The 12 Best Quad Exercises for Muscle & Strength

In this article, you’ll learn the 12 best quad exercises to build muscle, gain strength, and improve athletic performance.

Your quadriceps muscles are the largest group of muscles in your body and are essential for both performance and aesthetics. They are involved in almost everything you do, from walking and running to kicking and jumping.

Building well-developed quads requires a lot of hard work, but the effort is well worth it. These 12 quad exercises are essential in your quest to build muscular and strong legs.

Quadriceps Anatomy and Function

The quadriceps are a complex set of muscles. Let’s dive into an easy-to-understand guide to their anatomy and function to better understand how they work.

Click here to jump directly to the list of quad exercises.

The quadriceps femoris (quadriceps or quads for short) are a group of four muscles at the front of your thigh. The four muscles are the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. 

Together, they form, by far, the most voluminous muscle group in your body:

The primary function of the quadriceps is knee extension – extending your lower leg from your knee.

That’s not all it does, however, Your quads also have four other functions, all critical for your body’s movement:

• Hip flexion
• Maintaining posture
• Managing step/gait cycle
• Maintaining kneecap stability

Weak quads can lead to injuries and knee problems and even put you at risk of losing knee cartilage and developing knee osteoarthritis as you get older.¹

Let’s break down each of the four quad muscles and what they do.

The Quadriceps Muscles

• The rectus femoris is the only quadriceps muscle that crosses both the knee and hip joint. It is one of your primary hip flexors, along with the iliacus, psoas, iliocapsularis, and sartorius muscles. The rectus femoris is powerful when your knee is flexed but loses much of its power as you extend it.
• Forming a teardrop-shaped bulge on your inner thigh, the vastus medialis is the smallest and innermost of your quad muscles. Like the other three quadriceps muscles, its primary function is to extend your knee. In addition, it helps track your kneecap.
• You find the largest of the quadriceps muscles, the vastus lateralis, on the outer side of your thigh. From there, it extends your knee and works with the vastus medialis to stabilize your knee joint.
• Lastly, the vastus intermedius, almost hidden from sight by the other muscles on the front of the thigh, lies below the rectus femoris. Out of sight doesn’t mean less important, though: the vastus intermedius is essential for straightening your leg and maintaining knee stability. It also helps control your knee during eccentric movements, like walking downstairs or landing after jumping.

As a funny side note, scientists discovered a fifth quadriceps muscle back in 2016.² That means the quadriceps should really be called the quinqueceps, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue, does it? No one knows what this little muscle actually does, although it might help correct kneecap movement and tense the intermedius muscle. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about targeting it with specific exercises; any regular quad exercises take care of it.

The 12 Best Quad Exercises

Here we go: the 12 best quad exercises you can do for muscle mass and strength! The list doesn’t go from best to worst – all the following exercises are fantastic for building stronger quads. Instead, it categorizes them according to the required equipment and movement type:

1. Barbells
2. Dumbbells
3. Machines
4. Unilateral exercises
5. Bodyweight

1. Squat

Listing the best quad exercises without starting with the barbell squat would almost be criminal. Many people consider the squat the king of all exercises, and its claim to that throne is not without merit.

• Back squats are widely regarded as one of the top exercises for improving athletic performance.³ It improves jumping, sprinting, and lifting in many sports like no other exercise.
• Bodybuilders and athletes know that doing back squats is one of the best things you can do for muscle growth in the lower body. It definitely helps you build bigger and more muscular quads, although the rectus femoris muscle does not grow at the same rate as the other quadriceps muscles.^{4 5} That means that barbell squat makes a fantastic foundation in your leg workouts, but you might want to add an exercise like the leg extension for complete quad development.
• Last but not least, the barbell squat makes you stronger. Not only is it the first of three events in powerlifting, but the lower body strength you gain from squatting also translates into many everyday activities, like lifting, moving, and carrying things, making your daily life easier.

