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Quad Exercises Ranked (BEST TO WORST!)



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.

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.

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39 Comments

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  2. I think Jeff is one of the best strength coaches ever. But I find it interesting that he commends Ben Patrick AKA kneesovertoesguy when Ben preaches about sissy squats and leg extensions, two exercises that Jeff has said as being 2 of the worst leg exercises that damage the knees.

  3. 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.

  4. Whenever I see these videos with the sissy squat at the bottom I'm always left scratching my head. The reason being when I first came across the exercise on a website, they recommended having the heel supported by using either a couple of weight plates or a hex-dumbell. Maybe you're just honoring the true name/style of this exercise, but I just noticed that you've never done them like that in your videos and wondered if it does actually make a difference or not.

  5. 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.

  6. It sucks that i have a membership to planet fitness and they dont have anything but a smith machine for squats. I would love to go to a different gym but their aren't a lot of convenient gyms near me for the price of planet fitness.

  7. 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”.

  8. Get nice quads at home:

    Start in Jeff's "better category":

    @3:20 with goblet squats.

    Once you develop some strength,

    then progress to Jeff's "almost best category":

    @13:19 dumbbell Bulgarian split squats.

  9. Guess you didn't feel like correcting your boy doing the dumbbell step ups with his shoes untied. Looking so unstable wiggling around on that ankle can't be good. I'm gonna put a red X on that one due to the risk reward ratio.

  10. I have been waiting for this exact video for over half a year lol. Especially since Jeff shouted out other fitness youtubers and including the Knees Over Toes guy, and said that it made him reconsider some things. Made me very curious to see what NOW Jeff thinks of things like leg extensions since his last comments, and reverse Nordic curls (hopefully they're in this). Jeff still prefers closed chain feet on the ground stuff, but yea. Sissy squats too, as far as the knees are concerned (I know he thinks it's too isolating, too/not athletic).

    Okay No reverse Nordic curl, but leg extensions is there! (and sissy squats).
    He did now mention that light-weight sissy squats can build up the patella tendon, I think that's new.
    Okay that was interesting with the leg extensions. He's definitely toned it down a tad, and is delivering his views more carefully and with more specifics. He still doesn't recommend it though outside of light-weight tendon-strengthening sort of stuff it seems.

  11. Smith squats are BETTER for quads for a lot of people than barbell back squats. Allowing you to maximize knee flexion and sit into the quads.

    Sissy squats serve a similar function to leg extensions, and is a great quad builder as well.

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