20 Best Quad Exercises to Build Mass and Strength

Do you want to learn about some of the best quad-strengthening exercises to build mass and strength?

Do you want to include quad exercises in your workouts for a stronger, better-looking leg? Then you are at the right place.

When training quad muscles, it is important to focus on form and technique. The strength and health of our quadriceps greatly impact our ability to walk and maintain healthy knees.

We will take a look at everything you need to know about training your quad muscles.

Quad exercises can help you improve your leg strength, making it easier to perform activities such as walking, running, and climbing stairs.

Here, we’ll talk about the following topics:

Use Our Free Calculator: Know Your Muscle Building Calories Requirement

How To Train Quads Muscles

The number of reps and sets will vary based on your fitness level, weekly workout frequency, and strength training goals to structure an effective quad workout to increase mass and strength.

For strength gains, do 4 to 6 sets of 1 to 6 reps each exercise with a weight that is at least 85% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM) The fewer reps you perform, the closer to 100% of your 1RM you should strive for.

If your goal is hypertrophy (muscle growth), perform three sets of each exercise, using loads that are 70 to 85% of your 1RM for 8 to 12 reps.

When training for endurance, it is usually recommended to use higher reps (15 to 20 repetitions) and moderate loads with a weight that is at least 50 to 70% of your 1RM.

This post contains detailed descriptions of all the best exercises for leg workouts that focus on the quadriceps muscles and help you build muscle mass and strength of your Leg.

Best quad strengthening exercises

20 Best Exercises To Build Bigger Quads

Now, let’s get into the best quad-strengthening exercises using various types of fitness equipment and some bodyweight quad workouts for mass and strength that you can do at home.

We have created the best quad strengthening and mass-building exercises for many sections, such as:

  • Bodyweight Quad-dominated exercises at Home
  • Dumbbell quad mass-building workouts.
  • Barbell quad strengthening and mass building exercises.
  • Machine quad strengthening exercises.

The quad-dominated exercises are divided into squats, leg presses, lunges, steps up, and leg extension exercises.

Although the squat, lunges, and step-up exercises involve the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. For the sake of simplicity, we have categorized them as quad-dominant workouts.

1. Bodyweight Squat

Bodyweight squats are among the best quad exercises to build mass and strength in your legs. You can perform it virtually anywhere, with no equipment and limited space.

It is a highly functional movement that works the major muscles of the legs. Beginners need to learn the bodyweight squat before progressing to weighted squats.

If you want to try bodyweight squats, there are many different ways to do the squat.

  • Jump Squats
  • Pistol Squats
  • Bulgarian Split Squats
  • Wall Squat
  • Squat Jumps with Rotation
Bodyweight Sumo squat

How To Do

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Your feet and knees should be pointing in the same direction.
  3. Raise your arms out in front of you for balance (or you can leave them by your side).
  4. Keep your head up and torso upright.
  5. Inhale as you squat by flexing your hips and knees simultaneously.
  6. Make sure to go down far enough so that your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  7. Exhale as you return to the starting position.

Tips

  • Keep your back straight, head up, and torso upright.
  • Don’t allow your knees to push too far forward.
  • Make the bodyweight squat more difficult by pulsing at the bottom of the squat.

2. Bodyweight Sumo Squat

The sumo squat is a variation of a standard squat to add mass to your quads and Inner thighs. The key difference in this squat is that you take a wider stance and position your feet turned out.

While all squats work the glutes, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings and calves, the leg positioning of the sumo squat also works the inner thighs.

Bodyweight Sumo squat

How To Do

  1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and turn your feet out, externally rotating your hips.
  2. You can keep your hands clasped together at your chest or open your hands in front of your chest.
  3. Take a deep breath in, then push your hips backward, lowering into a squat.
  4. Keep your core tight, back straight, and knees forward.
  5. Pause, exhale, and ensure you’re pushing through your heels.
  6. Focus on engaging your inner thighs as you come back to your starting position.

Tips

  • The lower back should have a natural arch with a chest out.
  • Keep your abs tight throughout the exercise.