The squat is a prime example of a compound exercise, involving several joints and many muscle groups. It is almost a full-body workout in and of itself.

High-Bar, Low-Bar, Deep, or Shallow: How to Squat for Maximum Quad Development

There is no right or wrong way to squat; you can place the bar high on your trapezius muscle or lower on the back of your shoulders, use a wide or narrow stance, and hold the bar using different grip widths.

However, to maximally emphasize your quad muscles, you want to place the bar fairly high, on or slightly below your traps, and adopt a relatively narrow stance.

In addition, deep squats with a full range of motion lead to slightly more quad growth than shallow or half squats.⁶

As a bonus, you’ll also get significantly better glute and adductor development.

How to Squat

1. Place the bar on your upper back with your shoulders blades squeezed together. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
2. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
3. Squat as deep as possible with proper form.
4. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
5. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

2. Front Squats

The front squat is a variation of the traditional barbell back squat, where you place the bar on the front of your shoulders instead of on your trapezius or rear delts.

The upright position of the front squats shifts more of the work to your quads, especially the vastus medialis part of the muscle.⁷ In addition, your core strength and upper back get a serious workout because they’re working overtime to keep you from tipping over.

Front squats place significantly less stress on your knee joint than the back squat.⁸ Regular squats aren’t bad for your knees, but if you experience knee pain when doing them, front squats can be another great way to build muscular and strong quads, pain-free.

Front Squat Flexibility Requirements and How to Fix Them

Front squats demand flexibility in the hips, ankles, shoulders, and wrists, making them more challenging than regular squats. In the long run, they can help improve your flexibility, but for someone new to this great exercise, the mobility requirements are high compared to many other compound movements.

You can mitigate ankle flexibility issues by elevating your heels using a wedge or wearing lifting shoes with elevated heels. If you find the clean grip impossible, you can cross your arms over the barbell and secure it with your hands. This grip is common among bodybuilders, while weightlifters use a clean grip. Most people can improve their flexibility enough for the clean grip, but it can be challenging or even impossible if you’re not used to it.

Once you’ve got the mobility for the front squat, it becomes one of the best quad exercises of all.

How to Front Squat

1. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Step forward and place the bar on the front of your shoulders: on top of your clavicles, and tight against your throat.
2. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
3. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
4. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
5. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
6. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
7. Breathe in and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

3. Dumbbell Squat

The dumbbell squat is a squat variation where you hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands instead of a barbell on your back. It is an excellent alternative if you don’t have access to a barbell, like if you train at home and don’t have the space for a complete home gym.

Dumbbell squats are just as effective as barbell squats for activating the quad muscles.⁹ It is also potentially safer, as you can drop the dumbbells to the floor if you fail to complete a repetition, minimizing any risk of injury.

Dumbbell squats are also great if you have low shoulder mobility, for example, if you have a shoulder injury that prevents external rotation or lack the mobility to hold a barbell properly while squatting. They can allow you to continue squatting while you heal or work on your mobility.

Dumbbell squats have one significant downside, but it only applies if you’re very strong:

If your leg muscles are strong enough to require heavy weights, finding dumbbells to match can be a challenge. In addition, holding onto them for an entire set can be awkward, even though you can use lifting straps to reinforce your grip.

How to Perform Dumbbell Squats

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended down by your sides, palms facing inwards.
2. Inhale and brace your core muscles to stabilize your spine and pelvis during the movement.
3. Squat down as deep as you comfortably can. Keep your knees tracking over your toes and maintain a straight back throughout the movement.
4. When your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly lower, reverse the movement and return to a standing position, exhaling on the way up.
5. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

4. Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is an easy-to-learn exercise targeting your quads, core, and glutes where you hold a dumbbell or a kettlebell to your chest while squatting.

Holding the weight in front of your chest makes it easy to keep your torso upright, making the goblet squat one of the best exercises to teach good form and body position.¹⁰ It also decreases the stress on your lumbar spine, making it a good alternative if you have back issues that prevent you from doing regular squats.

