Powerful, developed, sculpted quads can help you win a bodybuilding competition by making you stand out from the crowd. Build the quads you've always dreamed of with the following exercises!

Turn your frail quads into powerful poles!

Powerful, developed, sculpted quads can help you win a bodybuilding competition by making you stand out from the crowd. They distinguish a harmonious, proportional, aesthetically beautiful body from an apple-shaped body with a heavy top and thin legs.

Of course, we can't all have quads like professional bodybuilders, but we can build big, powerful, well-proportioned and defined muscles that will impress in any case.

Do not waste time now so that you do not regret in the future that you did not train enough quadriceps or devoted little time to them. You can’t even imagine how many athletes sweat in pants in the gym in the summer, only to hide the results of insufficient perseverance and discipline when pumping up the quadriceps femoris.

Do not waste time now so that you do not regret in the future that you did not train quadriceps enough.

The quadriceps have a very large volume muscle mass our body. Their training is very difficult and requires a lot of time and effort to build even a few grams of muscle. Intensive pumping of the quadriceps femoris will allow you to develop the entire body through a natural surge of growth hormones and testosterone.

When doing, say, a squat, the body uses a huge number of muscles to lift the weight up—the quads, hamstrings, back, trapezius, shoulders, all involved in moving and/or balancing the weight during the lift. It means general development muscles of the whole body, which contributes to the formation of an overall powerful appearance.

You have to ask yourself the question: Do I need this?

A bit of anatomy

The quadriceps are a large muscle group that consists of four heads on the front of the thigh. Let's take a quick look at these heads and their functions.

Rectus femoris
It starts from the ilium, occupies the middle part of the thigh, covering most of the three remaining heads.

External (lateral) wide muscle of the thigh
Starts from femur, runs along the lateral side (outer part) of the thigh and is attached to the kneecap.

vastus medialis muscle of thigh
It also starts from the femur, runs along the medial side (inner part) of the thigh and is attached to the patella. This muscle is responsible for the teardrop shape of the thigh.

Intermediate vastus femoris
This muscle is located between the lateral and medial in front of the femur and is attached to the patella.

All four heads of the quadriceps are responsible for knee extension. In addition, the rectus femoris, due to its location, also flexes the thigh.

Pumping up powerful quadriceps!

Now that you know about the anatomy and mechanics of movement, let's figure out how to get sculpted, powerful quads. The presented movements and exercises are designed to get the maximum result every time you visit the gym. Remember to always use correct technique and don't raise too much big weight so as not to risk your safety.

Barbell Squats

The back squat (the so-called ancestor of all leg exercises) is the main exercise for developing impressive quadriceps.

Stand under the bar in a squat rack and place the bar in a comfortable position at upper back level on the trapezius muscle. Grab the bar with both hands at your sides for stability. Now come out of the stance and place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.

Very important: before starting the exercise, bend your knees. Do not bend your hips or back, otherwise you will lean forward too much. Lower the weight until your hamstrings touch calf muscles or until you reach a comfortable range of motion (BP). Lift the weight up using your hips first and then your knees. Do not straighten your legs completely at the top.

The range of motion is very individual. Using a full range of motion is an almost ideal way to perform any exercise, but squats can be problematic with knee pain and back strain.

Following the proven rule, squat to a comfortable limit, then return to starting position. Don't skimp and take the task seriously. Squats are very difficult exercises but the result is worth it.

In order to engage the inner parts a little more (medial broad muscle hips), try doing squats with your feet slightly wider apart with your toes pointing outward.

Squats with a barbell on the chest

To perform the barbell front squat, stand with the bar in front of you and position it in a curve shoulder girdle on the . Cross your forearms and secure the bar to your sides. Keep your head straight and your shoulders parallel to the floor. Remove the barbell, step out of the rack and place your feet shoulder-width apart.

Perform this exercise as if you were doing a squat with a barbell on your shoulders. You will find that you can keep your back a little more straight. The front squat develops the quads slightly better than the traditional back squat, which requires stronger hips.

If you're new to the front squat and need some extra stability, do it on a Smith machine for a while until you get comfortable with the weight.

If you have high growth and you're either leaning forward a lot or your heels are off the ground at the bottom, try placing two to four and a half kilograms of pancakes under each heel for extra stability. This technique can be used for both variations of squats.

Hack machine squats

To develop the outer part ( lateral muscle) quadriceps there is nothing better than squats in the simulator hack-machine. With a moderate weight, stand comfortably under the pads of the machine, place your feet shoulder-width apart in the center of the foot plate. Lower yourself until you reach full range of motion, then return to the starting position.

Make sure you don't accelerate too much on the downward movement because this will put a lot of stress on your knees. Do the exercise at a constant pace. And again, as with all leg exercises, do not fully straighten your knees at the top.

Some gyms do not have this machine, but you should not despair, because there is always a way out. Just take a weighted barbell and hold it behind your calves (similar to deadlift, only with weights behind the buttocks).

