10 Leg Extension Mistakes and How to Fix Them

This series will zoom in on one exercise at a time and point out common errors and how you can fix them. At the end of the day, nothing is dogma, and your technique should be the one that gives you the highest stimulus at the lowest cost of fatigue. To make sure you're getting the best of both worlds, check out our SFR video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwT14...
If you have suggestions for future exercises we can break down, please comment below. If you know the answer to another commentor's question, please feel free to reply to them!
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0:00 Start
0:13 Intro
0:29 Not enough range of motion
2:45 Not getting a pause at the peak contraction
3:48 Not using the right seat setting
5:08 Making sure the foot pad is correctly positioned
7:15 Uncontrolled eccentric
8:45 No standardized ROM
9:02 Body English
9:57 Going too heavy
11:37 Only using straight sets
14:33 Magical foot width and toe angle
17:20 Outro

[@brenopaiva7969]

Unsafe, crocs are not in sports mode

[@Matias-jr5sr]

Exquisite comment, partner

[@ButtmanAtHeart]

@@notreallyhankaaron8673thats how I train!

[@imaj6566]

Better to just not wear shoes

[@casted8034]

I don't understand how crocs became standard gym shoes or shoes to go outside in public with. I just don't get the appeal.

[@Alejandro-te2nt]

​@@casted8034high stimulus to fatigue ratio

[@digitalacoustics5556]

Def doing narrow, toes in and pointed down from here on out. Thanks Mike! 15:05

[@WolfCoaching]

0:13 Intro 0:29 Mistake #1 - Not enough range of motion 2:45 Mistake #2 - Not getting a pause at the peak contraction 3:48 Mistake #3 - Not using the right seat setting 5:08 Mistake #4 - Making sure the foot pad is correctly positioned 7:15 Mistake #5 - Uncontrolled eccentric 8:45 Mistake #6 - No standardized ROM 9:02 Mistake #7 - Body English 9:57 Mistake #8 - Going too heavy 11:37 Mistake #9 - Only using straight sets 14:33 Mistake #10 - Magical foot width and toe angle 17:20 Outro

[@tejyaarajsinghai8012]

How did u post this comment 3 weeks ago when the video was uploaded like a few minutes back

[@davidwilkinson3179]

@@tejyaarajsinghai8012 previously unlisted

[@Chez114]

Thank you

[@BeFrEr]

14:55 dick jokes

[@nuavecmoi]

This is great. Finally. I'm also glad this channel is growing.

[@jordanpayne7249]

This is exactly kzbin.infoUgkxUHHotQRjIQnfuxEeVotlkHVYWH0DXZoS what I needed to get some exercise while I'm stuck at my desk all day. It's just the right size. Only downsides are that the right oeddale unscrews itself while I use it and increasing the tension causes it to squeak while in use. Both are minor issues that aren't that important to me. So I give it 5 stars.

[@nogheadz4987]

Oh man Dr Mike there were three different points during this video where I absolutely lost my shit... on the drive to work man this video brought me some joy thanks

[@MaestroKytes]

the real reason i want to buff up is so that i can be like Jared. Crocs and Socks and no one can say shit about it.

[@carlemilbach9117]

; its called a joke..

[@andrewt248]

Not even ankle socks, either. LOL

[@Tinkerbell0320]

It’s weird but cause it doesn’t look abnormal on him. It’s like his hair color of height. It apart of who he is now

[@KrisKArnold]

Came to the comment sections for the Crocs jokes. Was not disappointed. Nice work kids!

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

🤣 people say shit about it plenty.....but I treat it like the hair and tick comments I also get. I just joke with them about my stupid hair and "omg hideous" crocs, because I don't fucking care what they think 🤪🤪

[@tiziano7071]

can't get enough of these videos

[@jackdemoguitar]

Same!

[@johnwetmore9559]

Dr. Mike reminds me of my high school wrestling coach...he somehow says things that are really fucking weird in the middle of an informative coaching session, but manages to get away with it thanks to his degree, his intimidating stare, and his loosely-tethered sanity.

[@mikelozano4292]

I can’t miss any of these tutorials. Not only the best info on the exercise but great entertainment.

[@mariusbuciuman307]

Jared was not entertained by Dr Mike’s dad jokes! LoL

[@taylorjeff67]

I love how HARD Jared Feather has to try to have shitty form. LOL

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

Not used to training like the boys across the pond 🤷‍♂️

[@taylorjeff67]

@@JAREDFEATHERRP Your form is always just so perfect that I laugh when you have to work hard to show form that sucks.

[@moory33]

If you are a professional and the movements are burned into your muscle, it really is hard to have shitty form. I make music for over 20 years now, it is ULTRA hard to play out of timing on purpose. Love how this applies on different fields.

[@paulopiedadept]

Perfect. Content has been great lately. Thanks.

