How to Avoid Injury With Your Leg Exercises
Here’re some common things to avoid when doing your leg exercises. Watch out! Don’t do these… • Take it easy with the leg extension machine! I’m not a big fan of this machine, simply because I know more than one individual that has torn their knee ligaments, damaged their meniscus or knee cartilage doing this exercise. It just puts a lot of stress on the joint, especially when you get to the point of lifting heavy weights. When you get strong enough, I would suggest moving on to more complex exercises (those that work more than one muscle) such as the squat to help maintain the quads. • Still with the knees, always avoid straightening your knees into the locked position. On the other side of the coin, never allow your knees to travel in beyond your toes in exercises such as the squat, lunge, or leg press. In the picture below, the man's knees have extended over his toes to a highly vulnerable position. A more correct position would be a 90 degree angle between your thigh and lower leg (as in the blue leg at the top of this page). These, again, put huge amounts of stress on the delicate knee joint which can cause some serious problems.
• Always balance your workouts. For example, if you focus on your quads one day, make sure you focus on your hamstrings the next. The worst thing you can do for you legs is to have unbalanced strength. I have personal experience with this as I tore my hamstring during a 60-yard dash in college (because my quads were stronger than my hamstrings). I’m also aware that many individuals work out their butt more often than the rest of their thighs. I know you want to look good in your bathing suit, but it’s not a great idea. Again, this leads to imbalance, both with posture and strength, which may result in injuries! • Repetitive motions are unhealthy. There’s absolutely no reason to do 30 repetitions of squats. And yes, this does happen because some people are afraid of developing monstrous thighs and calves. Instead of building or toning your muscles, you’ll be putting a large amount of unneeded stress on your joints and losing interest in your training program. Again, this can result in injuries! O.K., now you’re ready to start your leg exercises! Remember to keep these items in mind!
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Leg Exercises and Common Blunders!
• When doing squats, make sure you’re using good posture. In other words, your back should be straight! When I do this exercise, I simply look towards the ceiling throughout each set. This requires me to keep my back straight with good posture. Not only does this maximize the effectiveness of the exercise, but it also ensure that you’re spine is in the proper alignment for supporting such a heavy weight on your shoulders.