Quad Exercises Ranked (BEST TO WORST!)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- There are so many quad exercises, but which ones should you be focusing your efforts on if you want to build bigger quads and increase your strength? In this video, I’m going to give you the most popular quad exercises ranked from worst to best and help you to determine which you should be doing and which you can probably ditch.
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With that said, we have to lay out the criteria for the quad exercise selections. These are in the video.
Furthermore, if there is a steep learning curve to the movement or it is too equipment reliant then it may mot rank as high as some other options that are better and also don’t require as many resources.
With that being said, we start laying out the list and work our way up the rankings from the worst chest exercise to the best chest exercise.
WORST
1. Sissy Squat
2. Smith Machine Squats
The sissy squat is one of the better exercises you can do to strengthen the tendons in your knees given the proper progression, but it is a weak exercise choice for trying to build to quads. The lack of overload in this exercise is one of the biggest drawbacks for creating hypertrophy.
The smith machine squat is probably the worst version of a squat you can do. The fixed nature of the movement does not allow for an individual’s proper biomechanics to come into play. Angled or straight, you’re better off avoiding this version of the squat if you can
BETTER
3. Drop Squats
4. Goblet Squats
5. Heavy Resistance Bike (Hill Riding)
6. Leg Extensions
Drop squats are great for learning the proper mechanics of a squat, but do are limited in the ability to sufficiently load the exercise.
Goblet squats are great for a more metabolic pursuit of hypertrophy but the limit in load based on available weight as well as your thoracic mobility / strength will play a limiting factor into the exercise as well.
You’d be hard pressed to find a serious cycler without large quads. Make sure to crank up the resistance and keep consistent with your efforts to see the most gains.
Leg extensions have the ability to directly isolate the quads, but if you have existing knee issues, this exercise could simply make them worse.
BETTER STILL
7. Leg Press (Feet Low)
8. DB Step Ups
9. Sled Push / Pull
10. DB Spanish Squats / TKE Split Squats
The leg press allows you to use some heavy weight, but you have to make sure that you are going through the full range of motion to get the most benefits out of the exercise.
DB step ups are a great choice for an eccentric focus on the quads, but you might be challenged on the amount of weight you can use as well as your balance.
The sled push and pull are excellent options for athletes looking to grow their quads without a focus on the eccentric, but you’ll have to have to access to a sled and enough surface area to use it.
The Spanish squat and TKE split squat are the perfect replacement for the leg extensions but allow assistance muscles to work in concert as well.
ALMOST BEST
11. Hack Squats
12. Bulgarian Split Squats
13. High Bar Back Squats
14. DB / BB Reverse Lunge
The hack squat takes the smith machine squat and makes it better by allowing for the body to move naturally even within a fixed path.
Bulgarian split squats are one of my favorite quad exercises that can be loaded heavy and challenges one leg at a time to combat muscle imbalances.
The high bar back squat is the king of all leg exercises and allows for significant overload, but believe it or not, you can better target the quads.
I love the reverse lunge for the ability to overload as well as how it feels for someone with knee problems.
BEST
15. Front Squats
16. Belt Squats
There simply is no better quad exercise for building big quads than the front squat. The ability to overload the exercise and it’s direct targeting of the quads makes it a top choice for building the quads.
The belt squat is one option that I put directly with the front squat in the best category and shouldn’t be ignored if you have access to it.
For a complete step by step workout program that was created with the same level of science behind the selection of every exercise in the plans, be sure to head to athleanx.com via the link below and check out our workout programs designed to get you to reach your goals.
For more videos on exercises for a bigger quads and the leg workouts / quad exercises be sure to remember to subscribe to our channel here on youtube via the link below and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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Jeff help!! I tried the 100 Shoulder workout yesterday and the 100 chest today and I made sure to do all the workouts perfectly, I even had expert guys spot me and all, but the thing is, I don't feel anything in my chest or shoulders at all, it feels like all the work is in my arms (biceps, triceps, forearms) please advise if its okay for me to continue using the 100 series to workout a single muscle group each day
Don’t forget to add the Dont Know Squat in your Worst category next time
Genial Jeff como siempre 🙂
Would do Landmine attachment squats using a belt like u would for Weighted dips or pull ups but instead harness the barbell between your legs be as good as a belt squat?
What about the nordic quad extensions? Where do they place?
