Leg Extension Muscles Worked. When lowering the weight stop the movement when the knee is at a 90 degree angle in a seated position the lower leg is perpendicular to the floor. The largest muscle head is the rectus femoris which sits in the center of the front thigh.
While many believed that using the leg extension machine could help balance out the lower body muscles actually doing that can be tricky. The leg extension targets the quadriceps which are the large muscles of the front of the thigh. The difference is that in the squat the body part you re exercising is anchored feet on the ground while in the leg extension you re moving the padded.
The stance used during the leg extension is crucial if you are hoping to use these to develop balance.
The primary mover during the seated or lying leg extension exercise is a group of four muscle heads on the front of the thigh collectively referred to as the quadriceps. The leg extension targets the quadriceps which are the large muscles of the front of the thigh. Other leg exercises like squats and leg presses work other leg muscles such as the calves hamstrings or glutes but leg extensions are the only leg exercises to focus solely on the quads. The difference is that in the squat the body part you re exercising is anchored feet on the ground while in the leg extension you re moving the padded.