Exercises to Get Your Strongest Quads Ever

Strong, muscular legs are a point of pride, but they also make daily life tasks easier and protect your knees, hips, and back from strain and injury. Every training plan should include exercises that target all four parts of the quads, which help your knees straighten and hips flex. If you’re a runner, cyclist, or play a sport like soccer, training your quads will also help improve your performance.

But wait, what exactly are your quads?

The quadriceps, aka quads, are the muscle group on the front of the thigh. They consist of four parts: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. “The quadriceps’ main function is to straighten the knee, although they also assist in flexing the hips,” explains Jarrod Nobbe, MA Sports Performance. Strong quads also play into overall balance and stability and help to keep your knees pain and injury free. 

Strong quads have numerous benefits, but Nobbe believes the primary advantage is that strong quads make everyday movements—including walking, squatting, climbing stairs, and kneeling—easier. “For athletes, strong quads are a must for explosive movements such as running or sprinting,” adds Nobbe. 

Because the quads facilitate knee extension, strengthening them improves knee stability and balance and reduces the risk of injuries. Research also shows that stronger quadriceps help protect the knee joint from damage and osteoarthritis. The following exercises will work your quads to improve strength and function and protect you from injuries.

• Working your quads twice a week will ensure optimal strength and muscle gain.
• Use two or three of these exercises in your next leg day workout, and pick another couple for later in the week.
• If you’re a beginner, stick to the basic movements until you master them, then try more challenging variations.
• No matter your fitness level, don’t forget to warm up first and leave a day or two between training your quads for recovery (and gains).

Quad exercises for beginners

Nobbe notes that the following basic movements are go-to’s for building leg strength, stability, and balance. “Beginners should start by fine-tuning form without any weight, but adding weight to these movements in the form of dumbbells or kettlebells is a simple way to make them more challenging,” he advises. 

Bodyweight squat

1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
2. Check posture, making sure core is engaged and chest is up, looking straight ahead. 
3. Hinge hips and then bend knees to lower, as if sitting back into a chair. Push knees out to keep in line with shins and feet.
4. Once thighs are about parallel to the floor or reach the end of mobility, push through feet to stand back up to the starting position. 

Bodyweight lunge

1. Stand with feet about hip-width apart, then step forward with right leg and plant right foot in front. 
2. Bend front and back knees to lower until both knees are bent at approximately 90-degree angles. 
3. Push through front foot to return to the starting position and switch legs with each rep.

Step-up

1. Stand facing a sturdy bench or stable elevated platform at about knee height or lower, with feet about hip-width apart. 
2. Step right foot up onto the bench, ensuring the entire foot is on the platform. Push through the heel of right foot and bring left foot up and place it on the bench to join the right. 
3. Step back down with one foot first, then follow with the other, returning to the starting position before alternating sides. 
4. Make sure to complete equal reps with each foot leading.

Intermediate-level quad exercises

If you’ve got the basics down, the following movements are classics that can help you challenge yourself but aren’t overly complicated.

Barbell back squat

1. Set up a barbell on a squat rack at an appropriate height, and load bar with weights that can be handled with proper form. 
2. Stand with bar positioned across upper back and shoulders, and grip with both hands, palms facing forward. 
3. Unrack barbell and set up with feet about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, toes pointed slightly outward. 
4. Bend knees and hips to lower into the squat, keeping posture strong and spine neutral throughout the movement. 
5. Once thighs are parallel to the floor or reach the end of mobility, push through feet to extend legs and return to the starting position.

Bulgarian split squat

1. Stand facing away from a bench or stable elevated surface, and place one foot on the bench behind you. 
2. The top of your foot should be resting on the bench as you take a step forward with your other foot, positioning it far enough from the bench so that your front knee is directly above your ankle when you lower down—you may find you need to adjust your stance to find a comfortable, stable starting position. 
3. Bend your front knee and hip to lower yourself down until your rear knee almost touches the floor. 
4. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position. 
5. Complete all repetitions on one leg before switching to the other. Hold dumbbells or a kettlebell to add resistance.  

Weighted Walking Lunge

1. Hold dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand at sides—or rack a barbell across upper back and shoulders. 
2. Take a big step forward with one leg, lowering until both knees bent at approximately 90-degree angles. Push off heel of front foot and bring back foot forward into next lunge, continuing the walking motion.

Advanced quad exercises

These more advanced exercises work the quads through movements that are a bit less straightforward from a form perspective, so Nobbe recommends making sure you master the technique without weight first. 

Narrow stance barbell squat

1. Set up a barbell on a squat rack at an appropriate height, and load the bar with weights that can be handled with proper form. Stand with the bar positioned across upper back and shoulders, and grip with both hands, palms facing forward. 
2. Unrack the bar, then adjust stance so feet are closer together than shoulder-width apart, with toes pointing slightly outward.
3. Bend knees and hinge hips to lower into the squat, keeping knees from caving inward but maintaining a narrow stance. 
4. Lower body until thighs are parallel to the floor or to the end of range of motion. 
5. Push through feet to extend your legs and return to the starting position.

Hack squat

1. Set up either on a hack squat machine or with a bar loaded with weights that can be managed with good form. If using a machine, stand with back against the pad and place shoulders under the shoulder pads. 
2. Place feet about shoulder-width apart on the platform with toes pointed slightly out, and hold the handles for stability. 
3. Bend knees and hips to lower as deep as mobility allows. 
4. Push through feet to extend your legs and return to the starting position. 

If using a barbell, stand with the bar just behind your ankles, lowering into a narrow-stance squat to grab hold of it with your palms facing behind you. Keeping your torso upright and spine neutral, stand up until your legs are extended, keeping the bar close to your body. 

Curtsy squat

1. Stand with feet about hip-width apart, then take a step back and diagonally across body with right leg, crossing it behind and slightly to the outside of left.
2. Bend both knees to lower into a lunge, as if performing a curtsy. 
3. Push through your left foot to return to the starting position, then switch legs. Hold dumbbells or a kettlebell to add resistance. 

A note on safety

Before you perform any exercise, it’s important to do your research and make sure you know the risks and common mistakes. For quadriceps training in general, Nobbe says common errors include going too heavy with weights too soon, allowing your posture to sag or spine to curve during exercises like squats, and overtraining the muscles. “These can all lead to injuries that are largely preventable,” he says.

A well-rounded routine that includes work on all the lower-body muscles (not just the quads) is also key to avoiding injuries and building overall strength. The core and upper body also play important parts in maintaining good form throughout lower-body exercises and everyday activities, so it’s wise to train the entire body.