Straighten your back, keep your head straight and begin to lift yourself with the muscles of your legs until you are completely upright. Without straightening your legs to the end, lower the load down to its original position, but do not touch the floor.

This exercise requires strict technique and can only be performed with a moderate amount of weight that you can easily lift.

leg press

Another great leg workout is the traditional 45-degree leg press. The advantage of this simulator is that it practically does not load lumbar and focuses more on the hips.

Sit on the machine and make sure the seat is pushed back enough to allow full range of motion. Place your feet in the center of the plate shoulder-width apart. Lift the load up without fully extending your knees and pull out the safety latches.

Lower the plate as much as possible, constantly controlling your movements, and raise it back to its original position. Try not to do half or partial reps - that's how you fool yourself and do not develop muscles.

If the leg press machine in your gym is constantly busy or simply not there, you can choose another option. Many gyms have additional machines for this muscle group, including models with a choice of weights and multifunctional trainers Hammer Strength Company.

leg extension

For perfect isolation of the quadriceps femoris, the extension machine is best suited. Sit on the simulator, put your legs over its working shoulder and lean back against the support cushion. Adjust the shin pad so that it fits exactly into the 90-degree angle of the foot and ankle.

At an average pace, lift the weight and immediately squeeze the muscles at the top point, then return to the starting position. Try not to hold the weight on top as this will put more stress on your knees, especially the patellar tendon.

To pump up the upper parts of the quadriceps a little, try the following extension variation. Perform the exercise as above, but this time upper part body forward so that at the top the angle between your torso and legs is 90 degrees or less. You will need to take a little less weight, but the result will exceed your expectations!

Lunges

Lunges are a great exercise for shaping your quads. Thanks to them, the muscles look pleasantly rounded and toned. Although many say that lunges involve all the muscles of the thigh and develop the hamstrings and hamstrings equally. gluteal muscles, in this article we will focus our attention on how lunges can be used when training quadriceps.

Place a relatively light barbell over your shoulders, as if you were doing a squat with a barbell over your shoulders. Come out of the squat rack and put one foot forward in front of you. Bend the other leg so that the knee is a few inches off the floor.

Don't touch the floor with your knee. Make sure your knee doesn't go past your toes, otherwise take a wider step. The second leg will remain behind all the time. After you sit down, return to the starting vertical position and put the foot that you were lunging with to the second. Repeat the exercise by switching legs - this will be counted as one rep.

A good alternative to the barbell lunge is the Smith machine lunge. Just lunge with one leg and do all reps in that position. You don't need to step in after each rep, do all reps on one leg first, then switch positions and repeat.

Walking lunges are the favorite exercise of most athletes. They are performed in the spacious part of the hall; make sure you have about 10 meters of free walking space.

The essence of lunges in walking is very simple - you make a lunge, then substitute the second leg forward and make the next lunge with this foot. That is, in this exercise you are constantly moving forward.

Quite often, experienced athletes begin to notice how some muscle groups respond better to the load, while others, on the contrary, begin to lag behind in development. Why is this happening? Maybe you don't feel well working muscle; give it an insufficient load for growth, or vice versa, do too much exercise, so that the muscle does not have time to recover ...

In any case, we are for a harmonious physique, and therefore today we will talk about how to pump up the outer part of the thigh - just the very area that is often left without proper attention. And very much in vain!

Legs need to be worked out hard and intensively, devoting a lot of time and effort to them, and beginners, of course, want to quickly get voluminous arms, they often don’t even remember about their legs. That's why it's not surprising that this is the most lagging muscle group in most gym goers...

Indeed, it is easier to do a couple of sets for the biceps than to shoulder a heavy barbell and squat with it. However, if you don't want to turn into a laughingstock on the beach, carrying a mighty torso on two pasta, then it's time to take your legs in your hands and pay more attention to your quadriceps.

A bit of anatomy.

The front surface of the thigh - quadriceps - consists of 4 heads: intermediate, straight, medial and lateral. The latter is located just on the outside of the thigh, giving the legs a powerful look not only in frontal poses, but also from behind and from the side. The lateral head is one of the most massive and powerful muscles of our body, and therefore should respond to the load without problems, one has only to correctly place emphasis in leg training. But how to place these accents? What should be done to pump it up?

The secret lies in the position of the foot - the more the toe is turned inward, the more the lateral head is involved. The trouble is that squatting or doing a leg press in this position is not only uncomfortable, but also traumatic for your knees, so we will start training with leg extensions in the simulator.

Leg extension from a sitting position.

Fulfillment: we unbend not both legs, but each separately. If the design allows, we sit on the simulator diagonally, hanging our free legs to the side of the seat. The working leg is slightly "littered" inward, which will allow you to concentrate on the outer surface of the thigh. We do 15-20 repetitions and change the leg.

In addition to preliminary fatigue, extension at the beginning of a workout is also a good warm-up for your knees, after which you can move on to the “main dish” - squats.

