# What's your thoughts on this leg lift exercise? Bad idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 24, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407 "2018-01-24T20:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/1 "2018-01-24T20:59:41Z")
I don’t like the hard, fast motion of this lady’s knee lifts. That seems like an injury waiting to happen. My coaches taught me to take slower, more deliberate moves. That we should never make hard, jerking motions exercising. Every exercise should have a smooth, deliberate motion with complete extension and retraction. Consider deep knee bends and squats. That’s a slow and controlled movement. I don’t know what they teach now. I’ve seen dance aerobics on tv and never had any interest in doing them. What’s your opinion of this exercise? Safe? Or Dangerous? > **[Fitness fanatic snaps her Achilles tendon in agony inducing video](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5306603/Fitness-fanatic-snaps-Achilles-tendon.html)** > > An American fitness fanatic will have to tone down her routine after a new workout caused her Achilles tendon to snap, leaving her in agony. Video shows how Tiffany Van Dyke injured herself. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/2 "2018-01-24T21:11:11Z")
Geez, that’s a nasty injury. That pop. :eek: I hope she doesn’t try that exercise again after rehab. I’ve read they discourage doing many deep knee bends. They can do more harm then good. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/3 "2018-01-24T21:13:25Z")
Looks normal to me. She’s not even moving that violently. I’m guessing she’s had chronic Achilles tendinitis for a while. That can weaken the tendon and result in a rupture under otherwise normal loads. Or not. There are cases of Achilles rupture with no prior warning. Slow, deliberate movements in practice produce slow deliberate movements in competition. [Plyometrics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyometrics) are an accepted way to develop quick, explosive movements. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/4 "2018-01-24T21:21:49Z")
Ok, I defer to the running coach. 😉 That’s outside my area of knowledge I did my share of wind sprints. Never did plyometrics. Too old to start now. They’d need three surgeons on standby and an ambulance. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/5 "2018-01-25T19:56:18Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Looks normal to me. She’s not even moving that violently. I’m guessing she’s had chronic Achilles tendinitis for a while. That can weaken the tendon and result in a rupture under otherwise normal loads. Or not. There are cases of Achilles rupture with no prior warning. > Slow, deliberate movements in practice produce slow deliberate movements in competition. > [Plyometrics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyometrics) are an accepted way to develop quick, explosive movements. Is it possible she tried to do this without warming up? I have done a LOT of high knees/squat jumps/knees to chest, but only after warming up ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/6 "2018-01-25T20:25:22Z")
I know the feeling well. I tore both of my achilles tendons about 18 months apart by playing basketball after long layoffs and without stretching. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-thoughts-on-this-leg-lift-exercise-bad-idea/807407/7 "2018-01-25T21:17:30Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Is it possible she tried to do this without warming up? I have done a LOT of high knees/squat jumps/knees to chest, but only after warming up She would have more likely pulled a muscle that rupturing the Achilles.