How To Strengthen The Quads

Photos are AI generated, the words are straight from my brain though!

Here is an issue from our bi weekly newsletter specifically for health and fitness professionals. Our owner, Jesse Lewis, shares his experience and ideas as well as stories to help the health and fitness community connect and learn from each other.

From the Crowd

Had a good question from the hip flexor topic.

They asked (paraphrasing slightly) "We get a lot of people that complain about hip flexors in the bear crawl. Is that tightness or weakness?"

Good question! That's another example, like the squat, where the hip flexors are never in a lengthened position in a plank or a bear crawl. So it almost 100% has to be a weakness issue.

If their failure point is their hip flexors they probably could use some direct hip flexor strengthening.

From the Clinic

In the last newsletter I shared a story of someone who was having knee caving in during her lifts and we identified her hip was actually solid but her quad was weak. 

We ended up giving her two simple quad strengthening exercises as her homework.

I actually just saw her at the gym last week and asked her how she was doing. She said she was feeling much more stable and having better knee tracking during her lifts. 

This was a great example and reminder to myself to make sure I break down the full movement and test things before I assume.

I used to make too many assumptions in people and this ended up in me cutting a lot of corners. I assumed glutes were always weak and needed turning on, everyone needed more core strength, and a million other things that I couldn't prove. Once I started testing to prove to myself I ended up getting much better results.

What We're Seeing

We have a ton of clients who come in thinking they are strengthening their quads.

But quads are sneaky hard to isolate. The problem with almost all of the most common go tos like lunges, bulgarian split squats, step ups, is that it's really easy to compensate with other muscles.

Glutes and calves especially.

I regularly do pretty heavy squats, walking lunges and bulgarian split squats. And, if you watched the video from last newsletter, my quad continues to be weak as shit.

To get stronger quads, we have to be really, really intentional with our exercise choices and set up.

In the Gym/Clinic

To get the quads to work we have to set up exercises where it makes it anatomically impossible for the glutes or calf to compensate for the quad.

Which means we put them into a shortened position (active insufficiency for my fellow biomechanics nerds).

Keep the glutes shortened and off → trunk upright and in hip extension

Keep the calf shortened and off → in a plantarflexed position

If we can combine both, now we're talking.

Lastly, if we pick exercises where only the quad can be working, that's another great option.

Isolated Quad Exercises

Here are some of my favorite isolated quad exercises, and why they're good options.

Videos below if anyone wants to watch.

1) Leg Extension Machine - one of my favorites because it's literally impossible for clients to do incorrectly, compensate, or not use their quads. The downside is that they need a leg extension machine.

2) Static Bear Planks with knees slightly in front of hips - Anatomically and biomechanically, this is actually the exact same thing as a leg extension machine. And, no equipment needed. Also easy to progress by adding in a toe tap. The downside is that if someone has shoulder, toe, or back pain they might not be able to do this one.

3) Sissy Squats - Extreme example of putting the ankle into plantarflexion and hip into extension so nothing can work except the quads. Love this one because there are a lot of ways we can make this harder. Have them hold a plate, have them go slower and deeper, switch to single leg.

4) Tunnel Lunges - I might have made this up (google search tells me it's possible) but it's probably my fav of the whole bunch.

The key here is to make sure the trunk is as upright as possible and it's only a horizontal movement. That's why I call them tunnel lunges. I tell people to pretend they're in a tunnel and if they get any higher they'll hit their head. Any forward trunk bending recruits more glute work. If no slant board, you can elevate their heel on a plate, a book, or just have their foot flat.

Try this one out and I guarantee you you're going to feel your quad burn like crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uTdhR21AQc

Build the Community!

The goal of this newsletter is to build a better health and fitness community in DC. Every time I talk to a coach, trainer, or gym owner, I learn something.

If you know someone who might want in on the conversation, forward this to them.