My Journey to 3 Best Exercises for Quad growth, Bad Knees & Bodybuilding

Introduction

You know that feeling when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror after skipping legs for way too long? Yeah, not a great look. For years I was that guy who loved working the “mirror muscles” but couldn’t be bothered with putting real effort into training my wheels.

But something clicked one day when I Could barely muscle my way through a simple bodyweight squat workout. I realized that avoiding leg exercising, especially for my quads, was holding me back big time from getting stronger overall and being athletic.

That’s when I made a pact with myself – never skip leg day again! I was determined to build up my sad chicken legs into tree trunks of power.

Discovering the Quad Fundamentals

Before I jumped into the best exercises, I knew I needed to understand the anatomy behind the quads. The quadriceps^[1] are made up of four distinct muscles:

• Rectus Femoris^[2]
• Vastus Lateralis^[3]
• Vastus Medialis^[4]
• Vastus Intermedius^[5]

Together, these muscles make up the bulk of that meaty part on the front of your thighs. They’re responsible for extending the knees and even help stabilize the hips during movements like farmer’s carries.

But more importantly for a guy like me, training the quads has benefits that extend way beyond just looking jacked. Building up strength and size in the quads leads to:

• Improvements in big lifts like squats and deadlifts
• Better resilience against injuries, especially around the knees
• Enhanced mobility and ability to keep moving well into older age

With that key knowledge locked in, I was ready to attack some killer quad exercises.

Assessing the Best Quad Exercises

When I first started my quest for monster quads, I didn’t just blindly do every exercise I came across. I had some key criteria I used to evaluate each movement:

Compound vs Isolation

I wanted a mix of compound exercises that worked for multiple muscle groups along with my quads, as well as isometric quadriceps exercises^[6] that zoned in solely on the quad muscles. The big compound lifts tend to be better for overall strength and muscle building, while isolation work allows you to really fatigue a particular muscle group.

Equipment Needed

Let’s be real – not everyone has a fully-stocked gym at their disposal. So I made sure to explore quad exercises that could be done with minimal equipment like just your body weight. But I also included some machines and free weight options for those with gym access.

Quad Activation

At the end of the day, I wanted exercises that allowed me to really feel my quads working and reach maximum activation. Plenty of exercises out there look cool on paper but don’t exactly set your quads on fire. These aren’t the kind of moves I was after.

The King of Quad Builders: Front Squat

HOW TO FRONT SQUAT: Build Bigger Quads & A Stronger Squat (Video Credit: Jeff Nippard YouTube Channel)

How to do:

• Set up a barbell at roughly shoulder height on a squat rack
• Grab the barbell with a shoulder-width grip and step under it
• Bring the barbell up to rest on the front of your shoulders, elbows pointing forward
• Keep your chest up, core braced, and squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor
• Drive through your heels to return to the standing position

Modifications:

• Make it easier: Use a goblet squat stance holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height
• Make it harder: Go for a 1.5 rep style, pausing briefly in the hole

Coach’s Tip: Front rack mobility is huge here. Spend time dialing in your wrist, shoulder, and ankle mobility through regular stretching and warmups. This will allow you to get into a good front rack position and reap all the quad-building benefits.

RELATED: Try Onnit Kettlebell Exercises

The Ultimate Quad Isolation: Leg Extension

The RIGHT Way To Use The Leg Extension For Big Quads! (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do:

• Adjust the back pad so the backs of your knees touch the edge when seated
• Start with your legs extended and use your quads to bring your ankles toward your body
• With control, straighten your legs out completely
• Repeat for reps, avoiding any momentum

Modifications:

• Make it easier: Do bodyweight leg extensions^[7] while seated, just focusing on squeezing your quads
• Make it harder: Slow down the eccentric (lowering) portion of each rep

Coach’s Tip: Give some thought to your foot positioning. Placing your feet higher or lower on the panel will shift the emphasis to different quad areas. Play around and see what feels best for you.

Leveling Up with Advanced Movements

Once I had those two foundational quad exercises down, I knew I needed to take things up a notch with some more demanding unilateral (single-leg) movements.

Bulgarian Split Squats

The Only Way You Should Be Doing Bulgarian Split Squats! (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How To Do It:

• Stand facing away from a knee-high box or bench
• Extend one leg back and place your foot on the box, keeping your torso upright
• Bend both legs to lower into a split squat position, front thigh parallel to the ground
• Drive through your front foot to return to standing, keeping your foot elevated

Modifications:

• Make it easier: Use just your body weight or light dumbbells to start
• Make it harder: Hold best heavier dumbbells or elevate your front foot as well

Coach’s Tip: Keep your torso as upright as possible and avoid leaning too far forward or back. Also, don’t let your front knee track too far over your toes.

Experimenting with Varieties of Best Exercises for Quad

While things like front squats, split squats, and sissy squats became my bread-and-butter movements, I knew I needed to incorporate variety to really bring up every angle of my quads. Little tweaks like:

Heels Elevated Exercises

Heel Elevated Goblet Squats (Video Credit: Christy Senay YouTube Channel)

Elevating my heels on goblet squats, split squats or other moves instantly ramped up the quad engagement. I had to be smart with lower body weight at first, but it was insane how much more I could focus on just my quads working.

Banded Movements

Banded Sissy Squat (Video Credit: Christy Senay YouTube Channel)

Looping a band around my legs added an extra layer of resistance that my quads had to work through, especially at the top portion of movements. Banded sissy squats, for example, made an already brutal exercise even more exhilarating!

Bodyweight Quad Smashers

The Most Scientific Way to Train QUADS | Quad Training Science Explained (Video Credit: Jeff Nippard YouTube Channel)

When I didn’t have any equipment access, I could still light up my quads through high reps like jump squats, walking speed/lunges^[8], and bodyweight workout. No weights, no problem with bringing intensity!

Programming for Maximal Growth With Quad Exercises

Of course, having the best quad exercises in my arsenal was great, but I needed an intelligent way to program them for continuous progression. The key for me was:

Progressive Overload Whether through increasing weight, reps, sets, using advanced techniques like drop sets, or going to failure – I had to keep pushing my quads past their previous limits. Making sure I was overloading the muscles in some way every session was crucial for non-stop growth.

Here’s a sample quad-focused workout that became a staple:

Warm-up:

• Knees over toes movements
• Light goblet squats

Quad Destroyers:

• Front Squats: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
• Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg
• Heels-Elevated Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg

Burnout:

• Quad Extensions: 3 sets of 15+ reps to failure

I also had to be just as dedicated in the kitchen, making sure I was taking in enough quality protein and carb sources to fuel all that quad muscle growth. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep became non-negotiable as well to maximize recovery.