Accessories for quads?

[jademonkey]

Hey I have a cycling background, so I never feel squats working quads. Only glutes.

Split squats also don't hit quads. Front squats don't hit quads. Lunge walks or reverse lunges hit quads a bit, but I'd like to have an accessory to really target quads. My gym has a crapload of power racks but no leg extension machine.

Just today I experimented by doing one legged wall sits and back up with a foam roller on the wall. I think it hit my quads but I'd need some time to practice and really find out. Is this a "real" exercise? Would it work? Is there a better exercise to hit quads without special machines?

Thanks.

[Jamitupa]

You keep saying these things dont ‘hit quads’ ...

Squats hit quads
Split squats do hit quads
Front squats do hit quads

Because your knee extends under load

[Mmjk1500]

Your need more weight.

Edit: you feel it more in your glutes because they're underdeveloped compared to your quads.

Do you have a lying leg Curl machine at your gym? I've found those hit my glutes a bit. Hip abduction/adductor machines have helped a healthy amount too.

[BenMcLeodNZ]

Barbell Hack Squat with a raised heel hits quads for sure. Try them bro. It's similar to knee extension movement but hits the quads lower. I know what you mean with squats, it's the same for me, it does hit quads still but basically it's the hams and glutes doing most of the work. Pretty common.

[WolfRose7]

Squats and front squats don't hit quads because you cycle?

alright mr inhuman biomechanics.. guess you have some alien type build

[jk202]

You're not awesome. You're just doing it wrong. Front squats are arguably one of the single best quad builders you can do.

Wall sits will accomplish jack ****

[gcoulson]

Just do squats. Because you're not feeling them doesn't mean they're not working.

Or simply add more weight.

[onlyeatsprotein]

Increase the weight. Your quads are strong relative to other body parts. Give it time to develop those other body parts. Happened to me as well. My quads were super strong when I started lifting, and it took awhile to get to where the rest of my lower body caught up. Runners and cyclists tend to be quad dominant. Enjoy.

[mokkowollio]

Front squats 100% if you want to isolate quads. If by "Front squats don't hit quads" you mean that you don't feel it, then check your forum or add weight.

[bLinkMoore]

Every one of the exercises you just listed are basically the most effective quad exercises out there.

Increase the weight. If you don't feel squats in your quads, you simply aren't doing them with enough intensity

[Jamitupa]

Front squats 100% if you want to isolate quads. If by "Front squats don't hit quads" you mean that you don't feel it, then check your forum or add weight.

What?
Front squats isolate the quads now... oh dear

[jk202]

What?
Front squats isolate the quads now... oh dear

Tomatoes tomatos. They certainly bias the quad more

[SuffolkPunch]

If you think about it, how can a squat NOT hit the quads - all squats including split squat will do this. "Feel" is rather subjective and not a reliable way of assessing an exercise.

If you want to take quad training a little further then do something that only articulates the knee. If you don't have a leg extension machine then do sissy squats. My preferred method of doing these is to hold on to a power cage safety bar at about shoulder height - so it stops me losing my balance - and can also apply extra resistance with my hands on the way up.

[Jamitupa]

Tomatoes tomatos. They certainly bias the quad more

For me they’re more of a squat with a core and upper back bias... Personally the trade off of less weight on the bar for slightly more flexion at the knee makes them no better for hitting my quads than a heavier back squat with almost the same knee angle

But hey, thats just the way I run things myself

Would certainly say anyone that gets strong with front squats will see amazing quad development, theyre a great lift

[sooby]

You do realize that what you are suggesting is biomechanically impossible?

However, if you are some sort of superhuman, I would suggest taking a hammer and actually hitting your quads, because that's pretty much the equivalent of what you're doing with one-legged wall-sits ... lol. Guess what, my quads burn during jogging on my treadmill doesn't mean my quads are actually building any muscle or strength.

[grouchyjarhead]

Try using a barbell.