My mom thanks you Jeff! Shes 62 and crushing it. Shes my gym buddy, and shes making HUGE strength gains. Went from 3lbs to 12lbs db...and were about to go more. Im really proud of her for sticking with things!
Your mom is your gym buddy? What about your aunt? She is your coach?
@@jovanmijailovic5202 Laugh all you want. But in the end, its helping her, and helping me too. Had a broken cervical spine and lumbar spine.
Point is, there are no excuses, and anyone can get on board and get healthy.
@jovanmijailovic5202 yes his aunt is his coach and your mom is his sex trainer…
@@RipRoaringGarage Ignore that guy, you're always gonna have people that like to act cool on the internet. Good for you and your mom to be active in the gym and working on yourself!
@@jovanmijailovic5202 Well, that was unnecessarily sarcastic. My father was my gym buddy. He's 77 today and can still beat the socks off me at a game of basketball. All that lifelong Army discipline sure paid off for him. You have no idea what kind of grit his mother brings to the table. That counts more than brute strength coz it'll always last longer.
I love all of these videos. They've really helped me get started working out more effectively with weights. Much appreciated Jeff!
Cartilage in my Right Knee is beat from military life, so this video was very helpful to find options on what I can do to ease patella femoral loading workouts and not lose leg gains.
Doing 10 second static holds after each leg extension set helped completely eliminate my patellar tendon pain. I’ve been dealing with with for years and it’s gone now.
Thanks for the information. You probably had an imbalance in the tendons. The static holds are great for hypertrophy also.
A really good leg extension machine that is well-adjusted and allowances for very good eccentric loading/stretch coupled with the unique maximal resistance at full contraction is basically the best thing you can do for your lower quads that support your knee. A poor machine/poor settings may do the opposite however.
@@richbrake9910 any other way to target the imbalances? i dont want to use any leg machines due to various reasons
Lunges @@salsadip7453
Been following your vids and incorporating some of your works outs and I have to say thank you. My gains have been skyrocketing. My coworkers always calling me the strong guy now, and my gf is always telling me about my muscles looking great. Really changing my life
Excellent as Always 🙏🙏I did some DB Bulgarian splits yesterday same weight as Jesse, 35 lbs each arm for the first time in a long time! Feeling today. Forgot how challenging they can be. Good stuff 🔥
Very helpful and informative.
Thank you so much for going over the variety of quad exercises!! You are a wealth of information!, and have helped me so much to expand my variety of leg exercises!!!
Thank you Jeff. I always do the front squats as it's one of my all time favorite leg exercises.
This is by far the best series from you. Others I could not stand for more than couple of minutes.
I was waiting for this video for a long time, thanks Jeff your the best
I love these exercise ranking videos. Keep ranking more specific muscles exercises as well as compounds
compounds are great
the best arm excersice is wanking.
this dude is incredibly wrong about most of his information
@@trey8005 ive based my entire routine on this channel alone and its been great, everything i did before has been replaced by better excersises and i am getting great results ! He has dedicated his life to this kind of thing, its hard to believe is is incredibly wrong.
Your ranking videos in my opinion, are among your best. Really helps me prioritize my workout exercises. So
...thanks!
Finally! The video I've been waiting for so Long! Thank you, Jeff!
Thxs “JC” love your channel and content 👍💪🏽
Love these Best to Worst videos. The shoulders one was a game changer for me
TABLE OF CONTENTS
==================
BAD ❌
=======
Sissy squats (1:07)
Smith machine squats (1:53)
Better ⭐
========
Drop squats(2:43)
Goblet squats (3:30)
Heavy resistance bike (4:36)
Leg extensions (4:55)
Better still⭐⭐
==============
Leg Press (6:41)
Dumbbell step ups (8:02)
Sled push/pull (8:50)
Dumbbell Spanish squats / TKE split squat (10:17)
Almost best⭐⭐⭐
===================
Hack squat (11:22)
Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat (13:19)
High bar back squats (14:11)
Dumbbell/barbell reverse lunge (14:55)
Best⭐⭐⭐⭐
===================
Front squat (15:51)
Belt squat (16:39)
ty
💯
Your videos are absolutely excellent. Esp. Ranking Exercises. Keep up this incredible work. Dan
Love this "worst to best" series! Would love to see one one traps!
