Lat feels about 75%, but today is the first day that it has felt that "good". Imma go to the gym tonight, but I won't be pulling anything as I need to make sure I can throw in Maryland this coming weekend.

Lots of foam rolling and stretching on the menu.

5/3/10

Leg Ext
Leg Curls
Reverse Hypers

Foam Rolling
Stretching

Lat felt good, of course I didn't really do anything with it though.

I imagine you use an ungodly amount of weight on this compared to everyone else. Do your knees ever hurt from these? Or do you do them very light or something?

Also, can you do a glute ham raise or is bodyweight a problem?

My issue is that my knees hurt before I ever attempt any extensions, lol. I've had surgery on both knees and last season did cortisone shots in both of them due to a sprained MCL. Obv I think if I weighed less that would probably improve. So yea, they hurt while doing it, despite a decent warm up on the treadmill.

Any of my accessory stuff like that though I always keep pretty light. Last night, for example, I just stuck the pin in somewhere halfway down the stack and did 5 sets of 20.

We don't have a GHR at the gym, but I've always been able to do them on those. Off the floor is a different story. I'll give em a shot from the floor next week and see if I can.

I know leg extensions can cause ligament damage and whatnot due to the nature of the position at the extended part of the lift, but obviously it doesn't happen to everyone. That's why I brought it up.

But if it's very light then it's probably not a problem.

I know the theory behind this, but I'm not sure i necessarily agree with it. All the study said, iirc, is that there is tension placed on the ACL, and that tension MAY end up causing a tear. Pretty vague imo.

I'll have the wife post her leg ext experience, cause they pretty much saved her, post ACL surgery.

TL;DR warning, cliff notes at the end:

So after my ACL surgery (freak accident) I was told to NEVER do leg extensions again because of the shear they place on the ligaments, etc. I've been doing leg extensions my whole lifting life and love them...never had knee problems despite years of gymnastics, track, long distance running on pavement, teaching step aerobics on a concrete floor, olympic lifting, powerlifting, etc. I focus on reps and don't do them crazy heavy, always use good form, and don't go down past 90 degrees. I honestly feels that extensions have HELPED keep my knees in check with all the crazy stuff I do!

The quad muscles on my operated leg just REFUSED to catch up despite seriously hardcore rehab. Nearly 18 months later I was still having swelling, tracking issues, and of course and atrophied quad. I was functional and could walk, lift, etc. but was having a lot of problems with quad strength.

I was like...ya know what? They have pro football players back on the fields 6 months post-op from ACL surgery taking crazy hits, I think 1.5 years after my surgery I'm gonna go crazy and try single leg extensions...how much worse can I get? My quad strength and size rapidly came back which fixed all my tracking and swelling problems and got me back to 100%. The one exercise I was strictly prohibited from doing, was the one that fricken cured me...wish I'd started sooner.

Cliffs: I've done leg extensions my whole lifting life with no issues. After ACL surgery from a freak accident leg extensions were the exercise that got my operated leg back to full strength and size.

I'm about 90% sure leg extensions were part of my rehab after ACL surgery.

This site seems to confirm that belief (the recommend them after 3 months):
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jnespor/injury.html

Odd that your doctor would tell you to avoid them.

She had more than just a torn ACL, so (I assume) that's why those instructions were given. Most Docs are always going to err on the side of caution, and often don't have enough knowledge regarding higher level athletes with sports specific needs. Obv there are some exceptions.

I had ACL/MCL reconstruction and was never told to avoid them.

The CYA policy.

Yeah, I think I probably benefited from the fact that I was doing rehab with the same group that works with the Carolina Panthers so they probably have a ton of experience working with that sort of athlete. Granted I wasn't one of them, but I think the trainers saw me a young guy making good progress and told me they were going to push me harder as a result.

You didn't perchance run into any ex-Panther cheerleaders, did you?

Oh I was pushed plenty hard and did extremely aggressive rehab. I squatted 500lbs in a national competition at 148lbs (just briefs, wraps & singlet, no squat suit) within a year of my surgery and competed in Strongwoman Nationals a few months later so it's not like I was on some pansy rehab regimen lol. That was the preposterousness of it...I was doing full meet powerlifting training, Olympic lifting movements, strongman implement training...flipping tires, farmers walk, heavy sled drags/pulls, keg carries, stone loads, all kinds of overhead presses and jerks...but I was FORBIDDEN to do any sort of leg extension

Other damage was a torn meniscus and fractured knee cap but the "no leg extension" clause was specifically given because of the ACL and all the evil that leg extensions place on the ACL lol. I could completely understand if I was told to avoid them in the beginning stages of rehab...but FOREVER!?

Really not surprising that rehab specialists are saying no extensions to ACL surgery patients considering how many people out there say they shouldn't be done AT ALL regardless of a torn ACL. I've been hearing about how horrendous leg extensions are for as long as I can remember...usually from the same people who tell me I'm "squatting too deep" when I'm doing OL squats or I shouldn't train heavy because "I'm going to get too big" ...cuz we all know how easy it is for women to pack on massive amounts of muscle and turn into pro bodybuilders overnight!

Oops...I squatted 501lbs@148 not 500. 227.5kg. Too late to edit. That 1lb is serious.

Please stop posting, you're making me feel embarrassed

yea but when I type in "kara bo..." into youtube search you're 2nd in suggestions behind "kara bo peep bo peep"

let that wash over you for a bit

I saw the video. Phew. Thank god it was with a suit on.

Jesus Christ lady!

Thanks for the insight guys. I will likely never do leg extensions though because inside of me a little part would die each time. Plus have you seen my quads? They are glorious.

No. You have never posted a picture of your quads. If you want to have a quad-off, I like my chances.

How much extra, lbs or %, does a suit give you?

She did NOT wear a suit to do that. She could have squatted wayyyyyyyyyyyy more than that in a suit. Read her post again, briefs and wraps.

I would prop bet her raw OLY squat against just about anyone on this board.

careful, with H/F's recent history Konstantinovs probably trolls 2p2

Misogyny ITT.