Building Bigger Quads 09/02/2009

Trying to get my quads to grow!!

Last year when I was looking at pictures of my last contest I observed that my legs were definitely not up to par compared to my upper body. I needed to improve mass around the knee and have more separation. I also needed to have more mass in my calves and more separation in my hamstrings and glutes (I will discuss that at another time). First thing I did was to split my legs into two workouts: Quads and Calves / Hamstrings and Calves. Coupled with principles of training like; positions of flexion, static holds, x-reps and rest pause (RP*) I felt confident I could improve in these areas. This is what my Quad & gastrocnemius workouts have looked like this year. I alternate these 2 workouts.

Quads & Calves A

RP* Squats 2 sets RR*=11-20 RR*= rep range goal
Hold Leg Press 2 sets RR = 11-20 for both sets
Front Squat 2 sets RR = 11-20
X’s, hold Leg ext 2 sets RR = 11-20
Hold Leg press kicks 2sets RR = 11-20
X’s, hold Hack raise 2 sets RR = 11-20

Quads & Calves B

Hold Leg Press 2 sets RR = 11-20
RP* Squats 2 sets: RR = 11-20
X’s, hold Leg ext 2 sets RR = 11-20
RP Sissy squat 2 sets RR = 11-20
SS 1 X’s, hold Leg press raise 2 sets RR = 11-20
SS 1 Standing c-raise 2 sets RR= 20-30


For years I have done squats and leg presses as my 2 main compound exercises. However, training hard and lifting maximum weights on these lifts does not necessarily translate to proportioned and shaped quads for bodybuilding. My best squat to parallel without a belt has been 160kg for 6-8 reps, (I weighed around 73-75kg at the time) but with most of that effort heading towards my glutes and upper thigh with very little around the lower quads. I then began using a belt to help keep my torso more upright, with the goal of placing more torque or emphasis at the knee as opposed to the hip. It allowed me to use more weight but I still felt it in the same place and still no luck with extra mass above the knee. I stopped wearing a belt as I prefer to squat without one anyway (I feel more in control and I prefer to suck in my belly button, activating my transverse abdominus, and other core muscles as opposed to pushing out against the belt which I tend to do).

How could I increase torque around the knee then? There are several things to consider:

Firstly, I have a small waist; under 28 inches in the off-season. Apparently this can be a disadvantage when lifting heavier weights as it is harder to maintain proper biomechanics in the lift. I decided that continually lifting more weight would not be the sole goal- feeling the exercise in the right place would be, and then adding weight would follow.

Secondly, I have a longer torso in relation to my leg length and my femur bone is longer than my tibia and fibula in the lower leg. This meant that even with best intentions my hips are in the driving seat. I tried hack squats as they emphasise vastus medialis and the lower aspect of vastus lateralis, but no matter where I placed my feet or moved the foot plate they never felt right. I looked at squats again and decided to put a small plate (about ¾ inch) under each heel. (I have refrained from doing this in the past because of all the negative information out there in terms of doing this.) Guess what- I felt all the stress on my lower quads!! Not on my joints like I expected. The problem doing this is that you may overly stress the patellar tendon due to the knee joint extending over the foot too far at the bottom of the movement. I got someone to video it and there was no real difference. I must emphasise when I perform the squat that I do lead with the hips (almost like you are sitting back –without falling back of course) and only going to parallel.

Thirdly, I now perform leg press with a narrower foot stance and higher on the platform which for me hits my vastus medialis hard (as well as my hamstrings). If I go any lower on the platform I just feel it in my knees. Adding a static hold on my last set near the contracted position provides a wicked burn and pump in my vastus medialis also.

I have also added front squats to the mix and again the emphasis on creating more torque around the knee in relation to the hip has helped my leg development. If you find conventional front squats hard you can buy a front squat harness from getstrength.com (a NZ company!).

Leg extensions are always performed last when my knees are thoroughly warmed up and my range of motion is only between full extension and slightly above 90 degrees at the bottom of the movement. I find rest pause, drop sets, x-reps and static holds effective techniques with this exercise.

As a result of these changes my quads have definitely improved this year. I advise all of you who have struggled to put mass on your quads and in the right places to analyse your structure, experiment with exercise selection and techniques to find out what works best for you. Also, research quad training from a wide range of sources, err on the side of caution, warm up properly, use correct technique and make sure you feel it in the quadriceps not the knee or hip joint. There should be no excuses now- go and make those quads grow!!