As always Jeff takes the mystery out of seeing those gains. Love this man. He got me from fat to fit to the point where people accuse me of being on steroids, but I'm all natural. I just follow Jeff's advise.
My absolute favorite are dumbbell lunges because the load held in both hands is focused on one leg. Hold 2 50's and you are putting 100lbs on that quad. The dumbbell position puts the weight directly over the quad instead of on your shoulders and glutes.
I've gotten far better results with them than barbell squats and or leg extensions ever did. Also, really an amazing cardio pulmonary workout to get your heart pumping and thumping!
Thanks I’m 62 and I needed help with my legs. Thanks for giving me the information on doing the upper body and legs.
Awesome video again thanks Jeff keep them coming
I find that the pistol squats work really well to increase quad strength. You can use a Smith machine and set the bar low to assist you at the beginning if you can't go all the way down without falling back (which means a lack of ankle and hip flexibility). Just make sure to keep 1 or 2 fingers on top of the bar instead of holding it with a full grip (that would give too much assistance). You can also put a plate under your heel to raise it in case your ankle lacks dorsiflexion.
Worst
1:07 Sissy Squats
1:49 Smith Machine Squats
Better
2:42 DB Drop Squats
3:25 Goblet Squats
4:07 Heavy Resistance Bike
5:03 Leg Extensions
Better Still
6:42 Leg Press
8:02 DB Step Ups
8:50 Sled Push/Pull
10:03 DB Spanish Squats, TKE Split Squats
Almost Best
11:23 H__ck Squats
13:23 DB Bulgarian Split Squats
14:10 High Bar Back Squats
14:54 DB/BB Reverse Lunge
Best
15:53 Front Squats
16:38 Belt Squats
Si
Thank you you're a life saver 💜🙏
Si
Thank you
Not all heroes wear capes
Your abb videos have helped me out a lot I started seeing results in the 2nd week keep it up with the goood videos
I always love your segments. You rock.
After watching a few of your videos Jeff I must say I love them and despite not agreeing with everything (but still 95%) you say its understandable your main focus is on health and being 35 myself (and going to the gym since I was 17) I can surley use your advice when I get into my 40s because I dont plan quitting the gym but I understand our bodies change as we get older.
I was SO HYPED when this video dropped. Thank you as always Jeff, God Bless you 🙏!
love your videos! super informative and i like how more often than not, you put safety FIRST (also have shoulder and knee problems)! When will you do upper back and calf best to worst? Hope those are coming and can't wait to see em, THANKS JEFF AND ATHLEAN-X TEAM! :D
An amazingly informative video. You have my subscription! 👌
Great video. Since I'm a beginner, I will start with the db drop squat. I had been doing leg extensions but after watching this video realized that exercise probably was the culprit for my knee pain. Thanks.
jeff really just talking none of what hes saying even makes sense lmao
Thank you for these tips man! I will use it my workouts. By the way thanks to you I found my passion in making workout videos
Thank you I get pain in the patella after using the leg extension so glad you are showing a variation for those with knee pain
Great video and very helpful. Where would you rate various forms of squats using a trap bar?
I switched to Bulgarian split squats from barbell after a lower back injury from deadlift. It’s helped me so much to keep up the progress. Quads burns like crazy and I feel like I’m about to throw up by the end. What I also love is when I go heavier my lower back muscles also get targeted reducing my lower back pain
Unless you are or want to be a powerlifter, I would not bother with deadlifts and traditional squats with the bar across the shoulders. It's not worth the risk of spinal injuries, especially when there are so many exercises that are just as good, if not, better.
@@richbrake9910Do you mean avoiding front squats as well?
WORST
1. Sissy Squat - 1:06
2. Smith Machine Squats - 1:45
BETTER
3. Drop Squats - 2:43
4. Goblet Squats - 3:27
5. Heavy Resistance Bike (Hill Riding) - 4:17
6. Leg Extensions - 4:57
BETTER STILL
7. Leg Press (Feet Low) - 6:43
8. DB Step Ups - 8:02
9. Sled Push / Pull - 8:50
10. DB Spanish Squats / TKE Split Squats - 10:17
ALMOST BEST
11. Hack Squats - 11:20
12. Bulgarian Split Squats - 13:23
13. High Bar Back Squats - 14:09
14. DB / BB Reverse Lunge - 14:53
BEST
15. Front Squats - 15:52
16. Belt Squats - 16:38
Thanks a lot, Jeff. I love your videos. One question: Would you say that the dumbbell version of the front squat is as good as the barbell version that you showed in the video?