3. Jump Squat

Jump squats are the power-packed HIIT version of squats. Squat jumps help shed body fat, tone your butt and legs, and improve strength and balance.

Research has shown that Jump squats outperform traditional squats in generating explosive force, making them a valuable addition to any lower-body workout routine.

It is a great exercise to include in-home quad workouts since they can be done in a small space without any equipment.

Studies also indicate that jump squats can improve vertical jump height, which is crucial for various sports and athletic activities.

Jump Squat

How To Do

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Quickly drop down by bending at the knees and hips, and let your glutes track backward to lower yourself into a squat.
  3. At the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  4. Reverse direction, driving up through your heels and the balls of your feet to lift your body off the floor as high as possible.
  5. Land with soft knees and immediately lower into the next rep.

Tips

  • Keep your head up and your torso upright.
  • Don’t perform this exercise with cold muscles. Do a cardio warm-up before it.

4. Sissy Squat

The sissy squat is the best quad exercise for building mass on your hip flexors, Quads and strengthening your core simultaneously.

While doing that exercise, act as if you were kneeling on the ground without moving your upper body. The only moving part of your body is the lower portion of the leg.

To add resistance, hold a weight plate on your chest with the arm that is not stabilizing your body.

Sissy Squat

How To Do

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width to shoulder-width apart, and hold on to something sturdy that can support you.
  2. Keeping your hips and back straight is the best way to ensure this exercise is executed correctly.
  3. Bend at the knees and lean the body backward so that the tension comes into the front of your thighs.
  4. You should form a straight line from your knees to your head.
  5. Reverse the motion and go back to the starting position.

Tips

  • Keep your feet and knees pointing in the same direction.
  • Use dumbbells or a weight plate to make the exercise more challenging.

5. One-Arm Bench Dip

The one-arm bench dip is a challenging and very effective movement that primarily targets your triceps, but your glutes and quads also get worked secondarily.

This is not a beginner’s exercise or for someone with inadequate upper body strength.

One-arm bench dip

How To Do

  1. Place your hands (palms) on the side of a flat bench with your back straight, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Slide your buttocks off the bench. Raise your left arm and right leg straight out in front of you.
  3. Your bodyweight should be supported by your right arm and left leg.
  4. Inhale as you flex your elbow to lower your body until you feel a mild stretch in your shoulder.
  5. Breathe out as you extend your elbow to push your body back up to the starting position.

Tips

  • Keep your body upright and your back straight.
  • Keep your elbow close to your body, and do not flare out.
  • Keep both feet on the floor to make the one-arm bench dip easier.

6. Dumbbell Squat

There are many advantages of doing dumbbell quad strengthening exercises, such as:

Dumbbell Squats are an excellent alternative to barbell squats to build quality muscle mass in the legs, specially in the quads.

One benefit of the dumbbell squat over the barbell squat is that you can perform it anywhere without needing a spotter.

A beginner can do it at home or the gym with only a pair of dumbbells.

Dumbbell Squat

How To Do

  1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees and lower yourself with your back straight and head up until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
  3. Now, raise yourself up using only your thigh strength.
  4. Keep your back straight and your legs nearly locked.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

  • Keep your torso upright, shoulders back, head up, and feet firmly planted.
  • Breathe out while moving upwards.

7. Dumbbell Lunges

Dumbbell Lunges are an excellent exercise to build thigh muscles and glutes. Along with squats, lunges are highly recommended to build mass in your butt and quad muscles.

It requires good balance, so if you have issues keeping your balance, start off by doing the lunges exercise without weights as you learn the proper form.

Try other best variations:

  • Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
  • Dumbbell Lateral Lunges
Dumbbell Lunges

How To Do

  1. Hold two dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight.
  2. Keep your back straight, step forward, bend your knees, and get them as close to the floor as possible.
  3. Push yourself back to the starting position and repeat with the other foot.
  4. Keep alternating the leg with which you lunge.

