I have been given a cheese-master quality york home gym which I have been using the past while for my strength training in the off season. The leg extension portion of the machine is low quality and uses weights placed on a pole which is welded onto the bottom of the main tube as opposed to a cable and weight stack. To compound the shoddy gym, I of course have sand weights which are quite a bit wider at the hole than metal weights. Due to the length of the pole on the leg extension portion, and the wide weights, I am only able to get 50 pounds of weight on the machine. This however is not enough. I was wondering if anyone knew if it would be safe to put both legs around the pads like normal, but lift with one leg and leave the other on the floor. Are there any joint and or muscle issues with this? Thanks for your time.