Which exercises wake up different leg muscles best?
Electromyographic Comparison of Five Lower-Limb Muscles between Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises among Trained Men.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The biceps femoris — a key hamstring muscle — was barely activated during leg press compared to kickbacks.
Most lifters assume compound movements like leg press or squat work all leg muscles well, especially hamstrings. But this shows the opposite: isolation beats compound for this specific muscle.
Practical Takeaways
Add knee extensions to your leg day if you want fuller, more balanced quads — especially the front 'teardrop' muscle (rectus femoris).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The biceps femoris — a key hamstring muscle — was barely activated during leg press compared to kickbacks.
Most lifters assume compound movements like leg press or squat work all leg muscles well, especially hamstrings. But this shows the opposite: isolation beats compound for this specific muscle.
Practical Takeaways
Add knee extensions to your leg day if you want fuller, more balanced quads — especially the front 'teardrop' muscle (rectus femoris).
Publication
Journal
Journal of sports science & medicine
Year
2021
Authors
N. Stien, A. Saeterbakken, V. Andersen
Related Content
Claims (6)
Doing leg extensions might grow your front thigh muscle more than leg presses, even though both workouts work the other big thigh muscles just as hard.
If you're a guy who lifts weights, your front thigh muscle works way harder during leg extensions than during leg presses — probably because the movement challenges how that muscle crosses two joints at once.
For guys who lift weights, doing leg presses or kickbacks works the butt muscle just about the same — neither one gives you a bigger advantage in muscle activation.
For guys who lift weights, the inner thigh muscle works just as hard during leg presses and knee extensions — these two exercises use that muscle in a similar way.
For guys who lift weights, the leg press works the main quad muscle harder than the knee extension machine, based on electrical activity in the muscle.