Tips

  • Try to bend as far and low as possible without losing form.
  • Keep your torso upright and look ahead.
  • If you suffer from balance problems, it is best to avoid it or use your bodyweight while holding on to a steady object.

8. Dumbbell Sumo Squat

The dumbbell sumo squat is a popular lower-body movement using a single dumbbell held in front of the legs.

It is performed with a wider-than-shoulder-width stance, increasing the demand on the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors while benefiting the quads, core, and upper body.

Dumbbell sumo squat

How To Do

  1. Grab a dumbbell and hold one end with both hands.
  2. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and turn your feet out, externally rotating your hips.
  3. Breathe in deeply, then push your hips back and lower your body into a squat.
  4. Keep your core tight, back straight, and knees forward.
  5. Pause, then exhale and ensure you’re pushing through your heels and engaging your inner thighs as you return to your starting position.

Tips

  • Do not allow the dumbbell to contact the floor.
  • Stand on an elevated surface to allow room for the full range of motion if available.
  • The lower back should have a natural arch with a chest out.

9. Dumbbell Step Up

The dumbbell step-up is a great exercise for building lower-body strength and power. This workout targets quads and also involves calves and glutes & hip flexors.

The step-up is a great exercise for everyone because it can be changed for anyone, no matter how old or new they are to exercising.

If you don’t have weights or want to do an easier variation, you can do a bodyweight step-up at home.

You can also try lateral step-up. It is an effective compound exercise that works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and hip abductors. It is a unilateral exercise, meaning that it works each leg independently.

Dumbbell step-up

How To Do

  1. Place a knee-high box or bench in front of you.
  2. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, or use just your body weight.
  3. Stand with your feet in a comfortable hip-width stance.
  4. Step forward with one leg onto the step and drive through that thigh to bring your body upward.
  5. Bring the trailing leg to the top of the step and stand on the box, then step back with the opposite leg to the floor and lower yourself.
  6. Alternate legs with each rep.

Tips

  • Control the movement, using your muscles to lift and lower yourself slowly.
  • Make sure to keep your back in a natural arch and your body upright throughout the whole movement.

10. Barbell Squat

Barbells are a valuable tool in the arsenal of a person who wants to gain strength efficiently. Exercise experts also point to several other benefits of barbells quad strengthening and mass building exercises.

The barbell squat is the king of all exercises, the only challenger being the barbell deadlift. Nothing comes close to a squat workout to build muscle mass and tone the leg muscles.

This exercise is loved by most because it strengthens the legs and core. There have been many research papers that have investigated the effects of squats on testosterone levels.

In general, these studies have found that squats can lead to a significant increase in testosterone levels.

Barbell Squat

How To Do

  1. Step on the rack so that the barbell rests across the back of your shoulders.
  2. Raise the barbell and get away from the rack if you are doing it with free weights.
  3. Bend your knees, lower your back straight, and head up until your thighs parallel the ground.
  4. Now raise yourself up using only the thigh power.
  5. Keep your back straight, in a position with legs nearly locked out.

Tips

  • Start light and add weight gradually, allowing your legs and lower back to adapt.
  • When lifting heavy weights, it is advised to have a spotter ready or to use a squat rack or power rack.

11. Front Squat

The barbell squat and the barbell front squat work the same target and synergistic muscles. However, the barbell front squat recruits more stabilizer muscles, including various back muscles, your shoulders, and your chest.

The barbell front squat is more advanced than the barbell squat. However, it is not as effective at building mass because it doesn’t permit as much weight to be lifted.

It helps build entire thighs and focuses especially on the outer thigh region.

Front Squat

How To Do

  1. Step on a Smith machine and get the bar on your shoulders in front of you.
  2. Grasping it with your crossed arms and lift it off the rack.
  3. Maintain the natural arch in your lower back and keep your head directed forward.
  4. Perform a squat, bending your knees and pushing your hips back to lower yourself until your thighs parallel the floor.
  5. From this position, push yourself back to the starting point.

Tips

  • Start with lighter weights and add more weight slowly.

