Let’s face it: almost nobody welcomes leg day with open arms. Ask any bodybuilder to rank the muscles they love training most, and chances are legs will be at the bottom of the list. You don’t often hear people complimenting each other’s legs, and most of the time they’re hidden under sweatpants anyway. So it’s easy to find an excuse to skip them – or train them half-assed. But if you want bigger quads, that has to change.
But if you want a balanced physique – and don’t want to look ridiculous with a wide chest, big arms and matchsticks for legs – you need to train every body part. Your quads are the big muscles on the front of your thighs, and they make up a huge part of your leg size.
Training them hard will not only improve your physique, it will also make you stronger in almost every lift and support healthy testosterone levels. So how do you get bigger quads? We’ve put together 10 simple tips that will help you grow your quads faster and build the big, strong legs you want. Let’s waste no time and get started.
How to Get Bigger Quads: 10 Simple Tips
1. Do 20-Rep Squats
Your quads are one of the largest muscle groups in your body, and they can handle a lot of hard work. That’s why both powerlifters and bodybuilders swear by20-rep squat sets.
Load the bar with a weight you’d normally use for about 10 reps, and grind out 20 – taking a few deep breaths between reps when it gets tough. It hits your quads with brute force and builds serious mental toughness. If you can complete a full set of 20, you can handle anything – and few exercises build big quads faster.
2. Know Your Machines
Although some machine exercises look similar, they don’t all hit your legs the same way. Take the leg press and the hack squat. On the leg press, foot position changes everything: placing your feet lower on the platform puts more work on your quads, while placing them higher shifts it toward your glutes and hamstrings.
Hack squats, on the other hand, keep your torso upright and your knees traveling forward, which makes them one of the best quad builders there is. Knowing which machine targets which muscles helps you choose wisely and hit your quads from different angles.
3. Don’t Forget Your Hamstrings
Developing your hamstrings is just as important if you want your legs to look balanced and stay injury-free. Strong hamstrings also help you squat more weight. The best exercises for your hamstrings are leg curls and stiff-leg deadlifts. Pair them in a superset, and your hamstrings won’t know what hit them.
4. Go Easy on the Leg Extensions
The leg extension machine is a popular choice among beginners, because it’s a lot easier than squats or deadlifts. However, if you want to put on serious mass, leg extensions alone just don’t cut it.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should give them up altogether, just that you should not make them your primary focus. Use them to warm up or to finish off your quads after the heavy compound exercises, but never as a substitute for squats.
5. Don’t Rely on Lifting Gear
Weight belts, knee wraps and knee sleeves have their place – a belt can help you brace on your heaviest squat sets, and sleeves keep your knees warm. The problem starts when you wear them for every single set. If you strap on a belt and tight knee wraps even for your warm-ups, your core and the muscles that support your knees never get the chance to work on their own. Save your gear for your heaviest sets, and do the rest of your training without it.
6. Try One-and-a-Half Squats
Although this exercise is less well known, it’s one of the best ways to hit your quads hard. The trick is in a small change to the movement that doubles the time your quads spend in the toughest part of the squat.
Start the movement like you normally would, by squatting all the way down. But instead of going straight back up, rise only halfway, go back down to the bottom, and then stand all the way up. That’s one rep. Since this squat is a lot harder than the regular version, lower the weight.
7. Push Yourself Every Leg Day
Many lifters are tempted to cheat when it comes to leg workouts. Even if they don’t skip them altogether, they take it easy on the weights, give their legs half the effort and get half the results. If you recognize yourself in this description, it’s time to stop.
You don’t want to waste your time and energy on workouts that give you nothing to show for them. Train hard on every leg day and take your sets close to failure. If you’re too tired to give your best, move leg day to another day – just don’t postpone it indefinitely.
8. Use Half Reps
One of the best ways to break through a plateau is to add some half reps. They’re not a substitute for full reps, but they’re a great way to get your body used to handling heavier weights.
Once your body is used to handling the heavier weight through half the range of motion, you’ll find it much easier to complete full reps with it within a few weeks. Use a squat rack with the safety bars set at the right height.
9. Do Static Lunges
Static lunges, also called split squats, are similar to traditional lunges – the only difference is that you don’t bring your foot back after stepping forward.
Instead, you leave it there and keep lowering yourself down and raising yourself back up. When you’ve exhausted that leg, switch sides and repeat. Because your front leg does most of the work, they’re a great way to fix imbalances between your legs.
10. Switch Up Your Squat Stance
Alternating between different stances will make the best leg exercise even better. Switch between a wide stance, a narrow stance and a shoulder-width stance to hit your legs from different angles. A narrower stance and an upright torso – like in the front squat – put more emphasis on your quads.
If you want big quads, there are no shortcuts. We might all agree that leg day is the most annoying workout of the week, but it’s extremely important, and you should train your legs at least once a week – ideally twice. And if you have to do it anyway to build a complete physique, why not get the most out of it? So don’t play hooky when it’s time to train your quads, and don’t approach them half-heartedly. When leg day comes, push yourself to the max, use these tips, and you’ll grow your quads faster than you think.
Want a ready-made plan? Try this quad workout routine.
- The Best Squat Variation to Build Huge Quads
- 5 Must-Do Exercises To Build Big Legs
