How to complete the seated knee extension effectively at home.

The seated knee extension is a terrific way to load the quadriceps.

Completing the exercise at the gym is a breeze. Most gym's have a machine dedicated to this movement.

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We may limit the range of movement during the exercise. For example, shortening the extension range of motion can assist in reducing knee cap related pain.

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Not everyone has access to the gym and it can be tricky to find a way to do this exercise effectively at home.

• For one, the band rolls up your leg as you straighten your knee.

• These are powerful muscles, so there is a risk of the band breaking if you overstretch it.

• Performing this exercise on a normal chair can be difficult for people whose feet reach the ground because this limits knee flexion range of motion.

• It can be hard to get the right amount of tension in the band throughout the entire range of motion.

 

The video's above are to help show a few way's to overcome these issues and make the exercise work equally effectively in your own home.

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Attaching the band:

Firstly, choose a band which is adequate for your strength level. I really can’t stress this enough. Overstretching a band can lead to it breaking which is not only annoying, but dangerous.

For lower resistance loads, I prefer exercise tubing to commence with. This is far more resilient than the flat bands and easier to attach as well.

These are colour coded with grey being the upper limit of resistance for this system of resistance bands. This will eventually be too light for a lot of people. In which case, we’ll need to advance to PT bands which typically begin their resistance level around the point that traditional tubing finishes.

I generally tie a loop at each end which makes attaching the band a whole lot easier.

Then you can simply bring the band through the loop and wrap it over your foot. This is sufficient if you’re wearing a shoe. Otherwise you may need to pull the original loop over the heel as shown in the video.

With the PT band, simply step into the band, twist the band over on itself and bring it under the foot.

You can attach the band to the back leg of a chair. But it can be tricky to get the perfect amount of tension doing it this way.

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There are two ways to overcome this:

1. With exercise tubing, you can simply place the loop in a door jam. Provided the door doesn’t open the loop will prevent it sliding through. This is a little tricky with the PT bands, you’ll really need a door jam anchor for these​​

Place a rolled towel under the knee if needed to elevate it enough to clear the ground.

Now all you have to do is move the chair a distance from the door which provides the right amount of tension. As you improve, you can simply move further away from the door.​

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2. Now for my favourite variation.

This is super easy, super effective. And after 2 years working from home, most people have an office chair they can use.

Loop the tubing or PT band around the post of the chair. Get it nice and tight and then wrap it around once.

Attach the other end to your foot as described earlier.

Now all you have to do is turn the chair until you find the right amount of tension. Every degree of rotation will add a subtle increase in load. Often office chairs are high enough for your leg to clear the floor.

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So there you have it. A highly effective exercise, easily completed in the comfort of your own home, all for the cost of an exercise band.