Three ways to make leg extensions twice as intense and effective

Leg extensions - properly done - can be one of the most effective (and painful) exercises for your quadriceps, which are the muscles on the front of your thigh. The last few reps cause most people to grimace with pain and feel like their legs have been set on fire.

Here are three simple tips to make them twice as intense and effective.

1. Don't go too heavy. Some trainers use so much weight that they can't straighten their knee joint. As a result, the exercise loses some of its effectiveness. Too much weight also increases your risk of a knee injury.

2. Point the toes up towards the ceiling. When you point the toes up (rather than just letting your feet flop around) you'll probably feel a more intense muscle contraction in your thighs. Give it a try the next time you train legs.

3. Don't let the weight come to a rest between each repetition. Most leg extension machines use a weight stack, although there are a few plate-loaded models. If you let the stack come to a rest between each repetition, you're taking the tension off your legs. Instead, keep your eye on the stack, and make sure that it stops just an inch or two short of coming to a rest. That way, you keep the tension on your quadriceps, where it's supposed to be.

To build really impressive legs, it's also vital to provide your body with the protein it needs to grow. When you train, you stimulate the growth process. If your body doesn't get enough protein, your time and effort in the gym will be wasted. Based on the latest research, if you're exercising on a regular basis, you'll need to consume at least 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For people who want to build muscle as fast as possible, this figure should be nearer 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. For example, if you weigh 13 stone (182 pounds, or 83 kilograms), you'll need a maximum of 207 grams of protein daily for maximum results.

One easy way to ensure you're getting the right amount of protein is to take one serving of Promax whenever you need extra protein in your diet. For best results, you should be consuming protein every 2-3 hours. This creates a positive nitrogen balance, promoting muscle growth, repair and recovery. Drink Promax at breakfast time or with meals to boost the protein content, between meals as a high protein snack, after training to increase recovery or even at bedtime to prevent muscle loss during the night. Promax is so pure, it can be used to cook with or mixed with porridge, yoghurt, smoothies, and fruit shakes to increase the protein content of your diet.