Exercise Description: Seated Leg Curl Machine
( Advanced Exercise & Muscle Groups Development Science ) ..
Execution:
o Sit on a leg curl-machine so that your knees clear the edge of the seat and allow fur frill-range movement of the knee joints. Place the back of your lower shins against the resistance pad or rollers when your knees are straight or slightly bent.
o Hold the handles and lean into the backrest. This creates some slack in the upper tendons, which is helpful if you have tight hamstrings.
o Inhale slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you push your lower legs down at a moderate speed. Keep your toes pointing directly upward as you bend your legs.
o Exhale as you reach a 90-degree angle In your knees, and hold the end position for 1-2 seconds for maximal muscular stress. Return to the starling position under control and repeat for reps.
Workout Tips:
o If your hamstrings are tight, you'll have difficulty starting the exercise with straight legs. In this case, lean back as much as possible to give your upper hamstrings tendons some slack. As you bend your knees, sit up to maintain the tightness in
your upper hamstrings and provide a stronger contraction.
o If your hips and knees are flexible, contract your hamstrings before or as you begin to push down on the resistance pad or rollers. When the muscles and tendons are relaxed, you might hyperextend your knees, which can lead to injury.
o If your toes naturally point inward or outward as you execute the movement, it may indicate an imbalance between the semimembraoosus/semitendinosus and the biceps femoris. If your toes tend to point in, do the exercise with your toes pointed outward
and vice versa to create a better muscle balance.
o Be sure you reach a 90-degree angle in your knees at the end of the movement to produce the greatest muscular tension. To increase the tension even more, hold the finish position for up to two seconds.
o For greater involvement of the gastrocnernius, flex your ankles (dorsiflexion) to stretch your Achilles tendons. This provides a stronger contraction in the lower leg during knee joint flexinn.
|