[@Jordanslifts]

That last wise crack about the surgery got me😂😂love the extra seasoning of humor and sarcasm

[@gavinobrien8659]

Thanks for the time stamps!!!

[@tehseenchanna3564]

thanks doc mike and jared.... thanks alot

[@user-ly9qz1bi1v]

Great stuff as always.

[@jeffcauthen6434]

Great video!

[@whitelightningyoubet]

Awesome videos very helpful. Thankyou!

[@ReaperOfMadness]

My dog saw Jared's calves. Now he's a wolf.

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

🤣

[@Biz613]

This channel needs more subscribers.

[@DavidSabalete]

Fun and educational... I love it!

[@xcrpt]

Thank you!

[@Bromidias]

perfect timing leg day today! Funny i always had the legpad as far back as it could but multiple people working in the gym where against it, same with leg press, ill follow your advice.

[@user-ls9qq2hx8p]

I can honestly say I love dr Mike this guy is hilarious. He kicks the knowledge but his geeky character is too funny. Bless up

[@MrKeltybroadstone]

Dude, had me cracking up..."how the hell do you peak contract a hack squat...ennhhhhhhhh!.."

[@microchiroptera4520]

Nice Tipps, thanks

[@evaa.6754]

You are just like our Father dr 💪💪 thanks for this video 🙂

[@cynthiat5215]

Looooove this! It's a machine I don't use much and I guess I should. Plus, you are funny, win all around. Thank you for awesome tips!!

[@chadjames1808]

Best channel 👍🏻👍🏻

[@JoeScar412]

Great video as always. I tend to like sets of 12 using a slow unilateral eccentric. That and drop/myo sets.

[@alilamrabat2590]

Vastus inner fuckiess, 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 i lost it there

[@imcfr5897]

Thanks mayn ✊♥️

[@Roberto-so7qu]

I don’t even do leg extensions I just enjoy dr mike that much

[@30patriote]

VERY GOOD CONTENT SUBSCRIBED

[@amandacasimir7320]

Really helpful tips (and hilarious too so thanks for the unsolicited abs workout from laughing myself silly).

[@GFBESSA]

Jared holding himself to not laugh is the best 😂

[@DCJayhawk57]

If you don't have access to a leg extension, try subbing in banded sissy squats. The band behind the knee resists terminal knee extension, meaning you have to forcefully contract your quads to lock out. To me, it feels like the terminal knee extension on a leg extension but without the sheer force on the patella. I load with a kettlebell or dumbell for straight sets, but doing bodyweight myoreps is maybe the best use. They're totally doable for home workouts and I don't think you'll find a better quad iso exercise for home (with so little equipment).

[@femoris8502]

12:30 Jared’s face when mike says “were not judging you”

[@AadidevSooknananNXS]

Jared actually laughing is amazing

[@Evolvedpants]

It would be cool to see a video like this on some abs exercise

[@dylanjones4621]

The Ragù sause and five brothers sause is the best analogy so far 😂, please do a compilation of them.😂

[@felixtavarez7769]

Thanks for bringing me back. Tried some fancy KZbin leg extensions last week and fcked my knees up. When they heel I’m def gonna just stick with the tried and true

[@Deciden0w.]

Mike is hilarious 🤣 But totally learned alot from this video. Specially how close I can have my legs to the pad. I have long legs so that helps me get to my ideal position. I underutilized leg extensions for my powerlifting goals but now I'm transitioning to bodybuilding this is useful

[@trevor3905]

do a tibialis anterior hypertrophy guide

[@ziggygordon1588]

Doc mike, back at it again with the witty punch lines 🤣🤣

[@CStrik3r]

Dr Mike can you please do a video about how to best train the medialis interfuckius next? Thanks.

[@Shvabicu]

Lots of balls deep action

[@rudyrmn3043]

I'm already lonely forever but at least now I know how to master the leg extension, thx.

[@MeinungMann]

U still are?

[@gamblestyle7337]

"Quads so big they interfere with your quality of life" #Goals

[@classof13tre]

it sounded like "quality of wife" to me

[@kalm5076]

When it comes to pasta, I find that the noodle shape is key. Linguine gets me that super grainy look while mini farfalle increases vascularity tenfold

[@joshblunt7165]

Leg day! Here we go 💪

[@kravmaga7070]

I currrently do 5 to 10 reps on leg ext for slow controlled contraction, 1 sec peak hold, slow eccentric for as bloody heavy as i can go to failure and burn and rest pause a couple reps then stumble over to squat rack and do either 10 rep squat with as mcuh weight as possible or half as much weiight and do step back lunges to failure. I do this to really target my quads w/o loading too much weight on my lumbar disks as my 50 yr old body cant handle 2 x body weight squats anymore.

