Why leg extensions grow your thigh differently than squats
The role of exercise selection in regional Muscle Hypertrophy: A randomized controlled trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two groups trained with either leg extensions or squats, same effort. One grew their thigh muscle all the way from top to bottom; the other only grew the middle part.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 541 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two groups trained with either leg extensions or squats, same effort. One grew their thigh muscle all the way from top to bottom; the other only grew the middle part.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 541 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Garbisu-Hualde A, Santos-Concejero J
Related Content
Claims (5)
Isolation exercises targeting a single joint (e.g., leg extensions) produce greater hypertrophy in bi-articular muscles (e.g., rectus femoris) compared to multi-joint compound movements (e.g., squats) due to avoidance of active insufficiency.
Even if you work out the same amount and intensity, what exercise you pick can change which part of your muscle gets bigger.
Different leg exercises make different parts of your thigh muscles grow bigger—leg extensions grow all parts of one muscle, while squats mainly grow the middle part of another.
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.
When you work out, different parts of the same muscle can grow at different rates. Some exercises might make the far ends of your muscles grow more than the middle parts.