In addition to being great for beginners, goblet squats are also an alternative for the front squat for quad strength and muscle mass, like if you work out at home and don’t have room for a barbell setup.

Compared to barbell front squats, the only drawback is that load progression becomes awkward as your leg strength outpaces your arm and shoulder strength, making it hard to hold a heavy enough weight to your chest. You might even run out of dumbbells or kettlebells at some point.

Overall, goblet squats are comfortable to perform and easy on your lower back while providing the benefits of barbell squats. It improves balance and helps you with a good posture, making it a stand-out dumbbell movement among quad exercises.

How to Perform Goblet Squats

1. Stand with your feet hip-width, holding a single dumbbell or kettlebell with both hands at chest level, close to your body, and with your toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Inhale, brace your core muscles and keep your chest up with your shoulders back and down.
3. From the starting position, squat down as deep as you can comfortably go. At the bottom of the squat position, your elbows should be inside your knees.
4. Straighten your legs and return to the standing position, exhaling and pushing your hips forward as you rise.
5. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

5. Hack Squat

The machine hack squat is a fantastic tool for targeted leg development. It’s a hybrid between the barbell squat and the leg press; the upright position of your body is similar to the squat, while the machine offers stability during movement like the leg press.

Because of the stability of the hack squat machine, your core, including both your abs and lower back muscles, doesn’t need to work as hard.¹¹

There are better options if you’re looking for jack-of-all-trades quad exercises that also involve your core muscles. However, if you want to forget the balance requirements and focus solely on pushing with your quads, the hack squat is a tremendous alternative to the barbell back squat.

How to Perform Hack Squats

1. Adjust the machine to the correct height and place your shoulders against the shoulder pads.
2. Put your feet on the plate, slightly in front of the base of the sled and about shoulder width apart.
3. Extend your legs and disengage the sled’s locks.
4. Inhale, brace your core lightly, and squat down as deep as you can with good form.
5. Reverse the movement with control, and extend your legs again until you’re back in the starting position. Exhale on the way up.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

6. Belt Squat

The belt squat is another squat variation and one that differs significantly from the barbell squat, both in terms of equipment and muscle activation.^{12 13}

The good news is that belt squats are similarly effective to back squats for building well-developed quads. On the other hand, they activate your glutes and the stabilizing muscles in your trunk much less.

If you’re lucky enough to train in gym with a belt squat machine, it’s an excellent alternative for targeting the quads. It’s particularly helpful for those who want to avoid putting stress on their lower back but still enjoy the quadriceps benefits of regular squatting.

How to Perform Belt Squats

1. Place the belt around your waist properly, and attach it to the machine. 
2. Make sure that you’re standing accordingly to your normal squat stance. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the weight.
3. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
4. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
5. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

7. Smith Machine Squat

The Smith machine squat is a regular squat but performed in a Smith machine, which forces the movement of the exercise into a straight path.

There are two main benefits of doing squats in the Smith machine compared to using free weights.

• You don’t have to worry about balance; the machine makes sure you can’t fall forward, backward, or to the side.
• You can place your feet in front of you and use other body positions not possible in the free-weight barbell squats. A bodybuilder can use it as a tool to maximize the stress on different parts of the working muscles.

The Smith machine can be a safe alternative to regular squats for people not used to free weights. Not that barbell squats are dangerous, but the fixed bar of Smith machine squats can bring peace of mind to someone new to strength training or when you’re alone in the gym, knowing you can instantly re-rack the weight at any sign of trouble.

However, research shows that Smith machine squats can’t match their free-weight cousin, the regular barbell squat, for muscle recruitment. Studies show more than a 40% higher overall muscle activation in barbell squats.¹⁴

That means that Smith machine squats are not a complete replacement for regular squats. However, they are ideal when you can’t do the standard barbell squat for whatever reason. Also, many bodybuilders who have built up an above-average mind-muscle-connection swear by the Smith machine squat as an excellent tool for precision-targeting the quads.