[@mehdizj]

Hi, can you do a back leg extension instruction too

[@giggityiggityooo4127]

Perfect timing

[@dennislauseng2506]

"All you need is an M60 and a cigar and you're a fucking commando" : pure GOLD

[@roymustang.595]

Make a video on hamstring curls

[@ankitsingh7580]

RP athletes are great actors too.

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

I'm a coach. Not an athlete lol

[@bahandplays8373]

6:40 that’s a really helpful tip I personally have been doing for a long time but there are a lot of people that forget about it

[@nicaguitar]

Thank you for the great videos! I had a question. Ive had historically alot of problems with my left knee (quad and patellar tendinitis) which has been fixed for a while, but I ditched the leg extension a while ago because Ive heard/read alot that it wrecks your knees. (tbh, I used to put too much load before to do 8-10 reps and that probably has to do something with it). Would you recommend doing the exercise with this background? Again , great videos as always! big fan!

[@Adrian-cn5rk]

It's up to you whether you want to implement the exercise. No one movement is needed, with that being said play around with different positions, lighten the weight, squeeze the quads from the start of the movement and not only at the top or just lockout about 95% of the way. If the problem persists, ditch it.

[@nicaguitar]

@@Adrian-cn5rk Thank you very much for the advice! ill try it out next leg day .

[@tomlongam7653]

For me this is a huge question....I mean for over a year I did it it was ok...but yesterday I did it and one day afterwards I have pain on top of knee...first time I had this type of pain ...like just above. It is weird. I wonder why. What went wrong? Is it because I pushed the pad to far? Or positioned the seat badly? I mean the weight was certainly not huge....

[@tonylevine2716]

Blew out both my patella tendons yrs ago playing basketball in the military. I’ve been doing leg extensions for yrs with no issues. Don’t go heavy and use all the points in this video.

[@a-terrible-fate532]

yeah I am going to need to start wearing my crocs in the gym now

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

Anyone have any tips for a leg extension/leg curl attachment for a bench? I always notice the seat on the actual leg extension machine is leaned back for a better ROM and my bench isn’t able to do that. I’ve never seen any videos covering form tips for using the leg attachment.

[@thomasroberts7588]

Oy, Mike sounds so different here than on the other vids (such as his Hollywood trainer critique vids).

[@jeremybuckets]

I've never heard a bodybuilding channel tell me to use the least weight possible. Thank god Mike is bigger than me or I probably wouldn't listen to him.

[@kravmaga7070]

Im envious about these guys calves, over the last ten yrs my calves have both had some sort of congenital defect rear its ugly head and both my gastrocs inner heads have disappeared entirely and one even ripped off when just warming up. no doctors or even a specialist can tell me what this is or if its gonna get worse and destroy my entire gastroc eventually? any ideas?

[@dncchambers]

Dr. Mike: "I'm not judging you" Feather: (side eye) "I'm judging you"

[@mizakzee]

Jared's calves are the size of lesser men's shoulders.

[@baldbychoice6672]

"All you need is an M60 and a cigar, and you're a fucking commando!" 😂😂

[@nic0fpvnicolas606]

Hey dr mike. I know I'm 3 years late but I think you are wrong about the physics a 5:30. The moment arm is higher when the pad is on your toes, so the force you feel against the pad is lower. However the internal force on the quads is the same. The easiest way to see it is to look at the weights. If they are moving the same distance the amount of work produced is the same. And the amount of degrees of rom is the same. So the quads must produce the same amount of force regardless of the pad position.

[@jonnyboz]

How do I find the series playlist for these!?

[@onenessforeveryone6690]

Coo coo coo.

[@osmosinsane9611]

Hahahahaha the allusion bout the hot chick 😆😆😆 i love how he brings funny exemples all the time. Best coach imo

[@MrWhite-yg6yk]

Mistake #1 - Using 5 Brothers sauce on your pasta! Thanks Dr. Mike 😃

[@misanthrophex]

14:08 most important part to write down

[@hoyasfan459]

There was a guy at my gym who practically stood up in the machine when he lowered the weight and used his body weight to get the weight up on his next rep.

[@samuelprietolima1330]

In mistake #4 doc mike makes a mistake in saying that the reason putting the foot attachment too low makes it harder is because of moment arm. It's only harder because of instability/pain. The increased moment arm between your quad and the pad is by definition compensated by decreases moment between the pad and the actual weight. The muscle contraction/weight movement ratio is constant

[@sumdudenorris106]

Jared hitting those leg extensions Tom Platz style in the thumbnail

[@LHH404]

I saw this video yesterday. Had to come back to check if what i was laying there in my bed thinking about was true. Holy shitball of tight space that is some real ass calves on that boy.

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

🤣

[@Adrian-cn5rk]

I'm inclined to disagree with the first tip. My knees hurt on the lockout..even with light weight, and good form. N it works just fine going to near lockout for me.