12. Barbell Lunges

Barbell lunges are a compound exercise that works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core. They are a great way to build lower body strength and improve balance.

It helps to develop balance, coordination, and your legs’ unilateral (one-sided) functional strength.

Barbell Lunges are a power move to build quads and butt muscles. Learn the correct technique and blast your thighs now.

Barbell Lunges

How To Do

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
  2. Place a barbell across your back and rest it on your upper traps.
  3. Step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
  4. Make sure your front knee does not extend past your toes.
  5. Push back up to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Tips

  • Bend as far and low as possible without losing form.
  • Keep your torso upright and your head facing forward.
  • Go slow and controlled 

13. Zercher Squat

The Zercher squat’s set up is unique, as you wedge the barbell in your elbow creases and hold the weight by bracing your core and arms.

The Zercher squat places a high amount of loading on the quad, upper back and traps, and the biceps and elbows.

By mastering the Zercher squat, one can see massive increases in bicepsforearm, and leg size and increases in total squat and deadlift numbers.

Zercher squat

How To Do

  1. Stand with a shoulder-width grip. Hold a barbell at chest height in the crook of your crossed arms.
  2. Take a step back from the rack and stand in a wide stance with your knees and feet pointed out diagonally in the same direction.
  3. Keep your back straight and body upright.
  4. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
  5. It would be best if you paused when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  6. Reverse direction and drive up through your heels to the standing position.

Tips

  • Clasp fingers together while holding the barbell.
  • Do not round your back. Keep your back straight with a natural arch in your lower back.
  • Use elbow pads to decrease discomfort in your arms. Another option is placing two barbell pads for each arm on the bar.

14. Side Lunge

The side lunge, aka lateral lunge, is a leg exercise used to build the mass in the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

The unilateral movement of side lunges can help you to improve muscular imbalances, increase strength in each leg, and benefit from a functional movement.

Other Variations:

  • Bodyweight Lateral Lunge
  • Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
Side Lunge

How To Do

  1. Place a barbell on your traps and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2.  Step out to your right as far as you can with your right foot.
  3. The forefoot should be turned out slightly as you plant it on the floor.
  4. Squat, shifting your weight to the left until your left leg is about parallel with the floor.
  5. Extend your left leg back up to lift your body up.
  6. Repeat in the same manner with your left leg, and continue alternating legs each rep until all reps are completed.

Tips

  • Do not lean the torso forward as you rise out of the bottom of the lunge.
  • Always push through your heels to protect your knees.

15. Jefferson Squat

Jefferson squats is an old technique you don’t see many people utilizing anymore. However, it is an exceptional workout due to its ability to test and work your lower body.

It requires a balancing act (Asymmetrical movement).

There’s an element of building up coordination and stabilization to keep the bar centered, which also helps to avoid injuries.

Jefferson-Squat

How To Do

  1. Straddle a loaded barbell placed on the floor and run sideways between your feet.
  2. Squat down to pick up the bar, grabbing it with one and facing palm backward and one hand facing palm forward.
  3. Hold the bar as you stand with a wider grip than shoulder-width.
  4. Bend at the knees and hips, letting your glutes track backward to lower yourself.
  5. When your thighs are parallel to the floor or the bar touches the floor, reverse direction and drive up through your heels to a standing position.

Tips

  • Keep your feet flat, your chest up, your back straight, and your shoulders back.
  • Ensure that the weight is evenly distributed between your two legs.
  • Hold the barbell with an even, well-balanced grip.

16. Barbell Box Squat

The box squat is a compound exercise that uses a barbell and a plyometric box to work for muscle groups throughout your body.

The posture of box squats puts slightly less pressure on your knee joints when compared to front squats or back squats.

This is a great workout for learning how to squat because it reinforces the sitting-back portion of the squat.

Other variation: Bodyweight Box Squat and Dumbbell Box Squat

Box Squat

How To Do

  1. Place a box or bench that is about knee height behind you in the power rack or squat rack.
  2. Unrack the bar and move back so that you are several inches in front of the box or bench.
  3. Your posture should be tall, with your feet wider than hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  4. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, with your head and neck in a neutral position.
  5. Squat back and down until your glutes make contact with the box, and immediately explode back up by pressing through your heels until you’re back in the standing position. Do not “plop” or fully sit down on the box.