How to Perform Smith Machine Squats

1. Step in with your feet directly below the bar, about shoulder width between your feet, and place the bar on your upper back.
2. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
3. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
4. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
5. Exhale on the way up, or exchange air in the top position.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Read more:

>> Smith Machine vs. Free Barbell Squats?

8. Leg Press

The leg press is not only a popular exercise in most gyms, but it is also one of the best quad exercises for building muscle and strength. Like other machine leg exercises, it removes the stability requirements, allowing you to focus entirely on maximal effort without worrying about balance.

Placing your feet at the top of the footplate shifts some of the emphasis to your posterior chain muscles, including your glutes and your hamstrings. That’s not a bad thing, but to maximally target your quads, place them lower on the footplate.

The leg press works the same lower-body muscles as the regular squat. However, if you compare the two exercises side by side, you see that both offer several benefits.

One essential thing to remember when doing the leg press is to observe proper form and range of motion. It’s not uncommon to see lifters load up the leg press with a humongous amount of weight and then proceed to grind out little half-reps at the top of the movement.

Unless you have a specific reason to only perform part of the reps, go as deep as your mobility allows for maximum muscle-building effect. Don’t overdo it, though – ensure your hips always maintain contact with the seat, or you put your lower back in a vulnerable position.

How to Perform the Leg Press

1. Adjust the machine so that you only need to extend your legs slightly to be able to release the weights. The most important thing is to ensure the safety pins can catch the weight if you fail a rep.
2.  Place your feet on the platform, about shoulder-width apart.
3.  Inhale and lower the weight by bending your legs.
4.  Lower the weight as deep as possible without rounding your back and while keeping your glutes on the seat.
5.  Press the weight back up again as you exhale.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Read more:

>> Leg Press vs Squat: Which is Better For Muscle & Strength?

9. Leg Extension

Up to this point, all the best quad exercises have been compound exercises: multi-joint movements that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. That changes with the leg extension.

The leg extension is the only real isolation exercise for your quads. When you want to hone in on your quads without involving other parts of your body, leg extensions are your best bet. In addition to building strength and muscle mass in all four parts of the quads, they are often used in rehabilitation settings and for improving knee stability after injury, surgery, and knee osteoarthritis.¹⁵

Leg extensions perfectly complement squat-type movements. Squats are very effective for three parts of the quadriceps: the vastus lateraris, medialis, and intermedius. However, research shows they don’t do much for the rectus femoris muscle.¹⁶

Leg extensions, on the other hand, do.

For optimal quad development, it’s a good idea to build a foundation with exercises like squats and leg presses, then add leg extensions to hit all parts of the muscle.

Compound movements are like the bread and butter of your workout routine, but isolation exercises like the leg extension make them more effective and comprehensive.

How to Perform Leg Extensions

1. Adjust the leg extension machine so the pad is just above your feet, with a ∼90-degree angle between your upper and lower legs.
2. Sit on the seat and place your ankles behind the pad, ensuring that they align with the pivot point of the machine.
3. Grip the handles on the sides of the machine for stability.
4. Engage your core and maintain an upright posture.
5. Extend your legs, raising the weighted bars in a controlled manner. Focus on the quadriceps muscles as you move.
6. Ensure that the motion is smooth and that you’re not using momentum or jerking the weight up.
7. Extend your legs fully, hold this position for a moment, and squeeze your quads.
8. Lower the weight back to the starting position with full control.
9. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

10. Bulgarian Split Squat

Unlike previous entries in this list of the best quad exercises, the Bulgarian split squat is a unilateral movement. That means that you work one leg at a time instead of both simultaneously, like in the squat. Including a unilateral exercise on leg day is a good idea for several reasons.

