Muscle group

Quad exercises

The quads extend the knee, so every squat, lunge and leg press loads them. They are the biggest muscle group on the front of the leg and one of the ones that responds best to heavy weight.

The atlas has front and back barbell variations, dumbbell versions, machines and single-leg work. The more upright your torso, the more of the work the quads take instead of the glutes.

Quad exercises by equipment

Choose the equipment available to you and find exercises that suit your setup.

Bodyweight76Learn the patternBarbell55The base of leg strengthDumbbell43Squats and lunges

More equipmentSquat rack 39·Other 26·Cardio machine 16

Exercise library

All Quad exercises

54 exercises
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54 exercises

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Training guide

About training Quad exercises

Choose one movement, perform it well, then progress it over time.

How do you train quads?

The quads take heavy sets of 5 and long sets of 15-20 equally well. The simplest layout is one heavy squat, one accessory on a machine or with dumbbells, and one single-leg movement. That last one evens out the differences between legs that are easy to miss under a barbell.

How your setup changes the load

The more upright your torso and the further your knee travels past your toes, the more of the work lands on the quads. The front squat and the hack squat load them harder than the back squat, where the hips travel further back and the glutes and hamstrings take a bigger share.

Where to start

Explore further

By equipment

Bodyweight76Barbell55Dumbbell43Squat rack39Other26

Other muscle groups

GlutesHamstringsCalves

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Workout tracker

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