3 Exercises Better Than Squats For Your Quads
Everybody true lifter know that squats are the Mother and the Father of
legs gains! It’s a basic move that engages all your legs muscles:
hamstrings, glutes and quads. But what do we do if we suffered an injury
and we can’t do squats, for whatever reason? Read below and you’ll find
out!
There are at least 3 exercises better than squats for your quads,
especially when squats make more damage than good, and when it hurts like
hell when trying to do a single squat. So here are 3 Exercises Better Than
Squats For Your Quads:
1. Incline Leg Press Machine:
Using a leg press machine, sit down on the machine and place your legs on
the platform directly in front of you at a medium (shoulder width) foot
stance.
Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform in place and press
the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of
you.
Tip: Make sure that you do not lock your knees.
Your torso and the legs should make a perfect 90-degree
angle.
This will be your starting position. As you inhale, slowly lower the
platform until your upper and lower legs make a 90-degree angle.
Pushing mainly with the heels of your feet and using the quadriceps go
back to the starting position as you exhale.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and ensure to lock the
safety pins properly once you are done. You do not want that platform
falling on you fully loaded. See photo below to be sure what muscles are
engaged.
2. Hack Squat Machine:
Place the back of your torso against the back pad of the machine and hook
your shoulders under the shoulder pads provided. Position your legs in the
platform using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly
pointed out.
Tip: Keep your head up at all times and also maintain the back on
the pad at all times. Place your arms on the side handles of the machine
and disengage the safety bars (which on most designs is done by moving the
side handles from a facing front position to a diagonal position).
Now straighten your legs without locking the knees. This will be your
starting position. Begin to slowly lower the unit by bending the knees as
you maintain a straight posture with the head up (back on the pad at all
times).
Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves
becomes slightly less than 90-degrees (which is the point in which the
upper legs are below parallel to the floor). Inhale as you perform this
portion of the movement.
Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the
knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is
perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if
they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and
the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
Begin to raise the unit as you exhale by pushing the floor with mainly
with the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to
the starting position. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
See photo below to be sure what muscles are engaged.
3. Last, but not least, the
classic ol’ lunges!: Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders
back and relaxed and chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you so
you don’t keep looking down). Always engage your core. Step forward with
one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree
angle. See photo below to be sure what muscles are engaged.
CONCLUSION: There you go! If you
want to develop your quads and you just can’t do classic squats for
whatever reason, I’ve just gave you top 3 best exercises better than
squats for your quads. But you must remember: perform a good warm-up
before every workout! Do at least a few squats or sissy squats or beginner
squats with only your bodyweight, and then proceed to this
exercises.
