Quads exercises
Your quads straighten the knee. They do most of the work in squats, lunges, leg presses and stairs.
By equipment:Barbell (3)Dumbbells (3)Squat rack (3)Plyo box or step (3)
Compound lifts
Several muscles at once. Do these first, while you're fresh.
- Trap bar deadliftTrap barChest up
- Back squatBarbell and Squat rackBrace before each rep
- Front squatBarbell and Squat rackStay upright
- Box squatBarbell, Squat rack and Plyo box or stepSit back to the box
- Smith machine squatSmith machineBrace
- Hack squatHack squat machineKnees forward over toes
- Leg pressLeg pressLower until hips start to tuck
- Goblet squatDumbbellsElbows inside the knees
- Kettlebell goblet squatKettlebellsChest proud
- Bodyweight squatNo equipmentSit between the heels
- Bulgarian split squatDumbbells and Flat benchFront knee over the toes
- Rear-foot-elevated split squatPlyo box or stepTorso tall
- Dumbbell walking lungeDumbbellsLong steps
- Reverse lungeNo equipmentStep back
- Step-upPlyo box or stepWhole foot on the box
- Split squatNo equipmentTorso tall
- Shrimp squatNo equipmentLower until the back knee touches the floor
- One-leg squatNo equipmentArms forward to balance
- Side-to-side squatNo equipmentShift to one side and sit down
Isolation exercises
One muscle, one joint. Good for adding sets without much extra fatigue.
How much to train your quads
About 8 to 12 hard sets a week to start, up to 12 to 20 as you get more experienced, split over two or more sessions, each set ending 1 to 3 reps short of failure. More in how many sets per week and reps in reserve.
A quads plan that adapts to you
Liftsmith picks quads exercises your gym can do, sets the weight for every set, and only trains them again once they've recovered.
- ✓ Free to start, no account needed
- ✓ Plans every set, rep and weight for you
- ✓ Works offline, on Android, iPhone and the web
- ✓ No ads, ever