More Quad Strength = More Growth?

The quadriceps, commonly known as “quads,” are a group of four muscles located at the front of the thigh. These muscles include the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius, and they are responsible for extending the knee joint. Additionally, the rectus femoris also assists in hip flexion.

While traditional squat-like movements are great for building quad strength, and should make the ‘bulk’ of your quads training, they may not adequately challenge the rectus femoris: to target this muscle effectively, exercises like extended-hip leg extensions, sissy squats and reverse nordics may end up being a beneficial addition, as they require greater hip extension than traditional squats.

This has been shown to be the case in a previous study (Mitsuya et al., 2023) in which indeed, greater activation of the Rec Fem was found at greater degrees of hip extension.

And recently, in a new study by larsen et al, (2024) significantly greater hypertrophy was found at a smaller hip flexion angle (more extended hip position) during leg extensions, adding to the research showing that training muscles at longer lengths is a good idea.

As always however, it’s important to remember that building quad strength takes time and consistency, no matter how great your exercise list is. Results won’t happen overnight, and it may take up to years of dedicated training to see significant changes in muscle mass and strength.

Want huge quads? Dedicate yourself to training them religiously at least 1-2 times per week, making sure you’re progressing over time. That’ll be extremely important!