Thread: Quads

Hiya-
squats
lunges
leg press
front squats

Some good ones are:
squats
front squats
hack squats
leg presses (many versions)
lunges
leg ext's

Premiere, hope you don't mind me asking this here as its relevant...can anyone tell me, when doing leg presses, should I maintain 90 degree knee angle, or am I better off bringing the knees as far as possible towards the chest? When I do the latter I feel it more in my glutes, but my gym instructor insists it's bad for my knees as it's still a case of knee-over-the-toe mistake..??

dalila - no i dont mind lol

thanx everyone for your replies

Yeah, don't ever let your knees go over your toes when you're doing squats!

Single leg - leg presses are awesomely humbling ..

Originally Posted by Blieb

Single leg - leg presses are awesomely humbling ..

O hell yea!!! They are awsome, start light and watch the knees don't sway side to side or you will hurt yourself.

Squats should be done ass to the grass and don't lean to far forward, if toes are in front of the knee lean back some and use those muscles.

Originally Posted by dalila

Premiere, hope you don't mind me asking this here as its relevant...can anyone tell me, when doing leg presses, should I maintain 90 degree knee angle, or am I better off bringing the knees as far as possible towards the chest?

go down as far as possible with out causing your low back to round off of the back pad...

hey there Premiere, and thanks for not kicking me out!

Hi everyone, thanks for all your answers, but I think I might have described the exercise wrongly ( though your advice may still apply, i.e. NEVER let the knees travel past the toes, no matter what...) . I didn't mean the squat, but a seated leg press on the machine ( what's it called, lever?)... only the way the machine is set up in my gym, I don't sit but sort of lie down and my legs when straight and on the platform are at about 45 degrees... so in this position do I still maintain 90 degree knee angle when doing presses, or do you bring the knees as far as possible into my chest without lifting the heels off the platform?



And if you are not confused by my post , you are all really good!!

Thats a 45 press. Load the weight and sit in the seat. Mmake sure your butt is pressed firmly in the seat and your back firmly against the back support. No archs or anything, keep all areas supported properly. When pressing the weight try and put your feet a little higher on the platform and push with your heels. Make sure you do not let the weight drop on you, if you do you will get hurt. Go down as low as possible without lifting your lower back/butt or lifting your feet off the platform as well as keeping total control over the weight. I tend to leave my heals at the very top of the platform to prevent further knee injury so my feet never really come off of the platform, works great for me.

The higher up you place your feet on the leg press, the more it will hit your hams.

Ok let me see if I got it this time - watch the back, watch the bum, no arching, no lifting the heels off the platform, and can still go as low as possible...

Thanks everyone! Premiere I am scooting off from your topic now!

Originally Posted by Monolith

The higher up you place your feet on the leg press, the more it will hit your hams.

and...

the higher and wider will emphasize the hamstrings and hip flexors vs going feet closer toghether and lower to hit the quads