replacement for leg extensions???

[SchlachtMan]

apparently i can NEVER do leg extensions again. i was talking to my knee surgeon and my physio and they both said
"leg extensions are really hard on the knee, and when you have a hamstring graft inside your knee, not the real ACL, they pose an even greater threat so never to leg extensions. Ever."

so im wondering what a good exercise would be to replace them, if there is one, when my legs are recovered enough to work them out again (pretty soon hopefully).

[SuicideGripMe]

A lot of people will argue that leg extensions arent that good of a movement anyways. If you bang out your squats, leg presses, lunges or step ups, etc, leg extensions arent necessary IMO.

[Lucas17]

outb4 squats

but srs, squats

change up the feet position to put more weight on the inside or outside of your sexi legzzz!!

[Daio]

Sissy Squats, where you lean backwards holding on to something so you dont fall over.
They isolate the quads and u get the biggest burn ever!

[grumble1]

If leg extensions are out, then so are sissy squats.

Well OP, so long as you baby the knee, then other quad options are fron squats, back squats, lunges, step ups, leg press, hack squats, etc.

[flangmasterj]

Sissy Squats, where you lean backwards holding on to something so you dont fall over.
They isolate the quads and u get the biggest burn ever!

If there is one exercise worse than extensions for the knees it would be sissy squats.

[MattyG]

If there is one exercise worse than extensions for the knees it would be sissy squats.

Agreed.

OP - no need to 'replace' as it were.
It is not an essential exercise, none of them are really.
Just work your quads hard enough with standard exercises - squats, front squats, leg press, lunges and forget about the extensions.

[shaneee]

leg extensions are ****ty anyways, you're not missing out
best leg exercises:
back squats
front squats
hack squats
leg press
stiff leg deads
good mornings
hyperextensions
leg curls

now just be smart about it and make a good leg routine

[MattyG]

leg extensions are ****ty anyways, you're not missing out

I disagree with that mate

[ironwill2008]

apparently i can NEVER do leg extensions again. i was talking to my knee surgeon and my physio and they both said
"leg extensions are really hard on the knee, and when you have a hamstring graft inside your knee, not the real ACL, they pose an even greater threat so never to leg extensions. Ever."

so im wondering what a good exercise would be to replace them, if there is one, when my legs are recovered enough to work them out again (pretty soon hopefully).

Considering your medical issues, this is something you need to discuss with your Orthopedic surgeon as well as your therapist. How far along are you with your rehab?

[TheStreetKing]

apparently i can NEVER do leg extensions again. i was talking to my knee surgeon and my physio and they both said
"leg extensions are really hard on the knee, and when you have a hamstring graft inside your knee, not the real ACL, they pose an even greater threat so never to leg extensions. Ever."

so im wondering what a good exercise would be to replace them, if there is one, when my legs are recovered enough to work them out again (pretty soon hopefully).

Lunges

[TheStreetKing]

If there is one exercise worse than extensions for the knees it would be sissy squats.

Nope not true at all! Sissy squats are much safer then extensions could ever be!

[shaneee]

I disagree with that mate

And why is that?

[DJAuto]

As your therapist what movements he does suggest...

[medjen]

Considering your medical issues, this is something you need to discuss with your Orthopedic surgeon. Has he referred you to a qualified Physical Therapist yet? How far along are you with your rehab?

As your therapist what movements he does suggest...

^^These.

i have no idea as to the difference in forces that can be handled by a hamstring graft vs intact ACL vs cadaver graft and which quad exercises may or may not produce said forces so I'll join these guys in saying "Ask a professional."

[TheStreetKing]

When you perform a leg extension, the major lower-leg bone, the tibia, slides forward. That stretches an important ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.
Biomechanics research on the knee has demonstrated that during the squat and leg press, the tibia slides backward. That reduces the stress on the ACL.

Another problem with the leg extension is that it maximally stresses the cartilage on the back of the patella, a.k.a. kneecap, at its thinnest area. The cartilage is not uniform in thickness. It’s thinnest at the top and bottom of the patella and thickest near the middle. Maximal pressure at the thinnest part of the cartilage can damage or crack it.

Squats are often called “physiologic flexion” by biomechanists. When you perform a squat, the maximal stress lines up with the thickest area of cartilage on the patella. Human beings were clearly designed to do that.

[MattyG]

And why is that?

I just don't think it is a bad exercise

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Nothing more direct or classic for quad work than leg extensions. If one is looking to increase both mass and detail in that region, no better exercise exists. Yes that includes, squats and lunges which spread the forces over the quads, glutes, lower back, hams, and calves. The biggest problem is people use too much weight and create undue stress in the knees.

My 3 1/2 cents.

[BG5150]

Considering your medical issues, this is something you need to discuss with your Orthopedic surgeon as well as your therapist. How far along are you with your rehab?

This.

What are you gonna do when someone gives you a really good case to do [whatever] in place of extensions, and then you blow out your knee for real and have trouble walking the rest of your life?

Talk to a sports medicine doctor. Even if it costs $300 for the consultation. It's better than a $10,000 medical bill and the cost of crutches or a wheelchair for the rest of your life.

I don't care if someone here has exactly the same procedure as you. Or the person here says they majored in physiotherapy or is a "doctor."

If you want to know the best way to ice down a sore arm, or how to stop a nosebleed, maybe take the advice of people on the internet. I would be very, very, very, very reluctant to take advice on what to do in your situation. [except the advice to go see a doctor, of course.]

[shaneee]

I just don't think it is a bad exercise

fair enough, some people may like them and others don't. **** you may have even had good gians with the exercise while i have found great leg growth with just squats.
to each his own