• When you stand on one leg, your body must try harder to keep you steady – a great way to improve your balance and coordination.
• All your core muscles need to get involved during a Bulgarian split squat, which is good news for anyone looking to develop a strong and stable core.
• Split squats are fantastic for improving your flexibility over several joints in ways you can use in other lower body exercises and daily activities.
• Because you focus on one leg at a time, split squats help you notice and fix any differences in strength between your left and right sides.

As for building quads, Bulgarian split squats activate the quadriceps muscles almost as much as regular barbell squats while using half the load.¹⁷ In addition, they hit your glutes and the biceps femoris part of your hamstrings significantly harder.

How to Perform Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Place a bar on your upper back or hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
2. Stand with your back turned against a bench, which should be about knee height. Stand about one long step in front of the bench.
3. Place your right foot on the bench behind you.
4. Inhale, look forward, and squat down with control until right before your right knee touches the floor.
5. Reverse the movement and extend your front leg again, while exhaling. Your back foot should only act as support.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch side and repeat with your right leg forward and your left foot on the bench.

11. Lunges

The lunge is a compound movement that primarily targets your quads and glutes but also works your hamstrings to some extent. In addition, it helps you improve your balance, body control, and coordination. You can do lunges with a barbell on your back or holding a pair of dumbbells.

Instead of the forward lunge, as demonstrated in the gifs above, you can take a step backward. While doing so activates your hamstrings more, some people who feel forward lunges in their knees can still do reverse lunges without issues.

How to Perform Lunges

1. Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing inwards or with a barbell on your shoulders.
2. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your front knee and lowering your back knee until it almost touches the floor.
3. Return to a standing position by pushing yourself up with your front leg.
4. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, switch legs, and perform the exercise on the other side.

You can also do walking lunges. They require even more balance, coordination, and body awareness than stationary lunges. Taking long steps forces your glutes to work overtime while walking lunges with relatively short steps make for a great quad exercise.

How to Perform Barbell Walking Lunges

1. Stand with your feet at shoulder-width apart, with a slight bend in the knees. Make sure that your core is engaged.
2. Step forward with your right leg, bending both knees at the same time. Stop the movement just before the left knee touches the floor. You should have about a 90-degree angle in both knees.
3. Drive through your front foot and extend the front knee until you get back to a standing position.
4. Continue by repeating the movement by stepping forward with your left leg.
5. Alternate between legs for your desired number of repetitions.

12. Bodyweight Squat

The bodyweight squat is one of the best quad exercises you can do, not for maximum strength gains and muscle growth but for overall fitness and health.

• Healthy and strong people can do high-rep bodyweight squats to improve muscle endurance.
• Old and frail people can use bodyweight squats as part of a training program to improve muscle strength and function.¹⁸ A single set three times per week is enough for improvement!
• Bodyweight squats are ideal for injury rehab and prevention as they strengthen almost the entire body in a natural, safe movement pattern. You can restrict the depth by doing box squats or chair squats.
• Bodyweight squats are terrific for mobility. They are a balancing act, teaching your body to stay coordinated and stable while improving the flexibility of your hip, knee, and ankle joints.
• Bodyweight squats also make a great part of any warm-up routine to prepare your body for action. They warm up your muscles and joints but are also taxing enough to get your heart rate up.

Bodyweight Squats for Everyday Health

Bodyweight squats can also help improve everyday health. If you’re sitting most of the day, as many of us do, you can break up your sitting time with some bodyweight squats every hour or so. Prolonged sitting is terrible for our health and can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other medical conditions. Even if you exercise regularly.^{19 20} However, breaking your sitting time up with exercise like bodyweight squats helps mitigate many of the adverse effects of sitting for hours at a time.^{21 22}

No equipment? No problem! One of the best things about bodyweight squats is that you can do them anywhere – your living room, a hotel room, or even the office (and you’ll provide amusement for your co-workers at the same time) – and the only training equipment you need is your own body weight. If you want to add resistance to your bodyweight squats but don’t have dumbbells or a barbell, you can use a resistance band, which is much lighter and easier to bring with you.

