feel squats more in my quads

[kev_b81]

when ive been squatting recently (back in the gym after a 6 month hiatus) i feel my squats more in my quads (is this abnormal?)..i think i have decent form..any tips or suggestions to make sure i am doing them right..from what i recall squats used to hit my quads as well as my hamstrings pretty good

i used to do box squats but i joined a new gym and have no idea what to use here as a "box"

other than widening my stance which ill try next time, any other tips or suggestions?

[ThickAsABrick]

Feeling it in your quads is a good thing.

[HudsonHicks]

Push through with your heels, you're probably leaning forward and pushing through your toes/balls of your feet which will involve more quad than hamstring.

If you have trouble doing this, try curling your toes up to force yourself to push through your heels.

[Defiant1]

only on bb.com

[ThickAsABrick]

only on bb.com

I've been feeling curls in my biceps lately.

How can I change it so I feel it in my lower back and shoulders?

[kev_b81]

my fault guys..i was under the impression that i should feel it in my hamstrings/glutes as well..when i was on a more regular routine, i used to feel it both quads as well as hamstrings/glutes whereas recently it seems to only hit the quads

dumb question i guess

[DJAuto]

my fault guys..i was under the impression that i should feel it in my hamstrings/glutes as well..when i was on a more regular routine, i used to feel it both quads as well as hamstrings/glutes whereas recently it seems to only hit the quads

dumb question i guess

The mechanics of the movement warrants primary tension in the quadriceps. Before, your hamstrings may have been extremely weak in comparison.

[ThickAsABrick]

my fault guys..i was under the impression that i should feel it in my hamstrings/glutes as well..when i was on a more regular routine, i used to feel it both quads as well as hamstrings/glutes whereas recently it seems to only hit the quads

dumb question i guess

Like DJ said, it sounds as if your hammies are now stronger and can handle more. That's a sign you should be incorporating more work to hit them directly if you aren't already (RDLs and lying leg curls are great options).

[sweetgirl87]

If you want to work your hams and glutes try doing Good Mornings.

[DtotheJtotheH]

depth could be an issue, If I am not breaking parallel I will feel very little in my hamstrings. Or, as already said, your hamstrings may just be stronger now. straight leg deadlifts, goodmornings, leg curls, glute and ham raises, etc could all be used to further hit your hamstrings.

[tarun_s]

if you're looking to blast your quads as a bodybuilder, that could be a good thing that ur feeling it in the quads. however, as an athlete, you should be looking to work your posterior chain, and just feeling it in your quads is not a good thing. in that case, work on supine bridges and mule kicks to get your glutes up to par

[rbtrout]

Not a dumb question, at all. Form is everything on the big compound move.

If you're not going to parallel or below, you won't involve the hammies or glutes. Once paste parallel, the hammies and glutes are what pushes you out of the hole until roughly parallel and then the quads take over more.
If you want to fell it more in your hammies and glutes do 2 things - go lower and/or wider stance.
If you're having trouble going down that far, then you could have some hip flexor or hammie issues. Stretching works wonders. SLDL and good mornings help this, as well.

[slaughterama]

Wouldn't the width between your feet be a factor as well?
When my feet are further apart I feel it more in my hams as well as my inner thighs.

[gixxer0.6g]

I had the same issues with this as well and I finally figured it out. Ya, move your legs apart a bit, ya, go down all the way....BUT, try this....drop the bar further down your back (just below your traps) and bend over a bit more. This puts the weight more over your hips and gives you the leverage to push the weight up with your glutes, hamstrings (where most of your power comes from in a squat).

But you should have a quad dom. day and a ham dom day when lifting legs. When you focus on your quads move the bar up higher and also do front squats. When you're looking for more weight on the bar and working your hams, move the bar down. Serious, try it. It helped more than any other tip I've read on here.

[mjw8204]

Wouldn't the width between your feet be a factor as well?

Yes.