Quick Wits: Best Exercises for the Quads (Lifting for Muscle Series) Artwork

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Wits & Weights | Strength & Fat Loss Over 40

Quick Wits: Best Exercises for the Quads (Lifting for Muscle Series)

February 01, 2024 • Philip Pape

0:00 | 5:12

Are you looking to build strong, muscular quads? Get ready to squat, press and extend your way to impressive legs.

Philip (@witsandweights) shares his favorite 4 exercises for developing powerhouse thighs in this special Lifting for Muscle Series of Quick Wits!

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“Quick Wits” are short, 3-5 minute episodes between full episodes to give you an actionable strategy or hit of motivation.

These mini-episodes give you practical advice on fitness, training, and mindset based on my everyday experience with clients that you can implement right away.

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Philip Pape 0:00

Are you looking to build strong , muscular quads ? On today's Lifting for Muscle series , I'm sharing my favorite four exercises for developing powerhouse thighs . Get ready to squat , press and extend your way to impressive quads . Welcome to the WITS and WEITS podcast . I'm your host , phillip Pape , and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger , optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition . We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement , metabolism , muscle and mindset , with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry , so you can look and feel your absolute best . Let's dive right in . Welcome back to Quick WITS , where fitness comes fast and furious . In today's episode , we are targeting a key muscle group that is essential for your lower body strength the quads . We're going to dive into the exercises that I consider important to the development of the quads , knowing that they are just part of the overall system of the legs which I'll be covering in over the next few weeks of the Lifting for Muscle series .

Philip Pape 1:11

First , we , of course , are always going to start with squats barbell squats , especially low bar , but not necessarily . As we come more advanced , there are definitely options to throw in the high bar , the safety bar , the front squats , all different variations . Regardless , they engage your entire lower body and even your back as a stabilizer . Depending on the type of squat you do , it's going to change the back angle and it's going to change how hard it hits the quads . If you're looking for overall strength and development , we're talking the low bar back squat . If you're looking to hit the quads specifically , the more vertical back , the more they're going to hit the quads . Generally , a front squat or a high bar squat or a safety bar squat or like a plaits narrow stance squat is going to hit your quads . Then also paused variations of that can be real burners for the quads . There you go squats with a barbell .

Philip Pape 2:09

Next up we have leg presses . Yes , I never want to see somebody only doing leg presses without having squats in their routine , but this is a machine that is very versatile and simple to use and you can load up the weight and really push through your quads . Now there's different variations . There's the vertical type that I have , which is at home . It's plate loaded , but in the gym you have different angles that you hit them from . You could even use them for calf presses as well , just so you know . It's a great compliment to squats if you want to isolate the quads more directly and a little bit of a higher rep range and really burn them out . Okay , so that's . Number two is leg presses . Number three we have I'm going to throw in hack squats in here . If you have access to one in the gym Although there are other versions of hack squats you could do , for example , with a landmine , or some people will say that the pitch shark or the what do you call it belt squat is kind of in that territory of a hybrid between squats and leg presses , and they target the quads pretty intensely but also engage the glutes and the hamstrings .

Philip Pape 3:13

So it's a little bit more well rounded than the leg press , and the fixed motion of the hack squat machine is good to take everything out of the equation , and even your back , and make it easier to just focus on your quads . The last thing for quads are going to be the classic leg extensions . I just like the classic seated version . They're an isolation workout , but you can't go wrong but feel it in the quads , no matter how inexperienced of a lifter you are . It's one of the few exercises that you pretty much can't screw it up , although there are little tips and tricks to get the most out of it . But if you really extend at the top , you get that muscle defining squeeze at the top of the quads . You're going to feel it and I like these later in the workout as sort of a finisher to really burn those thighs .

Philip Pape 3:59

So if you can get these four into your routine the barbell squat , leg presses , some form of hack squat and leg extensions they're definitely going to give you stronger , more defined quads . And remember that again I say this every time it's not just about aesthetics . We like to go after the power , the stability , the strength combined with the aesthetics , and it all works in synergy . So until next time , keep squatting , don't forget to do your squats and keep challenging yourself . Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights . If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights , please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode . Until then , stay strong .