5 best quad exercises, backed by an exercise scientist

If you want to grow your legs, then you can’t forgo their largest muscle – the quads. But, did you know the benefit of training this muscle stems further than simply making sure you look good in your favourite Speedos?

By strengthening your lower limbs, you can burn a huge amount of calories (as larger muscles demand more energy); enhance your mobility, boost testosterone, and even improve your upper body lifts, as you’ll have a more solid platform to exert power through.

To help you build thick quads that pop, Exercise Scientist, Dr. Mike Israetel, has shared five of his top exercises in a recent YouTube video, that hone in on this muscle and allow plenty of room for progressive overload. “These aren’t in order of effect, they’re all awesome,” he notes.

Let the quest for killer quads commence…

1. High bar squat

A high bar squat requires the barbell to be placed much closer to your neck, balancing across your traps, as opposed to across the shoulders. Why is this better for your quads? It enables a more upright torso position, allowing you to squat deeper, enhancing knee flexion, thus targeting your quads more. How deep should you go though? Dr. Israetel advises as low as (comfortably) possible. “The more you stretch the quads at a high tension, the more they grow and, the more mobility you can develop from this exercise, the less probability of injury you’ll have from a bunch of daily tasks.”

Tip: No barbell? Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell and try a heel-elevated goblet squat instead

2. Sissy squat

The name might suggest otherwise, but this bodyweight exercise is not for the faint-hearted. What’s great about it is that you don’t need equipment for it either, just a stable surface to hold onto. It will leave your quads seriously pumped as well as enhance hip, knee, and ankle mobility. “Don’t come all the way up to lock out and get that rest – come up only two-thirds of the way and then all the way back down.” The DOMS will be real.

Tip: Once your bodyweight becomes too easy, try adding either a weight belt, weighted vest, or holding a dumbbell or kettlebell on your chest

3. Hack squat

If you struggle with barbell squats, then the hack squat machine is an awesome alternative. Similar to the high bar squat, the hack squat forces your body into a more upright position, making the exercise more quad-dominant. Not to mention, it offers more back support and requires less core and upper body stability than a regular barbell squat – if these have held you back previously while squatting, then the hack squat can enable you to shift some heavy weight.

Tip: “Bring your feet as far back on the platform to your butt as you can, that way you can get the biggest bend in your knees and thus put the biggest stretch on your quads,” says Dr. Israetel.

4. Leg press

Similar to the hack squat, the leg press can really allow you to lift hard and heavy and it's an even easier exercise. However, the focus is purely placed on the legs as the load is on top of your feet, whereas with the hack squat, it's on your shoulders. This means a higher potential to train close to failure and accumulate more volume/load – the key ingredients for hypertrophy.

Tip: “Wearing weightlifting shoes will give you a heel and allow you to go nice and deep,” says Dr. Israetel.

5. Belted squat machine

We left this one till last, because not all gyms will have this bit of kit but if they do, the belted squat machine will cook your quads (in the best way possible). It’s particularly good if you struggle with lower back issues, as having the belt placed around your hips doesn’t place any tension on the spine. “You don’t need a ton of weight for this and you want to come up about two-thirds of the way and come back down, as this keeps the tension on the quads,” explains Dr. Israetel.

We appreciate that the exercises mentioned follow a squat movement pattern. If you therefore struggle with this, then check out these five other leg exercises that can help you develop teardrop quads without the squats.