Can I get my quads to 24" with just biking and deadlifts?

[MuscleGainer]

I get left knee pain when squatting on the v-squat machine and it's worse on a free weight barbell squat. The pain sets in towards the end of my set and I have to stop my set short as even though my muscles can handle the weight my knee doesn't agree. It's worse if I go down to parrallel. I tried quarter squats before and that didn't hurt my knee but I didn't feel like I was getting a good leg workout going only a quarter of the way down. I also got knee pain during legs extensions a few times before. I really want to beef up my quads as they are only 21 inches and I've been training for about 8 years. In fact I even had bigger quads when I was 17 years old because I used to ride my bike alot when I was a teenager and a child. I talked to a doctor about my knee pain when squatting and he told me that squats are bad. I really want to do some pressing exercise for my legs without knee pain. I'm probably going to just do calve raises and bike for leg day that way I get a good cardio workout and can still get at least have my quads do a little work. Anyone just bike for their quads and don't have skinny quads.

Here is what I have been doing on leg day and I a few weeks ago I stopped doing leg curls and leg extensions:

barbell squats
calve raising on the leg press machine

[SiKkBaSs]

Simply no.

[CLK-GTR]

no. i lose strength in my legs when its summer and im cycling a lot

[MuscleGainer]

Originally Posted by CLK-GTR

no. i lose strength in my legs when its summer and im cycling a lot

I also want to add that I feel the stress mostly in my knees when I squat and hardly feel it in my quads most of the time.

[theapexxxx]

Originally Posted by MuscleGainer

I also want to add that I feel the stress mostly in my knees when I squat and hardly feel it in my quads most of the time.

Front squat.
Leg press
Hack squat
Leg extensions

Try pre-exhausting your quads with either a few sets of leg presses, hack squats or extensions before doing back or front squats and you will feel it in your quads twice as much with less weight and less weight = less stress on your knees.

[low blow]

Cycling doesn't hurt it?

[Ironlife]

Start sprinting heaps.

[beachguy498]

I'd doing leg extensions and leg presses with heavy weight. I put an inch on my quads and calves in 4 months. Squats are out due to my lumbar disc issues. You could probably get some gains from biking, but you'd need some decent hills to get a lot out of it. You sure won;t lose anything by biking in general.

BG

[RawAggression]

Biking won't do **** for your legs, and deadlifts are not a direct mass builder for legs. So squats, leg press, leg extensions, lunges, etc. I would definitely keep doing deadlifts, as they are one of the best exercises for overall mass.....but if your shooting for bigger quads there are better exercises.

[klir_2m]

Originally Posted by MuscleGainer

I get left knee pain when squatting on the v-squat machine and it's worse on a free weight barbell squat. The pain sets in towards the end of my set and I have to stop my set short as even though my muscles can handle the weight my knee doesn't agree. It's worse if I go down to parrallel. I tried quarter squats before and that didn't hurt my knee but I didn't feel like I was getting a good leg workout going only a quarter of the way down. I also got knee pain during legs extensions a few times before. I really want to beef up my quads as they are only 21 inches and I've been training for about 8 years. In fact I even had bigger quads when I was 17 years old because I used to ride my bike alot when I was a teenager and a child. I talked to a doctor about my knee pain when squatting and he told me that squats are bad. I really want to do some pressing exercise for my legs without knee pain. I'm probably going to just do calve raises and bike for leg day that way I get a good cardio workout and can still get at least have my quads do a little work. Anyone just bike for their quads and don't have skinny quads.

Here is what I have been doing on leg day and I a few weeks ago I stopped doing leg curls and leg extensions:

barbell squats
calve raising on the leg press machine

I've had left knee pain from squats too, I assume related to a little bit of sciatica in my lower-left back. It was fixable for me so I might be able to help. Got a few questions: what is your form like (foot position, knee placement, bar position, depth)? How many sets/reps? How much weight? What are your warm-ups like?

If you can identify what about your form might be causing this knee pain and it's fixable, then that is the best answer. My thighs are about 27" and squats are my ONLY leg work (other than deadlifts, which I do at like a 1:10 ratio to squats), and I don't believe any other lift will give you anywhere near the quad/thigh development than squats will.

[peteskeys]

It sounds as if the problem is with your form--not the exercise.

Oh, and get a new doctor.