Great breakdown of options, thank you! The pendulum squat is number one and second, the hack squat in my opinion...
Bulgarian split squat is perfect if you’re like me and have always struggled with back issues from regular squatting. It’s my main leg workout nowadays and has been a life saver.
It may feel awkward at first but after a few weeks of practice it’s easy
For me it's perfect too. Allows me to overload and isolate my lower body unilaterally without frying up my CNS. It's a game changer for quad building.
Bulgarians are the hardest exercise i have ever done aside from pullups. The fatigue i get from each set is insane. I literally fall to the ground on my final set and am in agony. Dont know why theyre so extreme but hey theyve been building my legs quite well.
@@dan_4531 they’re awesome! That’s a plus that you can go to complete failure every time without a spotter
@@RyanZirnheld11 they sure are awesome. And really? I didnt even know you can use a spotter on these haha. I usually use 30 poumd dumbells or 35 pounds for 6 to 7 reps. Its insane though how hard they are. Cheers to bigger legs
I really with I coyld do them but I have a bad big toe which makes them painful
I hired a pro BB trainer and since I've been watching your vids I see how many exercises she had me doing that were contributing to the pain in my shoulder and low back. I've redone my training because of you, thank you Jeff!
It's pretty frustrating how most personal trainers give you shitty exercises actually
Why would you hire a woman for lifting?
Lmao you hired a professional bodybuilder yet you chose to listen to one of the worst fitness youtubers. If you have lower back pain or shoulder pain from doing an exercise a pro bb told you to do you`re either not doing the exercise correctly,, not warming up correctly, or you have serious issues and should see a doctor asap.
@@ightimmaheadout290😮 what??
Thank you for this Jeff💪
Jeff always dropping gold!
I was sure that face-pulls gonna be no1
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Sir! The educational content of your videos is priceless! Thank you for making your viewers smarter and sharper!
he is great
Thank you for your sharing your valuable knowledge with us!
Jeff, you're a mf fitness icon in my mind!! Right up there with Sly, Arnold, Bruce Lee, Michael Jai, and all my favorite childhood wrestling heroes. Thank you so much for the knowledge. A journey that started for me with a Christmas present of weights and a library book on fitness. I've come a long way, and you've been a strong reliable resource. Thank you sir.
What a Coincidence..
I was messing up my head this whole day about best quad exercises..and this Guy dropped this .. Wow 😃
My favorite for a massive quad pump is a heel elevated goblet squat with a narrow stance (toes forward) - let the knees travel way past the toes and don’t fully lock out at the top 👍🏼
*try super setting this with walking lunges 🔥 *
I have started doing these recently and definitely agree. Works my quads way more with a 12# DB than when I do goblet squats with 50# DB, plus at a greater range of motion.
I love this video good effort man👏👏👏👏
Great video Jeff, could you do a video of the belt squat with resistance bands?
Great teaching vid and learning is what TH-cam is all about. This is the reason why you have over 13mil subscribers. Keep it going my man….
I always learn information that is useful to training from Athlean X!!!
The Beast Titan working out those legs!
I am 75. I don’t know anyone unselfishly explaining how to do the exercises correctly. Thank you for that. I am 106 lbs and so strong and looks good because of your great exercises. I don’t need a trainer. You are the trainer.
One of the best ways ive found to utilise some of these exercises where you are limited due to certain issues such as the goblet squat is to use them as part of a superset where you pre fatigue your legs with something that keeps the limiting muscles fresh. personally i think goblet squats on their own suck but if you do them after a hard set of leg presses you get more leg stimulus without the grip and upper back giving out first. Belt squats are an amazing exercise however i believe they are best done in higher rep ranges. One thing i often notice in gyms when people use the belt squat is they attach the belt too far out on the lever, this makes the leverage more favourable and ramps up the weight you can use significantly. Imo its best to attach the belt as close in to the machine as possible. You can actually preform a mechanical drop set of belt squats by attaching the belt as close in as possible and going to failure then racking it removing the clip from the machine and selecting a position further up the lever.