[@Lotusdreams]

That is why he keeps telling you to chose the form that is as close to the optimal as possible WITHOUT causing pain or joint discomfort. As long as you keep it consistent and try it out there is no way Mike would disagree with you. Doesn't make sense from his optimal muscle growth perspective since pain will stop you from maximising output and neither from mine, as a PT, since the full lockout can indeed stress ligaments and over time cause injury. But that is why you need to keep applying his tipps to your needs and Mike still should recommend a ROM as high as you can handle since not everyone will have that problem

[@rightww]

niceee

[@davo476]

15 to 30 reps? 15 it is

[@andrefornol2470]

Anyone knows if the legextension can be used to strengthen the tendons around the knee? Mainly as an assessory exercise for deep Squats and injury prevention

[@theodorostosidis4379]

Anything that strengthens the quads will strengthen their tendon as well

[@funygameur]

Legs Extension: - Low Weight - 15-30 Reps - bend of knee right in the corner of the seat of the machine - feet blocked in the ankle or higher but no. - controled centric - max range of motion - toes pointing: wheres it comfortable for you, if you're not an Olympian we don't guve a fuck.

[@drosos_strength_coaching]

I've tried leg extension + either bw squat with extra heels or sissy squat Best pump I've ever experienced in my life, not even high reps just 8-10. Question: Will this carry over to a squat?

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

If you grow muscle in a massing phase in your quads and then go back to squatting in anothet massing block then yes. Your squat will go up over time as you build muscle.

[@paomndz8336]

2:24 so funny haha

[@chainsawvsgod384]

Christ on a bike! Look at those bloody calves!

[@nonachyourbusiness1164]

They are probably the size of my head

[@SirAlexanderdeLarge]

Look. At. Them!

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

Hehe. Thanks

[@JustenHarden]

14:55 to 15:15 ... LMAOOOO

[@ClumpypooCP]

that had me pissing laughing

[@MeinungMann]

🤣

[@michaelspencer2559]

15-30 rep. Man this exercise is the worst burn out of anything else. 15-20 is hard enough. Most the time I can't even get to 20

[@soemtheng9704]

For those with hyperextented knees, should you go Full ROM at the top aswell ?

[@busymuntu7153]

😅😅😂😂😂 Didn't realise is this hilarious......

[@russianbeginner643]

How to floor press

[@dodgingrain3695]

I call BS on you can produce a large amount of force. Of course you can but it takes a lot of time to get there. I haven't met a leg extension that has a decent design I can't max out for 3 sets of 6-10 reps with strict form. Also its a great machine for doing single leg reps. and working on strength imbalances. Toes need to be pointed towards the sky as much as possible to hit heavier weights. If your doing leg extension right you should have trouble standing after the set.

[@Siberius-]

Why are there no lying leg extension machines? that would put a stretch on the quads and be like a reverse Nordic Curl, but the machine hardly exists for some reason. There's a seated and lying version of the leg CURL, but not the leg extension (there's some very rare exceptions out there). Edit: Wait I figured it out. It's because both a sitting and lying leg extension machine, don't put much stretch on the quads either way. The Reverse Nordic Curl ROM is required to actually get a full stretch, which is a lot more ROM.

[@lecobra418]

On the leg extension attachment on a cheap bench you can do that.

[@Siberius-]

@@lecobra418 - I did see a youtube video of a guy doing that; using a flat bench with an attachment.

[@joesefett1395]

Just use straps,belt and amonia before each extesion set.

[@ecosan8914]

I bursted ounof laughter with the last mistake XDDDDDDDDD

[@n_-_-]

Jared laughing through the jokes :D hahahaha

[@Jmack7861]

Jareds calves are fucking insane

[@JAREDFEATHERRP]

Grrrrrr. Calves! Haha. Thanks man

[@jorunningdawgproductions7266]

Well, I know this was 3 yrs ago but maybe I might get an answer. I want to buy a new weight bench with a leg extension fitting that gives me the full range of motion. Most have a post that stops the range. Any suggestions of a make that is different?

[@lecobra418]

Angle grind it, boom you've gained 2/3 inches of ROM!

[@1TieDye1]

Damn, looks like mike has put on a lot of size since this video. Goddamn

[@godsgiftto3arth]

"interferes with your quality of life" hahaha

[@Kickbackske]

Just got into a disagreement with a guy at the gym about leg extension hoping someone can clarify. I always have the machine positioned on the last pin so the angle of my legs goes slightly passed 90 degrees when I come down on the negative to achieve imo full range of motion. This guy at the gym is saying there is NO quad activation when you go passed 90 degrees and it is only damaging to your knees. Hoping someone can shed some light. Thanks in advance

[@gerongrahamgg]

Bullshit