An isolation exercise performed on a machine where you extend your lower leg against resistance while seated, specifically targeting the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh.
From 'quad' (short for quadriceps, from Latin 'quattuor' meaning four and 'caput' meaning head, referring to the four-headed muscle) and 'extension' (Latin 'extendere' meaning to stretch out). The exercise machine was invented in the 1970s for rehabilitation purposes.
Physical therapists love quad extensions because it's one of the few exercises that can isolate the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), the inner quad muscle that's crucial for knee stability but often weak in people with knee pain!
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