[Garage Rat]

Wall sits are just an isometric exercise and would do little if your after development.
Maybe how your doing your leg work,protocol,reps,rest between sets could make a difference.
You need much higher intensity because your quads are already use to a big work load.

[jademonkey]

So many silly responses (just add more weight" lol I'm not gonna respond to those ones), but I'll try and give some of you the benefit of the doubt.

You keep saying these things dont ‘hit quads’ ...

Squats hit quads
Split squats do hit quads
Front squats do hit quads

Because your knee extends under load

If by "hit" you mean the quads are technically contracting, then sure. When I say "hit" I mean working reasonably hard. If I'm limited by glute strength, the quads won't be hit as hard. Or maybe my proportions are weird, who knows. All I know is my glutes are working overtime and I don't feel it in my quads. Regardless, a few isolation exercises at the end, similar to what I do on upper body would be nice.

Your need more weight.

Edit: you feel it more in your glutes because they're underdeveloped compared to your quads.

Do you have a lying leg Curl machine at your gym? I've found those hit my glutes a bit. Hip abduction/adductor machines have helped a healthy amount too.

I can't add more weight than normal weekly gains for someone 5 or 6 months into training. I go very close to failure on heavy squat days. It's the glutes that can't fire hard enough. I don't think I need additional glute work at this point after squats, deadlift, and sometimes hip thrusts.

Barbell Hack Squat with a raised heel hits quads for sure. Try them bro. It's similar to knee extension movement but hits the quads lower. I know what you mean with squats, it's the same for me, it does hit quads still but basically it's the hams and glutes doing most of the work. Pretty common.

Looks interesting, I've never seen this before. I may try it, but really want a non-squat exercise cuz I already do front and back squats and sometimes split squats.

Squats and front squats don't hit quads because you cycle?

alright mr inhuman biomechanics.. guess you have some alien type build

Yes, I am guessing that because I have done approximately 20 million lightweight single leg presses on each side (5 years of cycling), that my quads are much stronger than my glutes. Still, I'm after something for (more) strength and size right now, which isn't cycling.

Increase the weight. Your quads are strong relative to other body parts. Give it time to develop those other body parts. Happened to me as well. My quads were super strong when I started lifting, and it took awhile to get to where the rest of my lower body caught up. Runners and cyclists tend to be quad dominant. Enjoy.

This is what I suspect as well, but see no reason to just wait around for my glutes to catch up if I can add some quad work.

If you think about it, how can a squat NOT hit the quads - all squats including split squat will do this. "Feel" is rather subjective and not a reliable way of assessing an exercise.

If you want to take quad training a little further then do something that only articulates the knee. If you don't have a leg extension machine then do sissy squats. My preferred method of doing these is to hold on to a power cage safety bar at about shoulder height - so it stops me losing my balance - and can also apply extra resistance with my hands on the way up.

Never heard of these either, looks funny but it should work.

You do realize that what you are suggesting is biomechanically impossible?

However, if you are some sort of superhuman, I would suggest taking a hammer and actually hitting your quads, because that's pretty much the equivalent of what you're doing with one-legged wall-sits ... lol. Guess what, my quads burn during jogging on my treadmill doesn't mean my quads are actually building any muscle or strength.

Your quads shouldn't burn jogging on the treadmill dude... also jogging on treadmill is too light weight. One leg wall sits burn pretty hard after only 5 reps which seems like a good range to me.

Wall sits are just an isometric exercise and would do little if your after development.
Maybe how your doing your leg work,protocol,reps,rest between sets could make a difference.
You need much higher intensity because your quads are already use to a big work load.

I wasn't doing isometric wall sits. I don't know if there is a name for it cuz I just made it up, but I put a roller between my lower back and the wall, put one foot on the ground in front of me and lift the other, then lower down into a one-leg wall sit position by rolling down the wall, and push back up with the one leg, and repeat for x reps.

