How to Build Bigger Quads

Considering methods of how to build bigger quads? You are in line for some intense workouts. The quads, being one of the largest muscles in the human body, require exhausting workouts. This is not meant to scare you away from working your legs or quads, but simply to let you know the commitment required to build bigger quads. The sheer size of the muscle means that more effort is required, and the body is taxed to a greater extent. The quads are a resilient muscle because of the daily use in walking, running and most any activity. This means it must be shocked with larger weights. It is generally a responsive muscle that will grow with consistent, intense training.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Weightlifting Belt
• Training Partner/Spotter

Build Bigger Quads

1. Properly Warm-Up: Spend about 10 minutes on the stationary bike or the treadmill before beginning your leg workouts. After the 10 minutes, do extensive stretching of the quads, hamstrings and calves. This is to prevent injury and to increase your range of motion in all of your quadriceps exercises.
2. Perform Light Leg Extensions: Leg Extensions put pressure on your knee joint, so a light warm-up here will loosen up your knees and ready them for the heavy weight and stress to come.
3. Execute Proper Squats: The Squat is the king of all exercises. No exercise puts a strain on the body as the Squat. Squats allow you to use lots of weight and shock the leg muscles into growth. Not only that, but studies have shown that Squats have a muscle growing effect on the entire body.
4. Execute Secondary Quad Exercise: After the Squat, there are many options available for your secondary quadriceps exercise. The Leg Press is the most popular, but you can also choose from Hack Squats, Lunges or Leg Extensions.
5. Execute Tertiary Quad Exercise: The third exercise on your road to building bigger quads is generally a lighter exercise, performed with higher repetitions. Lunges or Leg Extensions are generally the exercises considered to be finishers to your quadriceps routine.

Tips & Warnings

• Having a training partner or spotter when you workout helps in many areas, specifically they can help to point out when you break form on exercises. The is especially important when doing squats as good form is essential when performing squats.
• Hack Squats, sometimes known as Front Squats, can be performed on a leg press sled, or by placing a barbell across the front of the shoulders and performing a barbell squat.
• A mix of heavy, low-rep exercises and lighter, high-rep exercises generally promote the most growth in the quadriceps.
• Because the quads are a massive muscle group, making them larger necessitates an intense workout routine coupled with a diet high in protein. Quadriceps workouts will take a toll on your body's energy stores even when you are not working out. This means you need to add lots of protein to your diet to aid in muscle growth.
• Never perform Squats or Leg Presses without a weightlifting belt. It helps to take the pressure off of the lower back and reduce the risk of injury. A good weightlifting belt is not that expensive, much less than the cost of one trip to the chiropractor.
• Quadriceps exercises can take a toll on your knees. If you are sensitive in that area, you should take the extra precaution of more intense warm-ups and/or lighter weights. You can also check out our resource section on how to build bigger quads without Squats.