Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
There are a lot of misconceptions still about open chain knee extension exercises.
Do we need to be scared about damaging our knee using them?
No, we don’t.
Quad strength is a big deal for any team sport athlete and is linked to key outcomes in performance and return to play.
Anecdotally I have not worked with an athlete who had strong enough quads during our initial assessments.
Squat variations no doubt target the quads, but the compound nature and load vector can allow for different strategies to accomplish the movement and dodge the quads.
The isolated nature and load vector make leg extension a powerful way to get ahead of quad deficits.
There are a lot of misconceptions still about open chain knee extension exercises.
Do we need to be scared about damaging our knee using them?
No, we don’t.
Quad strength is a big deal for any team sport athlete and is linked to key outcomes in performance and return to play.
Anecdotally I have not worked with an athlete who had strong enough quads during our initial assessments.
Squat variations no doubt target the quads, but the compound nature and load vector can allow for different strategies to accomplish the movement and dodge the quads.
The isolated nature and load vector make leg extension a powerful way to get ahead of quad deficits.
