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Gym Equipment For Legs There are a myriad of machines at the gym that will help strengthen your legs. These can include a leg press that focuses on the quads depending on where your feet are positioned or an abductor for the hips which targets the thighs' outer edges. If you're new to the field they can be intimidating pieces of equipment. Don't worry. They're super easy to use. Leg Press Leg presses are a standard part of the gym that aids in building crucial muscles of the lower body. It is typically used in a leg-strengthening workout or machine circuit. When used correctly this exercise can dramatically increase your strength and help build the quads, hamstrings, and gluteus muscles of your legs. The basic leg-press machine comes with a seat to position your body and a flat platform for your feet that you push away from your body. The platform is usually supported by a weighted stack with different levels of resistance. Different gyms may offer a horizontal leg-press (where you stand upright and push the platform outward) or a 45-degree leg press that lets the seat reclined at an angle, as opposed to a vertical movement. A 45-degree machine places some emphasis on the glutes and less on the quads compared to horizontal leg presses, but both are effective in creating strong legs. It is important to start with lighter weight plates and gradually increase the weight as your fitness increases. It's also important not to extending your legs as you push the footplate, as this puts too much strain on your knees and can cause injury. Leg presses can be a challenge for beginners, but they're an important option for those who wish to build strength. They can be done safely at a higher weight than most other exercises. They also offer the added benefit of increasing bone density, which can stop osteoporosis from occurring. Despite exercise equipment that most bros are known to quarter rep the leg press, it's an effective and well-rounded workout to strengthen the legs. The people who do it in combination with other compound exercises, such as squats and deadlifts can build impressive strength and size over the course of time. The leg-press records set by Ronnie Coleman and William Cannon have inspired athletes from all over the world to challenge their limits. Hip Abductor Machine The hip abductor machine is a well-known piece of equipment used in gyms for creating a shapely inner thigh. The hip abductor machine targets muscles of the hip adductors, which run from your outer hip to your inner thigh, and are responsible for the ability to move your legs away from your body. Strong hip abductor and adductor muscles are crucial for maintaining balance, stability and lower body strength. There are, however, other methods to target these muscles, without the use of an abductor machine for hips. Aaron Brooks, biomechanics specialist and the owner of Perfect Postures in Newton, Massachusetts recommends that you stick to the more functional movements such as lunges and Squats. Brooks says that if you do a lunge or an squat both of these exercises work the abductor muscles and adductors however in a natural way. “There's more dynamic load when you do those, and that will help to prevent injuries.” In addition being able to walk on one leg, having a strong set of hip adductor muscle helps you perform a variety of athletic and everyday movements. They're required when you take a side step, lift your leg to the ceiling for a Squat, or climb stairs, and when you push off and sprint with your legs. A weak hip adductor and abductor muscles can also cause instability in the lower back and pelvis. While it might appear counterintuitive, it's not a good idea to do hip abduction exercises for the sake of building an extra tummy. It's better to concentrate on strengthening your glutes and enhancing your hip stability. The hip abductor is an enormous triangular muscle that runs along the inner thigh bone and up to your knee. It's essential for hip movement and stability however, it also plays a role in lateral knee flexion, thigh abduction, hip rotation and also in supporting knee flexion and rotatation. Hip abduction is also assisted by a number of small muscles, including the piriformis, tensor facia latae and the thigh abduction. Calf Raise A calf raise is a basic exercise that requires only a few pieces of equipment and can be done in a variety of ways to increase the intensity or target various areas of the muscle. Calf raises are more of an isolated exercise than a compound movement (which works several muscles at once). However they can help improve strength and posture. The simplest way to perform the calf raise is standing on the balls of your feet and pushing off using your toes and then lifting your heels off the floor. This is a low-impact and easy movement that's perfect for those who are new to the sport or recovering from an injury to their lower leg. Standing calf raises performed in a full range of motion will strengthen the muscles of the lower leg. They also help to promote an appropriate gait and increase the efficiency of running. The movement targets muscles that are essential for stability and balance. This is crucial for avoiding injuries. You can increase your intensity by using a step, or raising your heels with free weights. As you get stronger as you get stronger, the calf raise may become a necessary exercise to help heal from running-related heel and foot injuries, such as Achilles tendinitis and plantar faciitis. Calf raises are often recommended following a run, since they aid in helping the muscles recover from the stress and strains that were imposed. The calf-raise blocks are versatile gym equipment that enables more stable and controlled seated or standing calf-raises. It helps avoid the common mistake that people make when performing free-standing calf lifts. This is because they shift their weight or bend their backs or forwards while they lift and decrease their heels. By keeping your knees in alignment with your feet, the calf-raise block reduces the chance of this happening. You can also do leg raises on a bench or with a barbell racked across your traps in the Smith machine to add some resistance to the exercise. Weight can increase intensity and push muscles even further. Advanced techniques for training, such as using pauses at the top of the exercise or a slow descent can further intensify the movement and help you achieve maximum results. Leg Extension In addition to the hip abductor and leg press leg extension machine is a different of the lower body machines that can help to build a powerful set of quads. This is an exercise that isolates the quads directly by dragging an upholstered lever using your lower legs from a sitting position. This will work the vastus muscle (passes over the knee joint) and the rectus femoris muscle (passes over the knee and hip joints). It is important to have proper posture when you are doing the leg extension. The motion can be unstable since you are only using one joint to transfer the weight, and there is a chance of instability issues if the form breaks down. To minimize this make sure you sit up straight and hold the hand bars (if installed). Keep your back against your seat and align your knees to the fulcrum of the lever. Extend your legs until they are straight, slowly return to the starting position. If you're doing a high volume of leg extensions, be sure you add some rest pause repetitions into the mix. When you hit the point at which you are physically unable to perform any more reps, pause, rest for 2 to 3 seconds, and then blast out some more reps. This will not only assist to improve the quality of your sets, but also to help improve recovery time between sessions and maximize the results of your workouts. The quads are a powerful group of muscles, and the leg extension is a great exercise to incorporate into your strength training routine. It can help build strength and size in the quads which can result in improved performance in sports such as running cycling, basketball football, and more. In addition to this, strong quads will increase your overall lower body strength and function. This is especially beneficial in older individuals who want to maintain their strength and balance as they age. Stronger quads can help improve hip and knee stability as well as increasing lower-body coordination.