Good idea , I was using my gyms trx ,hooked up to a spud belt squat belt up over my chest and holding 2 dumbbells in my hands and it was a perfect substitute for a pendulum squat ,except for the fact that my arms give out before my quads . so going to try super setting it with leg press and see if I can get the quads to give out before my arms
Great points about the leg extension. I remember a video you did in about 2009 about the leg extension in your basement. I stopped doing them for years but one day I hopped on it just for the hek of it and found that it actually is a good exercise if done right. The problem with most people on the leg extension is they max it out and go too hard on it. That's the problem. I set it at like 30/40lbs and do slow and controlled; just to get a good contraction. the weight isn't the goal on the LE machine, it's the contraction. The LE is just a warm up and should not be used as a primary training source IMO.
U've got no brain m8
Same here. Dropped them because of Jeff back then. I do them the exact same way, slow contractions, for warm up & not too much weight.
@@jaden7854 Keep saying that to yourself kid
Yeah, however i'd like to share my experience. I got in a bike accident and developt patellar tendinophaty and surely, the LE was one of the biggest pain trigger. Did some rehab and got back to those LE. I started with 5kg with both legs and I'm gradually increasing the load. today i can get 25kg sigle leg and pain free. Took a while but it really helped me build the streng again! Tho i dont plan to increase a lot more for now, i weigh 50kg.
Great video thanks! It was really helpful😆😃
Those 2 green stars at the end were perfect stars. Fantastic.
Hatfield squats seem very similar to belt squats in my opinion. I’ve been doing the former for a few months and find it incredible.
thanks jeff… i needed this… been doing one of the worst one…ty coach
thanks for looking out and informing us about those. I'm more into bodyweight exercises and i'd like to ask where would you rank the "pistol squat"?
Hack squat, leg extension and leg press technique as show in this video are the best for quad specific development in my experience. Actually in high school I only did leg press and I had overdeveloped quads and was given the nickname Quadzilla.
Leg extension gives me beautiful quads. I'm a woman and would just add the machine....just
So glad my gym got a belt squat! I know it's deceiving how much weight I can do versus a back squat but the work is showing on my quads for sure
lol I dont get it, i can do almost the same with both movmvnets
back squat (4 plates +bar for 5reps) and belt squat (4 plates for 15reps)
I'm in my late 70's and just want to hit all my identifiable muscles regularly. I'm proud of my quad routine. Once every 2 wks I hold each leg straight, (with the knee in space and with 17 lbs. on the end of the foot), for 7 minutes & 30 secs. before letting the leg down. It is a test of pure will power, as the leg is shaking and 'screaming' at me well before time is up. So far, I haven't quit early & my quads are well developed and hard as a rock. (I exercise all the muscles only semi-weekly but with a lot of intensity ['to failure', I guess]). Works for me!
@athleanx I get what you’re saying about the leg extension. I had a runners knee for about 2 years, and finally went to a fysiotherapist, one-legged leg extension was part of my workout to get better, and now after 5 months of therapy / specific traning my knee isn’t hurting anymore. I did of course do other excercises, and I know that there are nuances but isn’t it a bit broad to say its “bad” if you have patella tendon/knee issues? Just start out easy and remember to stretch? Have a great day :)
Great list Jeff. I really wish my local gym had a belt squat so I could load my quads without putting weight on my back.
I’ve never seen those belt squats in my life tbh. I wish my gym had a machine like that
Mine has one and no matter what I do I feel it most in my glutes. It kind of pulls u forward at all times and I can't figure out how to get it more in quads
One of the most expected videos!!!!!. 🥰
Great Article as usual Jeff thanks. I suppose you could do the Zercher squat variation over Front squat? Also if we don't have access to a belt squat machine, we could use a dip-belt and plates stood over two box stands so the plates can drop between the boxes, while the height of the boxes enable the prevention of the plates hanging off your belt striking the floor when in the eccentric phase?
I love your channel!!! Just came across it about a month now and I’ve been binge watching your content! Superb
Thanks! I am wrecking my lower back with front squat without much going on in my glutes and quads. From video footage back looks straight, but something is defo wrong there.
I'm gonna do the reverse lunges and Bulgarian splitsquats instead.
Thank you for that warning about front squats, I have some worries about the DB Spanish squats, he seems more focused stretching the band that lifting the weights
Roman chair squats, if done correctly, is another great one for quads. Sumo squat, especially with a kettlebell is much better than goblet or drop squats. Sumos can be done with emphasis on quads or thighs/glutes depending on the breadth of the stance.