Tips

  • As you stand, keep your chest high and squeeze your glutes
  • The goal is to squat down slowly and softly on the box and immediately explode.
  • Do not sit on the box and rock backwards, as this leads to spine compression; pause and immediately raise.
Know More: 15 Best Barbell Leg Workout For Mass and Strength

17. Leg Press

If you have back problems or are concerned about lower back pressure, then leg press exercises are the best thigh building and toning workouts.  

In comparison with the barbell squat, the seated leg press exercises reduce the axial load on your spine and reduce the risk of backache.

It is an excellent exercise for building quad muscle mass and strength.

Leg Press

How To Do

  1. Sit in the leg press machine and place your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
  2. Bend your knees and allow the weight to lower itself until your knees are near 90 degrees.
  3. Now extend your legs and push the weight back to the beginning position by straightening your legs.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

  • Move only legs and don’t use your arms to push the knees.

18. Leg Extension

Leg extension is one of the best quad-dominant exercises and a great way to build and shape your quad muscles.

The seated leg extension is a quad’s isolation workout and one used to target the muscles of the quads.

Different positions of the toes work different quad muscles.

  • Pointing your toes directly upward hits all sections of the quadriceps equally,
  • Toes inward, internally rotates the tibia to target the inner quad.
  • Placing your toes outward externally rotates the tibia to hit the outer quad.
Leg Extension

How To Do

  1. Sit on a Leg extension machine with your legs under the pad and with your back pressed firmly against the back pad.
  2. Grab the handles or the seat edges behind your hips and keep your upper body steady.
  3. Extend your legs as far as possible in a smooth movement until fully extended to get a maximum thigh contraction.
  4. Contract your quads at the top and slowly lower the weight under control to the starting position.

Tips

  • It is advised that you don’t go too heavy, as it can be detrimental to your knees.
  • Do not lock your knees when they are fully extended. This can put additional strain on the knee joint.

19. Hack Squat

The machine hack squat is a variation of the squat and an exercise used to build the muscles of the legs.

In particular, the hack squat will target Quadricepsglutes & hip flexors and also involves calves and hamstrings.

The difference between a barbell squat and a hack squat is that the core is more involved in the barbell squat.

Hack Squat

How To Do

  1. Get on a hack squat machine and place your back flat against the back pad of the and get your shoulders under the support.
  2. Grip the side handles of the machine and place your legs in a shoulder width stance with your toes pointed out slightly.
  3. Straighten your legs, but do not lock your knees. Bend your knees as you slowly lower the weight.
  4. Go down as low as possible, parallel to the floor. Hold for a count of one.
  5. Return to the start position by pushing down through your heels and extending your legs.

Tips

  • Your back should remain on the pad while you are performing this exercise.
  • For the safety of your ankles and knees, keep your feet and knees pointing in the same direction.

20. Smith Machine Squat

Squats on a smith machine are designed to stabilize your core and keep your posture in the correct position while doing a squat.

The Smith machine squat allows you to safely squat a heavy weight without a spotter. Just make sure that you use the safety pins. Must add this exercise in quad workout that can help to build mass and strength.

Smith Machine Squat
Smith Machine Squat

How To Do

  1. Stand in a smith machine so that the barbell is behind your shoulders and slightly below your neck, grasping it just outside your shoulders. Twist the bar to unrack it.
  2. Grasp the barbell with palms facing forward and hands wider than shoulder width apart.
  3. With your chest high, head forward, and back slightly arched, bend your knees and hips.
  4. Inhale as you slowly lower the barbell by getting into a squat position.
  5. When your thighs are parallel with the floor, exhale and push off with your legs to reverse the movement and return to the starting position.

What Are the Quadriceps Muscle

The quads, or quadriceps femoris, located in front of the thigh. They are the largest and strongest muscles in the thigh, and they play an important role in extending the knee and flexing the hip.

