pectineus, the quadriceps and the seamstress. You also have the medial thigh muscles and the posterior leg muscles, known as the hamstrings. Your anterior leg muscles help you extend your knees, flex your thighs, and rotate your legs.
- Pectineus: A side leg adductor muscle that helps bring your thigh in towards your body. It does this with other smaller muscles that help rotate your thigh.
- Quadriceps: Your quadriceps has four parts — the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedia — which contract when extended.
- Sartorius: The longest muscle in your body and covers the knee and hip joints. It also helps to flex and rotate your hip.
Posterior leg muscles
Your back leg muscles are made up of your hamstrings and calves.
- Hamstrings: There are three hamstring muscles – the semitendinosus, the biceps femoris and the semimembranosus. They help flex the knee and extend the hip.
- Calf muscles: Your main calf muscles are the gastrocnemius and soleus. The tibialis posterior is a small calf muscle that helps stabilize the foot.
FAQs
How do you do a single leg extension?
To do a single leg extension, you need a leg extension machine. Sit with your back against the backrest, brace your core, then extend with your leg and squeeze your quadriceps.
Is it better to do single leg extensions?
Single leg extensions and double leg extensions get your quads working. None is superior to the other. You can use more weight with bilateral leg extensions. And you have a better mind-muscle connection with single leg extension.
How do you do single leg extensions at home?
Many single leg extension variations can be homemade without using machines. Some examples include natural leg extensions, resistance band extensions, and sissy squats.
Last words
Training your leg muscles is key to reaching your overall level bodybuilding goal. And not all leg exercises have to be as brutal as squats and deadlift. Single-leg extensions specifically target your quadriceps and can help you maximize and improve your performance for activities such as sprinting. Plus, they’re a great unilateral movement for correcting muscle imbalances.
However, with this exercise you should avoid straining your knee. Work only with weights that your leg can support and do not lock your legs when extending your legs at the top of the range of motion to avoid knee injury.
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