hi yahoo. just wondering if anyone uses the leg extension exercise equipment to get toned legs?
if you do use it then what are the results looking like for your thighs. how many sets or minutes do i have to do the leg extension for my thigh muscles to appear as if i run track? i am a girl by the way
The leg extension is for your quads (front of your thighs). Girls really need to work more on the hamstrings (rear of the thighs). You do that with the leg curl machine. This will help avoid an ACL tear (which requires surgery).
Women are 8 times more likely to have an ACL tear than men because their quadraceps are naturally stronger, and their hamstrings are naturally weaker.
This strength imbalance of strong quads and weak hamstrings sets you up for tearing your ACL, which could happen when you jump and land while playing a sport. Women/girls need to do more hamstring work in order to balance out the quads.
Here is some info from various articles on ACL tears and quadricep strength in women:
"Strength differences: Women develop a greater fat-to-lean-muscle-mass ratio than men. They also typically have stronger quadriceps muscles than men, creating an imbalance."
"Women have a disproportionally large percentage of quadriceps muscle mass versus the hamstring."
"Studies have shown that women’s quadriceps are proportionately much stronger when compared to men. This could mean that even when their hamstrings are activating correctly, they are simply not strong enough to counter-act the strength of the quads."
"While boys continue to grow mostly vertically through the end of development, girls' bodies undergo some major changes starting around the beginning of high school. In lay terms the process is generally referred to as "filling out," but the source of more womanly curves isn't just about gaining padding in a few key spots. Structurally, the female pelvis begins to widen during adolescence, changing the alignment of bones from the hip down. This is the reason, said Lewellen, that many high school-aged girls appear knock-kneed. The imbalance in the pelvis forces the knees in, strengthening the muscles of the outer thigh while leaving the inner thigh underdeveloped."
"Women’s quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh) are significantly stronger than their hamstrings (back of the thigh). This imbalance puts strain on the ligaments."
"Women tend to have wider hips, causing their thigh muscles to meet their knees at a slightly wider angle than men's do. Women's quadriceps tend to be stronger on the outside than the inside, which can pull the kneecap outward."
"Women soccer players probably have the highest incidence of {ACL tears] of anybody because they have such strong quadriceps, and women - when they land or cut - seem more quadricep dependent rather than hamstring dependent. Shaffer said what that does is pull the shin bone forward out from underneath the thigh bone, creating a larger risk to tear."
"Another contributing factor to women’s knee injuries is an imbalance between their quadriceps and hamstrings muscles. Generally, the quadriceps are too strong and the hamstrings too weak. This imbalance causes weak knees."
How To: Leg Extension (Cybex)
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