The four muscles of the quadriceps are:

  1. Rectus femoris: the longest muscle in the quadriceps, and it runs along the front of the thigh.
  2. Vastus lateralis: This muscle is located on the outside of the thigh. It is responsible for giving the thigh its shape.
  3. Vastus medialis: This muscle is located on the inside of the thigh. It helps to stabilize the knee joint.
  4. Vastus intermedius: This muscle is located in the middle of the thigh, and it helps to extend the knee.

The four heads merge together, attach onto the patella (knee cap), and then insert via a single (patellar) tendon onto the tibia, just below the knee joint.

All four of these muscles help your knee joint extend, and due to the rectus femoris’ attachment to the ilium, it’s also a flexor of the hip; Hence why the muscle group is so important in walking, running, jumping and squatting.

Quadriceps Muscle

Best Tips To Build Muscle Mass And Strength Of Quads

Building stronger and bigger quad muscles involves using specific exercises that target those muscles.

You also need to take into consideration other strategies and workouts. Here are the best tips for getting bigger and stronger quads, fast. 

1. Start With A Leg Press

Lifting using barbells is generally more effective for overall strength gains than using machines. A leg press is a safe way to work out the quads at the gym. 

This is especially helpful for newbies in the gym. The risk of injury is high when doing squats or lunges with poor form. The leg press allows you to stabilize movements and really focus in on the quads.

2. Do Plenty Of Squats And Lunges

Squats and lunges are basic and also ideal for building quad strength. As compound movements, they work the quads as well as the hamstrings, glutes, and other muscles.

Another great thing is that you can do so many variations and even add weights to progress. Start with the basics to get good form, and then try these: 

  • Weighted squat
  • Jump Squat
  • Weighted lunges
  • Jumping lunges

3. Go Heavy

When it comes to building muscle strength and size, fewer reps with heavier weights is always more effective and efficient.

You will gain strength by lifting lighter weights and completing more repetitions, but you will eventually hit a wall. To see results, focus on loading up squats and other exercises while doing fewer reps. 

4. Challenge Yourself With Drop Sets And Supersets

Take your leg workout to the next level with more challenging sets. A drop set is when you hit muscle failure, switch to a lighter weight and do more reps. Continue until you get to no weight. 

To do a superset, plan a series of sets of quad strengthening exercises and do them all in a row with no rest until you have completed them all. Then do it again. Start small with just two sets of different moves. Add more as you progress. 

5. Take Your Workout To The Track

If you ever do Sprinting workouts, you know how important the quads are too running fast. The quads are heavily involved in sprinting, especially the rectus femoris. 

A weekly track workout can provide both a HIIT session for cardio and a quad strengthening exercises.

6. Don’t Forget To Strengthen The Glutes Too

The glutes are another huge muscle group that power all kinds of functional and athletic movements.

They often work in concert with the quads, so an imbalance here can cause problems. As you focus on quads, don’t neglect the glutes.

How Many Quad Exercises Per Week, Including Sets And Reps

Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point:

Weekly Sets

Fitness LevelWorking Sets per Week
Beginners~10 sets per week
Intermediate~15 sets per week
Advanced~20 sets per week

When a certain amount of volume stops being effective and your progress stalls, you can add sets to increase volume and use that as a driver of renewed progress. 

Reps

If you want to gain size, you’ll find that many suggest using a rep range of 8-12, but when it comes to quad exercises, you’ll get better results with squats, lunges, jump squats, and other workouts with higher reps, such as 15-20.

However, this depends on the weight load. If it feels very challenging for you, the 6-12 rep range can be very effective for strength and hypertrophy.

Overall, it’s recommended that you work through a wide spectrum of reps.

Rep RangeLoad
6-8 repsHeavy load
8-15 repsModerate load
15-20+ repsLight load

The load should bring you to or near failure within the given rep ranges for the exercise to be effective.

Find the workout that suits your experience level and goals.

