Powerful legs are the hallmark of a good bodybuilder. If they lag behind the rest of the body in development, it is noticeable and spoils the whole picture. Well, the muscles of the front surface of the thigh - the so-called quadriceps - give our legs completeness and brutal power. Exercises for the quadriceps femoris muscle should definitely be included in your training complex. Which ones exactly? And in what order is it better to put them in your work plan? – this review will tell you about this...
Start your session with leg extensions on the machine. This movement will warm up and slightly tire the quadriceps, which will increase the effectiveness of further training. 4 approaches of 12-20 times will be enough. But try not to fix your legs in a straight position, otherwise the load will shift from the muscles to the joints.
Let's move on to the leg press. At this stage, do not forget to put on a weightlifting belt - it will definitely be useful to us in this and subsequent exercises of our training program. Perform the movements slowly until your knees touch your chest. The quadriceps muscles respond very well to high repetitions, so we need to press the weight 15-20 times in each of 2-3 sets.
Hack squats have proven to be excellent for pumping up the lower quadriceps. The exercise is performed smoothly, due to the work of the legs. If the whole body is involved in the work, then the burden for you is still great and the load on the knees becomes dangerous. With the correct technique, 2 approaches of 15-20 times are enough.
Squats with a barbell on the chest. We place the barbell on the front delts and upper chest and hold it with crossed arms. You should move on to this exercise at the end of the complex, when your hips are tired, in order to use the minimum possible weight. It will also not be superfluous if you ask your partners to back you up. We do just one approach, and with a feeling of a job well done, we go to rest.
If the volume of your legs is already sufficient and you just need to improve their relief, focus on hack - squats and leg extensions. For high-quality separation of muscle bundles, squat more with half the amplitude. It's great if your gym has a Smith machine. Be sure to use it, squats on it will give your hips a “square” appearance without overdeveloped buttocks, which happens when working only with a barbell. Moreover, Smith will ensure maximum safety for your work with serious, impressive weight.
Work hard and make your quads so big that finding pants becomes a problem. Joke!