If you love a quad pump from the leg extension machine, you can try the best alternative exercises for doing them at home or in a gym without the machine.
Here are the 11 best leg extension alternatives:
- Close Stance Hack Squat
- Close Stance Leg Press
- Cable Leg Extensions
- Barbell Reverse Lunge
- Barbell Front Foot Elevated Bulgarian Split Squat
- Dumbbell Goblet Squats with Elevated Heels
- Dumbbell Step Ups
- Banded Terminal Knee Extensions (TKE)
- Banded Front Squats
- Sissy Squats
- Wall Sits
You donโt want to miss out on my in-depth review of the best leg extension alternatives for growing your quads, regardless of your equipment. I've broken them down by the equipment used, such as other machines, free weights, bands, or bodyweight.
I do not have a leg extension machine at my sports performance facility, so I have used all of these alternatives with my athletes. I even use some of these exercises on every leg day for my training.
Table of Contents
Leg Extension Alternatives with Other Machines
1. Close Stance Hack Squat
The close stance hack squat increases the range of motion of the squat while emphasizing the quads. The deep range of motion will create a more substantial stretch on the quads, which puts all of the focus on the quads.
How To Do It
- Set the machine height to unrack upon standing up.
- Have feet close together with toes pointed outward.
- Sit back until you have reached the desired depth of the squat movement.
- Maintain proper tension in the glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
- Then, stand back up with the weight on your shoulders.
Pro Tip: As with many other exercises, you can wear shoes with an elevated heel to prioritize the quads. Elevating the heels will increase the range of motion and demand on the muscles around the knee, like the quads.
Programming Tip: 4 sets x 15 reps
You can try other foot placements on the hack squat to work other muscles as well.
2. Close Stance Leg Press
A close stance position on the leg press platform will inherently emphasize the quads more than any other leg muscle. A low, narrow stance will allow you to reach the deepest range of motion, stretching the quads the most. The more of a stretch on the quads, the more quad development will happen.
How To Do It
- Set the back pad up so that you are comfortable.
- Place feet lower on the platform and about hip-width apart or closer than your regular stance.
- Push against the platform until your legs are completely extended.
- Drive the knees back and stop just short of touching the chest.
- Push through your midfoot to bring the legs back into complete extension.
Pro Tip: A single-leg leg press can be an additional modification to individually target the right and left legs. I like doing a superset of close-stance leg presses and single-leg leg presses to burn out my quads.
Programming Tips: 3 sets x 12 reps
You can also try more leg press alternatives, by reading the full post.
3. Cable Leg Extensions
This is a quad-isolated exercise that is the most similar exercise to machine leg extensions, which makes it a great alternative.
How To Do It
- Strap an ankle cuff that is tethered to the cable stack machine.
- Be seated facing away from the cable stack.
- Kick until the knee is completely extended.
- From there, bring the leg back to 90 degrees of flexion.
Pro Tip: Elevate yourself on a pad if your feet drag on the floor. With your knee bent, you want to achieve a deep range of motion at the bottom position, so elevate yourself to ensure your feet do not touch the floor.
Programming Tip: 3 sets x 12 reps
How does the leg extension compare to the leg curl? Read the full post.
Leg Extension Alternatives with Barbells
4. Barbell Reverse Lunge
A barbell reverse lunge emphasizes constant tension in the quad muscles. Because reverse lunges can be loaded in many ways, they are very versatile. A barbell is my favorite because it has a core stabilization aspect.
How To Do It
- Push the weight of the barbell into your back to build tension in the upper back and lats.
- Stand up with the weight of the bar on your back.
- Take three steps back until you have enough room to do the exercise.
- Carefully take a big step back into a lunge.
- Sit back with your hips while bending the front knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor, the back heel is coming off the floor, and the knee is bent 90 degrees.
- From this position, return to standing with the back foot.
- Alternate legs and step back with the foot not used in the initial rep.
Pro Tip: Use a thin pad on the floor underneath your knee. This will serve as a cue for where to lower yourself, and you wonโt slam your knee down on the floor.
