08 Apr Do this, not that: tips for leg exercises

There are many exercises that have been around seemingly forever, but are actually not the best alternative for everyone. They put the body at greater risk for injury, and are not as efficient as other ways to exercise the same muscle groups.
Do this, not that for the following leg exercises:
For legs, do lunges — Lunges engage every muscle in your legs and you can challenge your core with different variation on lunges.
Lunges are a great functional exercise because they increase your flexibility and muscle tone.
For legs, don’t do leg extensions — While leg extensions can benefit some people, they actually put a good amount of strain on the knee and work only a small part of the quadriceps. Leg extensions can grind the knee joint and put connective tissues into compromised positions
Bonus tips for leg exercises – Trainers I’ve talked to would rather see people do the aforementioned lunges and when on machines do hamstring curls. To further work the quads, a leg press machine is safer for the knees. Even squats are better recommended for legs than leg extensions.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com