Effective Quad Training Made Simple
If the biceps and traps are a symbol of power for the upper body, quadricepss are the equivalent for the lower body.
Effective quad training is NOT complicated- but it does require a bit of thought and a whole lot of hard work.
A set of strong, well developed quads is not only aesthetically pleasing, but they’re important for healthy general movement and are a major pillar of a stronger barbell squat if thats a goal of yours.
For starters, lets do a quick 101 of the anatomy of the quads:
The quadriceps are a group of muscles at the front of the thigh. The biggest group of muscles in the body.
They’re made up of the rectus femoris, Vastus laterals, Vastus medalis and Vastus Intermedius. You can take a look at the diagram to see where each of these lies.
The primary function of the quads is to extend the knee, but they do play a minor role in hip flexion as well.
To train the quads completely effectively, we need to train the muscles with exercises where the resistance resistance peaks in both the stretched (flexed) position and the shortened (extended) position.
The simplest way to go about this👇
Choose an exercise that trains the short position:
Leg extension- Yep, really. There is no other exercise that trains the quads in this position quite the same as a leg extension. Find a machine or do them with a resistance band.
Choose an exercise that trains the lengthened position:
Any squat variation where you are hitting full depth will target the quads, but the most scientifically efficient variations would be the high bar squat, hack squat and leg press.
The high bar squat requires a bit more overall skill and stability making it a perfect choice for someone who’s primary goal is to build strength or for someone who is a skilled squatter. If your goal is strictly to build muscle, you will likely want to choose an exercise thats a bit more stable, like the hack squat or leg press.
Throw in a unilateral exercise at the end if you choose, like a lunge or split squat and you are gold.
On a pretty basic level, its really that simple as far as exercise selection for the quads.
Now lets cover some FAQs regarding effective quad training that will cover some finer details tie everything together:
Q: Does it matter what order the exercises are in?
A: From a purely hypertrophy perspective, performing leg extensions first os a smart move as you will want to train muscles in the short (contracted) position first before they are fatigued from exercises that train them in the stretched position.
If your goal is strength, youll always want to train the big, compound movements like squat, first while the quads are fresh.
Q: Is hack squat/leg press superior to the barbell squat?
A: From a hypertrophy standpoint, yes, they can be. These exercises are more “stable” as the machine provides stability for you, making it easier to get output from the quads as you won’t have to worry about bracing or any other real skill component. This doesn’t mean squats are NOT effective for leg growth, they most definitely are. Its just that they are harder to execute, so for efficiency’s sake machines are the move.
From a STRENGTH standpoint, squats are tough to beat and should absolutely be included in your training protocol.
Q: How often should I train quads?
A: Quads have been scientifically shown to recover rather quickly compared to other muscle groups, training them 1-2x a week is reasonable, but you may add in a 3rd day if you can recover from it and its a muscle group you really want to improve.
Q: Does rep range matter?
A: The only thing that really matters is that you get close to failure on your lifts and provide them with enough tension to grow from.
If your goal is strength, I recommend that you’ll want to air on the lower end of the hypertrophy rep range (6-20),majority of the time, but if your goal is to just build muscle, train high or low rep or a combination of both. Whichever you enjoy more.
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