Programming Tip: 4 sets x 6 reps
Is the reverse lunge better than a forward lunge? Check out our quick explanation.
5. Barbell Front Foot Elevated Bulgarian Split Squat
The front foot elevated Bulgarian split squat is a good barbell leg extension substitute that increases the range of motion and directly targets the muscles of the quads. Modifying the Bulgarian split squat with the front foot elevation can effectively achieve greater quad activation while increasing hip and knee stability.
How To Do It
- Elevate the front leg on a 2โโ box or plate while resting the back foot on a bench.
- Initiate with the hips sitting back until the front thigh is below, parallel to the ground.
- Let your knees naturally travel over your 2nd and 3rd toe as you descend into the squat.
- Drive your front foot into the ground until the hips and front knee are completely extended.
Pro Tip: Maintain a positive shin angle by keeping a slight forward lean. This will emphasize the quads more than other muscles.
Programming Tip: 4 sets x 6 reps
If this isn't quite right, you can also try more simple or advanced Bulgarian split squat progressions. Or for more unique options like this, check out the leg exercises that don't use hamstrings.
Leg Extension Alternatives With Dumbbells
6. Dumbbell Goblet Squats with Elevated Heels
A squat with elevated heels will allow greater forward knee translation to remove focus from the adductors and the hips to promote greater quad activation.
How To Do It
- Wear heeled shoes or elevate your heels on 5-pound plates.
- Hold either a kettlebell or a dumbbell in the heels of your hands.
- Initiate with the hips and sit back until thighs are at/or below knee joint height.
- Stand up until your hips and knees are completely extended.
Pro Tip: Adding a pause or slow tempo can make the goblet squat more effective in building size in the quads.
Programming Tip: 5 sets x 10 reps
Want to compare the goblet squat versus the front squat? Read the full post. Tempo squats are another option you can consider.
7. Dumbbell Step Ups
Box step-ups build knee and hip stability while strengthening the quads, making them a good therapeutic leg extension substitute.
How To Do It
- Keep your head up while maintaining a neutral spine.
- Ensure the box height is just below the knee.
- Stand in front of the box, with your hands holding dumbbells at your side.
- Place your foot on the box.
- Drive yourself forward onto the box while driving the opposite knee up.
Pro Tip: A higher step-up will produce greater tension on the top of the thigh (hip flexors) and the quads. This modification can improve knee and hip stability while keeping tension on the quads throughout the rep.
Programming Tip: 3 sets x 12 reps
Related Article: Step Ups vs Squats: Differences, Pros, Cons
Leg Extension Alternatives With Bands
8. Banded Terminal Knee Extension (TKE)
Banded TKE is a quadricep isolation exercise that has a very low impact. It can be used as a warmup exercise or during working sets, making it a great exercise for everybody.
How To Do It
- Anchor a band to a sturdy post or rack.
- Stagger your stance with feet shoulder-width apart so one leg is slightly behind the other
- Keep the band looped around the leg that is positioned back, around the back of the knee joint
- Flex and squeeze your quad to lockout the knee, then relax your muscles
Pro Tip: Use this exercise before a quad-focused lift to activate your muscles.
Programming Tip: 3 sets x 20 reps
9. Banded Front Squats
Front squats require a more upright posture and forward knee translation by putting resistance from the band in front of the body. Banded front squats require only a band and can be done anywhere, making this a great at-home/on-the-road leg extension alternative.
How To Do It
- Place the band across the upper chest in front of your shoulder while standing over the band as well.
- Initiate with the hips by sitting back and allowing knees to travel over the 2nd and 3rd toe.
- Sit back until your upper thighs are at or below parallel with the ground.
- Stand back up until your knees and hips are completely extended.
- Repeat the previous steps for the following repetitions.
Pro Tip: To target your quads even more, wear a heeled shoe or elevate your heels with a 5 lb plate.
Programming Tip: 5 sets x 8 reps
If you're not ready for barbell front squats, try the mobility exercises to prepare.
