Even those online trainers who I think are excellent overall sometimes express views that, because of my experience, I do not at all agree with.
This is because those trainers and others who have not yet experienced negative results from their technique believe the reason is due solely to their doing it correctly, and that others’ warnings against that same technique amount to nothing more than “myths.” Unfortunately for such people, poor technique is not recognized until the damage is already done.
The opposite is also true. Another favorite online trainer of mine warns against the leg extension machine. In fairness, each manufacturer has a different design, so it could be he was just using a poorly designed version. My gym has two, each made by a different company, and one of these is awful IMHO. However, overall I always include leg extensions in my leg workout, and this particular trainer, from what he described, told me he simply wasn’t using proper technique. Leg extensions should not impact your knees unless you are using your knees rather than your quads to move the weight, which you should never do. The knees’ one and ONLY function is to BEND.
Knees (like all joints) are merely hinges. They are not muscles, but merely cartilage and bone. Knees are not designed to bear weight. Knees are not designed to lead an exercise. Knees are not designed to absorb shock. Knees are not designed to overextend. Knees are not designed to endure wear and tear: that's what the surrounding muscles—quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves— are all designed to do. Muscles are active; joints are passive.
Putting knees at risk in one's quest for stronger leg muscles is counter productive to say the least. Knees have one function only: to bend—and do so only within a predetermined range or arc.
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