Please do a Hiit jump rope workout next, along with how to properly perform HIIT. Research has it that many do not know what it truly means(form/execution). I’d be forever grateful if you honored this request. A successful year to you, Jeff !🎉🎉
Yes! Massive jump rope person here, and I know Jeff always rates jump rope as part of his conditioning. I do a HIIT workout all the time, but I am curious to see how Jeff does it, whether he incorporates bodyweight workouts or just does it only with the rope. I requested for the same thing in a previous video, so I hope he sees this too!
Speed up...slow down. Repeat.
Search burst training on the channel. He has lots of interval stuff.
Yess
I made a belt squat with a landmine at knee height, on a couple of squat stands. Can also be done in a rack. Add a spud belt a carabiner and a soft loop tie down strap and you're good to go!!! I actually don't HATE leg day, now.
Excellent info Thankyou 👍🥇🏆
Great content Jeff I need a video for the hamstrings
Good to know belt squat is ranked high. I love using that machine but was always weary at how effective it is. Will definitely go back to using it. Thanks for info!
I’ve never seen this machine in my life lol. I’ve been to many good gyms though. I guess it’s not popular in Europe?
Yes my gym that moved to a new location just after the pandemic kept some of the existing leg machines but then added this new weird one. It took like 5-10 minutes trying to figure it out, and I never bothered with it. After seeing Jeff's BEST squat exercise...there it was....the machine used in the BELT SQUAT. Time to start using it :)
@@chavdar.dobrev Never seen it in person in the US either across dozens of gyms. Would love to use it. I could see making one on a platform
At the age of 38, after 14 years of powerlifting, I blew the l-4 l-5, l-5 s-1 discs in my back doing front squats to build my quads. Only had 205 on the bar. Prior to doing this I use to be able to do stiff leg dead lifts standing on a bench to get a full stretch with 275 on the bar. I was wearing a powerlifting belt doing the front squats and blew the discs below the belt. Maybe the belt contributed to it, I don't know. That ended squats for me. At age 62 still working out.
I blew the L4/L5 disc, and my training partner blew the L5/S1 disc doing back squats, which led to surgery. Never again. Squats are a horribly dangerous movement, and the sad thing is there are exercises that work the quads better, so it's a completely unnecessary risk, unless one is dead set (no pun intended) on competitive powerlifting.
I didn't have quite as severe of an injury, but the overload on my shoulders caused my infraspinatus and superspinatus to hypertension. It took about a month of pressure point therapy and rolling it out with a lacrosse ball to return to pain-free mobility. They do a excellent job on targeting the front quads, but the risks seems too great.
Nice job Jeff thanks.
@ATHLEAN-X. Great video Jeff. I’ve been watching for a few years now. I was a PT and also worked for a PT training org in Australia way back (think Dorian Yates training as the science at that time). I’ve tried many of your recommendations, and I can’t say that any of them didn’t work - just as long as I was capable of doing them haha (threw up after the hanging ABC… Ab workout. I swear that’s the worst thing ever).
Leg extension - always avoided it, for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned, but also because of the relaxation of the antagonist muscle in that seated position (the hamstrings in this case), meaning there was more sheer forces pulling the top of the tibia forward, with no counter stability to pull it back. I’d imagine as long as someone is doing adequate work on the hamstrings to “equal out” the forces as a part of their whole training regime, it would avoid injuries.
But at the time I was training people, the ever so common trilogy of complaints of shoulder, lower back and bad knee injuries would start by me getting that excercise out of there quick smart. BUT, my knees are ok after decades of squats and leg press, so perhaps I might revisit this one. Thanks heaps. Keep them coming 🙏
You know what I like your channel, Jeff? And why I’ve been following you since 2015? Because you not only tell us why an exercise is not convenient, but you even go and tell us “Hey don’t worry, you can do this instead and still take care of that need”.
Absolutely agree on the smiths machine squat being the worst. I injured my back many years ago on one. You’re form can be all over the place using them. 🙌
you injured your back not because of the smith machine, it couldv'e been a variety of factors like dehydration, form, too much load, etc. The smith machine is fine. It's much safer than a regular squat due to the added stability which allows us to take the target muscle to failure without having to worry about balance and stability.
