Doing leg extensions for 8 weeks makes the front thigh muscle bigger along its whole length more than doing squats, especially near the knee.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Comparison of Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Adaptations Induced by Back Squat and Leg Extension Resistance Exercises

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2025 Dec 12

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Comparison of Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Adaptations Induced by Back Squat and Leg Extension Resistance Exercises

Score: 48

DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005338

Similar Assertions

Doing leg extensions makes the front thigh muscle bigger along its whole length more than doing squats, especially near the knee.

93%

Doing leg extensions makes the front thigh muscle grow more evenly along its length than doing squats, which don’t stimulate that muscle as much.

90%

Leg extensions make the whole front of your thigh muscle grow evenly, while squats mainly make the middle part of a different thigh muscle grow.

86%

Squats make the outer thigh muscle bigger near the knee more than leg extensions do, but both exercises build it similarly higher up on the thigh.

85%

Different leg exercises make different parts of your thigh muscles bigger — leg extensions grow the front part, squats grow the lower outer part.

84%