How Many Quad Exercises Should You Do?

The quadriceps is a large muscle group that takes much hard work to develop fully. The size of the muscle doesn’t mean you need a dozen different exercises, though. You can combine just a few from this list of the best quad exercises and get optimal results.

The Minimalist Approach

With the minimalist approach, you want as much bang for your invested training buck as possible. These are the two best options:

• Do leg extensions if you can only pick one exercise and want to isolate your quads completely and work all parts of the muscle without involving the rest of your body.
• However, if you’re looking for an exercise that builds muscle and strength in the quads, mimics everyday movements, and involves large parts of your body, go with a squat-type exercise, like barbell squats, the leg press, or Bulgarian split squats. One of these movements will develop much of your lower body in addition to building a great pair of quads.

The minimalist approach is excellent for beginners but also works superbly for more advanced trainees as part of a full-body workout.

Optimal Quad Development

Training for optimal quad development isn’t much different from the minimalist approach.

Do one or more (depending on your training experience and fitness level) squat variations plus leg extensions. This combination targets all parts of your quadriceps for optimal development.

Research suggests that intermediate and advanced trainees need 10 to 20 weekly sets per muscle group for optimal growth.^{23 24} If you train twice weekly, 5–10 total sets per workout gets you there. If you only have one weekly leg day, you have to up your sets and maybe do more exercises per workout.

Quad Workouts for Building Muscle and Strength

With these 12 quad exercises at your fingertips, you can easily design your own workout.

However, if designing your own feels like a hassle or too much of a challenge, many tried-and-true workouts are waiting for you in the StrengthLog workout app.

StrengthLog’s Quad Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	5
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	10
Leg Press	3	15
Leg Extension	3	20

This workout combines free-weight exercises and machines, compound and isolation movements, and even throws a unilateral exercise into the mix for a complete package for your quads. Do it twice weekly for best results.

You can read more about it here:

>> How to Train Your Quad Muscles

It is available for free in the StrengthLog workout app.

Bodybuilding Leg Workout for Mass

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Lying Leg Curl	4	8
Squat	5	6–12
Leg Press	4	10
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	10
Leg Extension	3	12
Seated Leg Curl	3	8
Romanian Deadlift	3	12

This is a complete leg workout for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders looking to maximize muscle growth. As you can see, it includes hamstring exercises in addition to four quad exercises for balanced leg development.

You can read more about it here:

>> Bodybuilding Leg Workout for Mass

It is available for as a premium workout in the StrengthLog workout app.

Leg Day Workout Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	6
Romanian Deadlift	3	8
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	10
Seated Leg Curl	3	12
Leg Extension	3	12
Standing Calf Raise	3	15

You can read more about it here:

>> The Best Leg Day Workout Routine

It is available for free in the StrengthLog workout tracker.

Dumbbell Quad Workout for Strength and Mass

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Squat	3	10–12
Dumbbell Lunge	3	10–12
Goblet Squat	3	10–12
Dumbbell Step Up	3	10–12

If you train at home using dumbbells, try this workout for your quads. It features the best quad exercises you can do with a set of dumbbells and comes in three versions: one for beginners, one for intermediates, and one for advanced. The workout above is the advanced one. Do it twice weekly for best results.

You can read more about it and check out the other versions here:

>> Dumbbell Quad Workout for Strength and Mass

Download StrengthLog to start tracking your workouts and your progress:

A workout log is the best way to keep track of where you’ve been in your training, your current progress, and your future goals. StrengthLog also has more than 80 training programs and workouts for both your lower and upper body for all fitness and experience levels.

Final Words

Thank you for taking the time to read this list of the best quad exercises! Now it’s time to put theory into practice by heading to the gym for a high-intensity, muscle-building leg workout.

Good luck with your training!

Click here to return to our list of strength training programs and workouts.

Click here to return to our full list of strength training exercises.

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