My name is Margie Weiss, and this is the circuit. The machine we are going to work now is called the seated leg curl. It works in conjunction with another machine which is called a leg extension which works the quad muscle. This muscle works around the back in opposition, its called the hamstring. So, we are going to do the opposite exercises, instead of raising, we are going to lower. I am working today with Holley. She is an Equestrian and a member of the gym. What we are going to do is adjust this little carnival seat here so that the railing comes down places her legs in the clamp. That way if she lifts up and round her back just slightly, as she starts to extend downwards, she is getting the back of the legs, it is not only the down, but it is the return that she is going to do. The amount of the weight that you are going to use obviously depends on your strength. When you put the stack to a specific weight, if you can get to eight or ten repetitions easily, you know its time to make more weight. Then you are going to get to another degree, when that gets easy go up your weights again. This way you can safely progress.

One thing you want to remember as youre lifting more weights is people tend to allow their knees to hyperextend or completely straighten at the top. You want to keep, what we call, soft knees, which is not quite straight. That way you make sure that your patella, which is your knee cap, is safe. You dont want to injure your joints when you work out. Notice too that the smoothness down and up really makes the difference in terms of your safety. As we finish the exercise on the final one is going to be a rise. So, as she comes up to the top she wants to do it very slowly, so that the weight stack doesnt crash down. When she gets there she loosens this, lifts it up, brings herself around the side, and she is finished with a leg curl.