I found someone doing something similar online. It's like this, except I put a foam roller behind me so I don't slide my shirt against the concrete brick wall.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/ex...all-squat.html

[grouchyjarhead]

Robert Forstemann says do your squats and deadlifts and you will be fine.

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitnes...ike-quadzilla/



How much do you currently squat and at what bodyweight?

[chacha15]

Front squats
sissy squats
goblet squats close stance, *(heels elevated)*

[LactoseTolerant]

How much do you currently squat and at what bodyweight?

He's awesome.

5'-10"
170 lbs
34 yo
5.5 months lifting, always athletic

S - 275
B - 245
D - 405

This was a month or so ago, all 1rm, all lifts still going up pretty steady. Bench improving the fastest.

[jademonkey]

Robert Forstemann says do your squats and deadlifts and you will be fine.

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitnes...ike-quadzilla/



How much do you currently squat and at what bodyweight?

Not even half of that dude yet! 1rm back squat 275 at 170 bw.
But he does leg press as well, which is pretty close to a quad isolation exercise. I don't have a leg press machine either.

[grouchyjarhead]

Robert can do a double with around 260kg at 90kg if I remember right. So over 570 at a bodyweight of around 198.

Your lifts are off to a strong start but they still have a ways to go (your squat actually seems a bit low compared to your bench and DL numbers). If it’s not difficult yet that’s a good thing, you can still milk linear gains. You want that to last as long as possible.

Toss a drop set in at the end of your squats. Drop down to just your bodyweight on the bar and knock out as many squats as you can safely perform in one set.

[jademonkey]

Robert can do a double with around 260kg at 90kg if I remember right. So over 570 at a bodyweight of around 198.

Your lifts are off to a strong start but they still have a ways to go (your squat actually seems a bit low compared to your bench and DL numbers). If it’s not difficult yet that’s a good thing, you can still milk linear gains. You want that to last as long as possible.

Toss a drop set in at the end of your squats. Drop down to just your bodyweight on the bar and knock out as many squats as you can safely perform in one set.

Yeah it's my weakest lift and it's definitely already (always was?) difficult but it's my glutes that give out before I feel my quads working. I guess it's possible my quads haven't yet figured out how to fire efficiently in that position? Random theory, might not make biological sense tho, I'm no biology expert. It took a few months just to get comfortable doing squats and getting full depth. I only started feeling really comfortable this past month. I'm sure they will improve, just felt like I was skipping a major muscle. I do hamstring curls as an accessory and feel like it only makes sense to balance that with a targetted quad exercise.

[WolfRose7]

Yeah it's my weakest lift and it's definitely already (always was?) difficult but it's my glutes that give out before I feel my quads working. I guess it's possible my quads haven't yet figured out how to fire efficiently in that position? Random theory, might not make biological sense tho, I'm no biology expert. It took a few months just to get comfortable doing squats and getting full depth. I only started feeling really comfortable this past month. I'm sure they will improve, just felt like I was skipping a major muscle. I do hamstring curls as an accessory and feel like it only makes sense to balance that with a targetted quad exercise.

Your glutes can't give out before quads.
Where do you fail when you fail a squat? Are you sure its not poor bracing and core tightness giving out.
You can't not fire you quads unless you are someone not bending at the knee

[alexincabo]

squats and leg press are all we need young bull

[Archking]

if you aren't feeling front squats you are likely using some poosay weight which isnt challenging your upper body to stay upright like it should be. hit 2-3 rep maxes a couple times and tell me it doesnt hit quads

[BenMcLeodNZ]

Robert Forstemann says do your squats and deadlifts and you will be fine.

Sure, but what else does that guy do?

[grouchyjarhead]

Sure, but what else does that guy do?

Like it says in the article and as discussed before, those two plus the leg press. And a lot of cycling.

[jademonkey]

Barbell Hack Squat with a raised heel...

Tried these today after deadlift and front squat. Definitely hit the quads, the position feels kinda halfway between front squat and that sissy squat the other guy mentioned. Definitely doesn't quite isolate them, but close enough.