Content provided in partnership with

Thigh fry: create a better, summer-ready body with this five-minute, leg-pumping muscle builder - Quick Fit - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, July, 2002 by Bobby Lee

Summer's here, so you know what your next move is: Avoid WNBA telecasts at all costs. Which is to say, get out of the house! It's time to take the body you've been training all winter holed up in the gym or your basement and unleash it at the beach and on the golf course.

But if your quads have yet to leave you weak-kneed after a leg workout, then chances are your unbalanced body--i.e., well-developed upper torso riding atop broomsticks--won't help you generate enough power to play from the championship tees or get enough lift to win that skirmish at the volleyball net.

More Articles of Interest: What women want - Female Persuasions - Brief Article; 4 secret training tips - Editor's Letter - Brief Article; Abdominal crunch - Perfect Form - Brief Article; Mix and match? - order of exercises during workouts - Brief Article; Man with a plan - Training Efficiency - Brief Article

We understand why you might not approach leg training with the same zeal you take to working the upper body--it's physically demanding and can use up a considerable chunk of valuable gym time. But a lack of commitment to training legs doesn't just create asymmetry; it also won't turn any heads at the local sand strip.

Training your wheels takes serious effort, but it doesn't have to take forever. With our short program of leg-extension 21s, you can torch your quads in less than five minutes. Let your summer games begin.

THE WORKOUT

This exercise strategy thoroughly exhausts your quads, including the tear-drop-shaped medialis, located just above the knee on the insides of your thighs, by working them through a full range of motion sequentially, The first set of seven repetitions works the quads through the first half of the movement; the second set works them through the last half of the movement; and the last seven reps work them through the full range of the movement. To maximize your results and minimize your time outlay, perform three sets of 21s while resting no more than 45 seconds between sets.

LEG-EXTENSION 21s (quads)

1 Adjust the leg-extension machine so that your knees are aligned with the pivot point on the leg-extension attachment and the roller pad is pressing against your lower shin, just above your ankles (1a). Press your back against the seat and extend your legs upward, but stop halfway, when your legs are bent approximately 45 degrees (1b). Lower your legs back toward the starting position, stopping just before the weight stack bottoms out (1a). Repeat this half-rep seven times.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

2 Immediately after the first seven partial reps, extend your legs halfway to approximately 45 degrees (2a). From this position, fully extend your legs to the top position (2b). Return to the starting position (2a) and repeat this half-rep seven times.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

3 Immediately after the second seven half-reps, return your legs to the bottom position, stopping just before the weight stack bottoms out (3a). Now fully extend your legs to the top position (3b). Complete seven full reps for one set of 21s.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

PERFORMANCE TIPS

To maximize growth potential, strive to maintain tension on your thigh muscles throughout a long set. You accomplish this by:

* Avoiding lockout of the knees when your legs are in the fully extended position (3b).

* Making sure that the working portion of the weight stack never comes to rest against the stack's stationary portion.

* Keeping the muscles contracted during both the concentric and eccentric phases of each rep.

Thigh fry: create a better, summer-ready body with this five-minute, leg-pumping muscle builder - Quick Fit - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, July, 2002 by Bobby Lee

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Reference

Most Popular Articles in Health

Most Popular Publications in Health