Running, jumping, kicking, walking, or even picking up clutter off your floor — all these movements require strength in one of your body’s major muscle groups: the quads. Also known as the quadriceps femoris, the quads are a group of muscles at the front of your thigh that are essential to everyday movement and athletic performance. Four individual muscles make up the quads: the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius (which could be important to know next time you host trivia night).
Let’s talk about the importance of building lower-body strength and targeting the quads. We’ll cover:
- The benefits of quadriceps exercises
- How to take your quad workouts to the next level
- The best quad exercises for strength and muscle mass
- Bodyweight quad exercises to try at home
What are the benefits of quad exercises?
Quad-focused exercises have several benefits, including:
- Better functional strength
- Increased balance and stability
- Improved knee and hip joint health
- Aesthetics
- Enjoyment (There’s nothing like the satisfying feeling of sharing your new PR on Instagram!)
Working your quads can also boost the natural production of growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol. These hormones help your body respond to exercise by stimulating muscle synthesis and increasing the metabolism of fat, helping you maximize your results.
How to plan quad workouts based on your fitness goals
To target all four quad muscles, include a variety of exercises in your workout and change up your foot position to promote balance. Doing weighted squats, lunges, step-ups, and leg machine exercises like leg extensions and hack squats will target all four quad muscles and result in substantial muscle growth.
Your recommended weight and rep ranges for quad exercises depend on your muscle-strengthening goals:
- To build muscular endurance, aim for 12-20 reps using light to moderately heavy weights.
- For muscular size and gains, aim for 8-12 reps using moderately heavy weights.
- For general strength training, lift 1-5 reps per set using heavy weights.
Pro tip: Follow the principles of periodization training to ensure you’re progressing safely and effectively, building larger and stronger quads while reducing the risk of injury.
How often should you do quad workouts?
Building quad muscles (especially if you want to do it quickly) comes down to training legs two to three times per week, fueling your body with a nutrient-dense diet, and allowing ample rest and recovery. Incorporate at least 24-48 hours of recovery between quad workouts, including 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
Related: Maintain Strength: Take Rest Days for Muscle Growth
Quad-focused leg day workout: 6 muscle-strengthening exercises
This quad workout features six exercises that target your lower-body muscles for strength and muscle gain, plus improved leg, knee, and back stability. We recommend a horizontal training format, which means you’ll complete all sets of one exercise before moving on to the next. This training format challenges your body to endure a higher volume of reps by targeting the same muscle groups with repeated sets of the same exercise.
Smith machine back squat
Equipment: Smith machine | Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hip adductors
The Smith machine isn’t just for beginners! It can be a valuable tool for even the most experienced lifters, increasing safety as you move up in weight and helping you maintain proper form to achieve more depth in your squat and maximize your gains.
Pro tips to check (and level up) your back squat form:
- Stand upright with the bar on the back of your shoulders (like you would for a typical squat). Keep your feet flat and shoulder-width apart. To increase range of motion and quad activation, step your feet a few inches forward. To put even more focus on your quads, try a narrow stance.
- Lower your body toward the floor, bending your knees and sending your hips backward and down.
- Push through your heels to return to the starting position. Keep your back flat and head up throughout the movement.
Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Hack squat
Equipment: Hack squat machine | Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves
How to:
- Stand on the footplate of the squat machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Unlock the carriage and lower your body down toward the footplate. Bend your hips and knees to at least a 90-degree angle.
- Extend your legs, pushing the carriage back up until you’re in a straight leg position. Repeat.
Complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Leg press
Equipment: Leg press machine | Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves
These two leg press stance variations target different muscles:
- Narrow stance: Primarily targets quads
- Wide stance: Targets inner thighs (adductors), glutes, hamstrings, and quads
Narrow stance
How to:
- Sit on the leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform.
- Unlock the carriage and lower the platform down, bending at your hips and knees.
- Lower your body toward the platform until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Extend your legs, pushing away from the platform until your legs are straight. Keep your feet flat throughout the movement. Repeat.
Complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Wide stance
How to:
- For a wide stance, align your feet with the outer edges of the platform.
- Unlock the carriage and lower the platform down, bending at your hips and knees.
- Lower your body toward the platform until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Extend your legs, pushing away from the platform until your legs are straight. Keep your feet flat throughout the movement. Repeat.
Complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Leg extensions
Equipment: Leg extension machine | Muscles worked: Quads
Traditional leg extension
How to:
- Sit on the leg extension machine with your knees bent and the leg pads on your lower shins, just above your ankles.
- Extend your knees fully, raising your legs out and up until your knees, hips, and feet are in line.
- Slowly lower your legs to the starting position. Repeat.
Complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Advanced modification: Single-leg eccentric leg extension
How to:
- Sit on the leg extension machine with your knees bent and the leg pads on your lower shins, just above your ankles.
- Extend your knees fully, raising your legs out and up until your knees, hips, and feet are in line.
- Lower one leg so that only one leg is holding up the pad of the leg extension machine.
- Slowly lower the pad by bending your working leg until you’ve reached the bottom of the rep. Repeat using both legs to raise the machine.
Complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per side. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat
Equipment: Box, dumbbells | Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings
How to:
- Stand upright with your rear foot on a box, holding a set of dumbbells at your sides.
- Drop your body toward the floor, bending at your hips and knees while leaning your torso slightly forward.
- Push up off your front foot to return to the starting position.
Perform 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps per side. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
Dumbbell step-ups
Equipment: Smith machine | Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, hip adductors
How to:
- Stand upright with one foot on a box, holding a set of dumbbells at your sides with your arms straight.
- Push down on your front foot to step up onto the box and stand with both feet flat.
- Step down onto your back foot and repeat.
Complete 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps per side. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
Note: For Bulgarian split squats and dumbbell step-ups, select a box that’s at a comfortable height. You should be able to keep your knee and hips at 90-degree angles while stepping onto the box. When choosing dumbbells, opt for a weight that challenges you without sacrificing form.
Fuel your quad workouts with a protein-rich diet
When it comes to building strength and muscle mass, exercise is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also important to supplement your workouts with a protein-rich diet to promote muscle growth and recovery. Aim for 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or get roughly 35% of your daily calories from protein.
Related: How to Add More Protein to Your Diet: Smart Snack Hacks
The best quad exercises with no equipment
Squat rack taken? Stuck at home on leg day? These bodyweight quad exercises can help you stay on track at home or on the go.
Squat variations:
- Air squats
- Jump squats
- Squat pulses
- Split-stance squats
- Touchdown squats
- Sumo squats
- Narrow-stance squats
Lunge variations:
- Reverse lunges
- Forward lunges
- Curtsy lunges
- Lunge jumps
- Lunge pulses
A final word on building leg strength
When lifting weights for muscle gain, always remember to listen to your body. If you’re feeling strained during a workout, it may be a sign to lower your rep count or take a rest day. If you’re not feeling challenged, try a heavier weight.
Working with an Anytime Fitness Coach can help you take your strength training to the next level — your Coach can work alongside you to determine the ideal training plan for you, plus recommendations for rest, recovery, and nutrition.
Try these workouts with weights
- The Best Pull Day Workout to Maintain Muscle Balance
- Push Day Workout: 5 Exercises for Stronger Arms and Chest
- The Full-Body Conditioning Workout Everyone Should Try
From sharing the best quad exercises to selecting the right dumbbell weights, we’ve got your back with personalized Coaching. Team up with an AF Coach to get a training, nutrition, and recovery plan tailored to your needs and goals.
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