@@HasanEissa stability training prevents injury, smith machine is bad, and you're small and weak
@@germanrud9904true
@@HasanEissa balance and stability prevents you from doing to much ego lifting
You are awesome! Thank you!
Awesome as usual
I know the Smith machine gets crapped on a lot, but I don't really have a problem with them, generally.
When I started lifting in early 2020, my trainer had me do Smith exercises (squat, press) to learn them. Yeah he could've just taught me barbell first, but I think teaching someone new to lifting on a Smith does make some sense. I did Smith squats for that first whole year, and I gained 35 lbs total (~12 lbs muscle) by the end of the first year. My legs certainly grew and were one of the parts that I was most happy with.
While I always do barbell movements now, I think Smith has some place and can certainly be effective. I still use it if the racks are taken though I'd def prefer barbell haha.
I agree partially. I don't think a beginner should use a Smith machine because form will be all over the place. Barbell I would be still be a little hesitant to use unless you fix the kinetic chain above and below your quads.
It is amazing how much Jesse has improved. I have been watching your channel for years and his progress is impressive. I like your content. Keep it up!
You mean those massive quads or the massive calves? :😀
consider watching my workouts
I have noticed that while doing the Bulgarian squats with the leg on the bench , it is easy to lose your balance, so putting your foot on the wall instead of bench is an improvement. Thanks for the great advice dude
On the wall? Do you mean a solid surface like box/platform?
I´ve waited for this one for so long
I'll stick with my total gym at this point. I've done free weights for 30 years.. taking a bike out and pedaling up and down hills have built my legs way more than any gym exercise
I think a red X for the sissy squat might be harsh. Seems like a lot of people with well trained knees can take a couple sets as a finisher exercise for example. I've been doing a finisher superset of slick floor bridge curls and sissy squats that hits good.
I agree. I actually rate the sissy squat for targeting the 'tear drop' of the quad. Personally works great for me.
Yep
@@timryan193 iirc tom platz also did
@@krnrrr ur right, he did, and they are a good exercise. Not only as a strengthener but also for quad hypertrophy. It is basically the same movement as a leg extension except you can get more knee flexion.
I love to do them as well, and not also that but my legs are growing pretty fast from it combined with single-leg exercises like the bulgarian split squat. I've been training at home for the past 3 years with minimal equipment (mostly resistance bands, gymnastic rings and weight vest) and my quads so far have been the muscle that developed the most up until now (from 53-54cm in each leg to almost 62cm in each right now and I'm not even bulking, will start soon).
Welcome brother. Subbed your channel. I honestly prefer the company of my elders but I've lived long enough to see that age doesn't always dictate how the person will be. Be well
Thank you for all the helpful content Athlean X has cranked out for years and just becomes more relevant. Quick question from the "able-limited" 😂: Is the belt squat ok for people with a blown L5?
Please do one for hamstrings as well Jeff, this was really helpful.
Face Jef antrenament și pe tru călcâi mă 😂😂😂
@@GloOMrr the title says hamstrings: th-cam.com/video/1jp2uhfO8M0/w-d-xo.html
Along with glutes that is. It includes the RDLs, so definitely hamstrings and glutes both.
I'm taking exercise science 101 right now on my way to a physical therapist career and it's so fun to understand what you're saying in plantar flexion and dorsiflexion lol. also know what EMG is. hooray!!!!
I have been hitting the elliptical on max incline and high resistance, my quads are thicc as well as the glutes. Given that it is zero impact, it is a great safe way to increase quads. Tip: maintain and upright position, don't go into "cycling" mode, and no assist with the bars, just power through with legs.
Good tip, anything to not use the spine, including regular resistance bicycle. That belt squat is a unicorn though.
DB Bulgarian Split squat and DB reverse lunges are easily my favorite leg exercises, been doing them for years and they've worked wonders for my legs. Glad they're high up there on the list.
DB Bulgarian Split squat is so damn tough bro.
Bulgarian split squat is hella painful
Amazing info, thanks 🙏
no sissy squats are extremely useful if you know how to use them properly in a mechanical dropset
Great advice thanks Jeff. What about the Barbell Hack Squat and using a Dip bely with weght plates attached for the Belt Squat?
The leg extension explanation made me realise i was so right not quite using the leg extension with my patellar tendonitis!!! The very instant i stopped using it the pain started to go away!!