Training Plan As Per Your Goal

  1. For muscle endurance: Aim for 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps, with a moderate amount of resistance.
  2. For muscle strength: Aim for 3-5 sets of 6-10 reps, with a heavier amount of resistance.
  3. For muscle hypertrophy (increased muscle size): Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, with a moderate to heavy amount of resistance.

Complete Quad Workout Plans

If you want to create a balanced leg workout, you should add two or three of the following quad exercises to each routine.

Before you get started with a Quadriceps exercises, make sure you warm up properly. You could try doing a few minutes of walking on a treadmill with an incline, climbing stairs, or riding a bike to get your blood flowing.

These types of movements warm up your quad specifically. Then do a few warm-up sets with lighter weight or just your bodyweight before doing the exercises with heavier weight.

1. Beginner Quad Workout Plan

If you’re new to lifting weights, don’t worry. This beginner-friendly quad workout routine is a great place to start.

When this gets easy, choose a heavier free weight. After you’ve upped your weight several times and feel strong in the movements below, move on to the intermediate routine.

Until then, you can follow this beginner quad workout plan at home.

ExerciseSetsReps
Bodyweight Squat48-15
Lunges38-12
Step-Up38-10

2. Intermediate Quad Workout At Gym

If you are an intermediate level or have outgrown the beginner routine, try the intermediate quad workout routine at gym.

Regardless of how many reps your programming is calling for, you should be unable to complete the last one with proper form.

ExerciseSetsReps
Dumbbell Squat48-10
Barbell Side Lunge48-12
Leg Extension38-10

3. Advanced Quad Workout At Gym

If you are an advanced level athlete or have already completed the beginner and intermediate quads workouts, give the advanced routine a try.

Here, you’ll challenge more of your balance, stability, and strength.

ExerciseSetsReps
Barbell Squat46-8
Leg Press48-12
Dumbbell Step Up38-10
Bodyweight Sumo Squat38-10

FAQs On Quad Training

How Can I Build My Quadriceps At Home?

There are many quad exercises you can do with your bodyweight at home. You can also work your quad at home with bands, dumbbells, or any other equipment you may have.

It is important to challenge yourself enough that you can make progress within a few repetitions of failure, and increase the challenge over time.

Takeaway

Strengthening and toning your quads can help improve the stability of your knee, reduce your risk of knee injuries, improve your athletic performance, and make everyday movements easier to do.

Many quad exercises can be done at home, without any special equipment, or at a Gym.

Start slowly, and as you gain strength and the workouts become easier, increase the number of reps or sets you perform.

References

  1. Michal Krzysztofik,* Michal Wilk, Grzegorz Wojdała, and Artur Gołaś: Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec
  2. Thomas Linding Jakobsen, Markus Due Jakobsen, Lars Louis Andersen: Quadriceps muscle activity during commonly used strength training exercises shortly after total knee arthroplasty: implications for home-based exercise-selection. J Exp Orthop. 2019 Dec
  3. Donnelly DV, Berg WP, Fiske DM. The effect of the direction of gaze on the kinematics of the squat exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2006;20:145–150.
  4. Desiana, Istingadah & Moeliono, Marina & Prabowo, Tertianto. (2017). Effects of Quadriceps Strengthening Exercise on Quadriceps Muscle Strength and Its Relation to Lower Extremity Lean Mass. International Journal of Integrated Health Sciences. 5. 84-88. 10.15850/ijihs.v5n2.1010.
  5. Mehls K, Grubbs B, Jin Y, Coons J. Electromyography Comparison of Sex Differences During the Back Squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 1;36(2):310-313. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003469. PMID: 32032232.
  6. Wirth K, Hartmann H, Sander A, Mickel C, Szilvas E, Keiner M. The Impact of Back Squat and Leg-Press Exercises on Maximal Strength and Speed-Strength Parameters. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 May;30(5):1205-12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001228. PMID: 26439782.
  7. Muscle Activity in Single- vs. Double-Leg Squats
  8. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Thigh Quadriceps Muscle

Leave a Comment