Leg Extension Alternatives With Bodyweight
10. Sissy Squats
Sissy squats take tension off the hips in a deep range of motion, so they are heavily reliant on the quads. By placing a great demand on the quads, the sissy squats are one of the most underrated leg extension alternatives.
How To Do It
- Start standing upright with a rigid torso by pulling your traps down with the shoulders down, back, and toes pointing out with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Initiate by bending the knees forward while letting the heels raise.
- Allow your torso to come back as low as possible without falling backward.
- Finish the repetition by extending the knees and returning to the starting position in a controlled fashion.
Pro Tip: If you struggle to do this exercise properly because of a lack of mobility, try holding onto a post for assistance to help guide you from start to finish and promote movement quality and greater repetitions.
Programming Tip: 3 sets x 12 reps
You can try other sissy squats alternatives to add more exercises to your workout. However, some don't think they're good for your knees. If you're concerned, check out the full post.
11. Wall Sits
The wall sit involves an isometric contraction of the quads to hold you in the squat position. Because the main muscle focus is the quads, it is a great leg extension alternative.
How To Do It
- Put your complete back and hips on the wall.
- Sit into a squat; you can increase the depth to the point where the thighs are parallel to the ground or higher if it's too challenging.
- Hold the squatting position for an amount of time that is challenging.
Pro Tip: To further progress in this exercise, you can hold a plate in front of you like a steering wheel. This will also get the core stabilizers involved to a greater degree while targeting the quads.
Programming Tip: 3 sets x max time
Wall sits can improve your squat, and if that's your goal, check out more exercises to improve your squat strength.
Muscles Used In The Leg Extension
When adding alternative leg extension exercises, a more thorough understanding of the muscles used in the leg extension will help you choose the right exercise. Here are the muscles worked during the leg extension:
- Rectus Femoris
- Vastus lateralis
- Vastus Intermedius
- Vastus Medialis
The leg extension exercise isolates the action of knee extension, which effectively targets all four parts of the quadriceps muscles, which is why having a number of alternatives can be helpful.
A good leg extension alternative will predominantly target the muscles of the quadriceps, limiting the use of other lower body muscles like the glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
Here is my list of the 9 best leg exercises that donโt use glutes. You can also earn more about the differences between leg extension and leg curl. Are you curious about exercises you can do instead of a leg curl? Check out our article, The Best Leg Curl Alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Leg Extension Alternatives For Bad Knees?
The best leg extension alternative for bad knees is a banded terminal knee extension (TKE). The TKE isolates the quads, has a very low impact, and does not require a big range of motion depth of the knees, which may be bothersome for bad knees.
Why Should You Substitute the Leg Extension Machine?
Most lifters substitute the leg extension when they don't have access to the machine. However, alternative exercises can better develop full-body coordination and stability. Or if you have a history of knee injuries, the leg extension machine might not be for you. Especially if you have ACL or patellofemoral pain, finding a leg extension alternative is crucial to reducing the risk of re-injury and exercising your quadriceps more functionally.
Other Lower Body Exercise Alternatives
Check out our other articles that discuss alternatives to popular lower body exercises:
- 9 Best Barbell Hip Thrust Alternatives
- 9 Best Hack Squat Alternatives
- 8 Best Pistol Squat Alternatives
- 9 Best Cossack Squat Alternatives
- 9 Best Belt Squat Alternatives
- 10 Best Front Squat Alternatives
- 10 Best Deadlift Alternatives
- 9 Best Romanian Deadlift Alternatives
- 5 Best Box Squat Alternatives
- 17 Sissy Squat Alternatives
- 7 Wall Ball Alternatives
- 10 Best Box Jump Alternatives
References
- Clark L, Moeslein M, Murray D, Coburn J, Choe K. The Effects Of A Heel Lift On Squat Biomechanics. International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings [Internet]. 2022 Nov 18 [cited 2024 Mar 5];14(2). Available from: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss2/25/
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About The Author
Avi Silverberg holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science with a research focus on powerlifting training. He's been the Head Coach for Team Canada Powerlifting since 2012 and has coached over 4500 attempts in international competition. You can connect with him onย Instagramย orย LinkedIn.