Fulfillment: we put our legs a little narrower than the width of our shoulders, the socks should look straight. It is desirable to squat not lower than parallel so that the load does not go from the hip to the gluteal muscles. We perform 12-15 repetitions. If you wish, you can replace part of the squats with hook squats or platform presses, the setting of the legs is the same.

Accented lunges.

The final exercise will be lunges with dumbbells.

Fulfillment: we take a step forward, descending as deep as possible, after which we rise from the gray-haired position with the effort of the supporting leg and leave for the initial, starting position. In this case, the toe of the supporting leg is slightly turned inward, but the knee should look straight ahead, and not follow the toe to the side. We repeat with the other leg. It is required to perform 15-20 repetitions for each leg.

Well, for a snack - a favorite female simulator, which, of course, is useful not only for the fair sex - a machine for breeding and reducing legs.

Leg extensions while sitting in the simulator.

To pump up the outer part of the thigh to failure at the end of the workout, we will act on it in isolation.

Execution: sit in the simulator, rest your legs on the pillow-holders. Overcoming resistance, spread your legs to the sides along the maximum available trajectory. Then a smooth return to the starting position ... Do 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions, and your quadriceps will begin to “burn with fire” ...

Legs are the foundation strong body. Follow our recommendations, and in a month you will amaze your friends with the power of your lower half. See you on the platform!

The next problem area of ​​body fat for women is outer surface legs. The so-called spoil the silhouette in tight dresses and skirts, and look out from under the swimsuit with completely unappetizing rollers.

Recall that we have already considered all the features of getting rid of, and also made up the top effective loads for and surfaces of female legs.

Now it's time to break up with outer part hips. Fight this problem area better a complex of power and aerobic loads with a calorie deficit. But remember! The WHOLE body will lose weight, it will not work to remove volumes in one isolated area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body. Static exercises on the outer thigh with various hangs are perfect for training.

You can complicate the execution of exercises by increasing the number of approaches, using a gymnastic expander tape. The latter should not have too much resistance - working 15-20 times per set should be performed.

So, we present to your attention the most effective exercises for the outer side of the thigh at home.

Leg abduction in a kneeling position

Together with the outside in this exercise, it is worked out and inner side hips. Difficulty is medium.

1. Starting position - lay a mat, emphasis on straight arms, legs bent at the knees. If a dumbbell is used, place it at the bend of the thigh and lower leg;
2. On inspiration, we take the bent leg to the side to the parallel with the floor, fix the point;
3. We return to the starting position.

How to remove the sides on the hips even faster? Use weights.

At the end of the working number of repetitions, remove the weight, if it was used, and make 10-15 jerky movements in the same direction. Then do the exercise on the other side.

See the video for more details:

Reverse hyperextension

A fun exercise that helps to effectively load the riding breeches area and, as a bonus, the buttocks. Difficulty is medium, aggravated by checking for coordination. To perform, you will need a chair with a soft seat, a bench. Also do not forget that is one of the most effective exercises for buttocks.

Technique:

1. Starting position - emphasis on the seat of the chair with your stomach, grab its side with your hands, legs straight, feet together;
2. While inhaling, we push our feet up, strongly strain the buttocks, hang for a second;
3. Exhaling, we return to the starting position.

More on video:

Repeat the movement should be 15-20 times, with a break, in several approaches. Watch your lower back, avoid excessive bending and tension in it.

Mahi lying on the side

You can do it either lying just on the floor, or with an emphasis on a chair. The emphasis on the chair in this exercise will allow you to simultaneously use the inner surface on two legs at once - one in static tension, the other in dynamic. Mahi is great. The complexity is high, it is necessary to control the position of each point of the body, not to rush, so as not to hurt yourself.

Technique:

1. Starting position - lying on your side, emphasis on the forearm, the straight lower leg is located on the chair, and the straightened upper leg is brought forward above the lower one;
2. Inhaling, we swing the outstretched leg up as high as possible;
3. As you exhale, return to the starting point.

More on video:

We perform 15-20 repetitions on one leg and turn over. We make 2-3 sets with a break of 30-45 seconds.

Note! In the same position, you can swing your upper leg not up, but closer to the body, bending it 90 degrees.

Forward lunges

functional dynamic exercise, acting both on the study of muscles, and on their stretching. Exercises for external and inner surface hips such as this effectively help to lose weight throughout the lower body and. You can weigh down the performance with dumbbells or weights. You can additionally diversify it by jumping when changing legs or by supporting one side on a hill.

1. Starting position - legs together, back straight, arms lowered along the body;
2. While inhaling, step your left foot back until a 90-degree angle forms at the right knee, the left is extended and stretched;
3. Return to the original position and perform actions on the other leg.

More on video:

You need to perform 15 to 20 times on each side, repeating approaches 2-3 times.

Carefully! Knee bent leg in this exercise, in no case should go beyond her toe. Otherwise, there will be an incorrect and traumatic load on the joints.

Lunges to the side

Static muscle tension in these actions helps to actively burn fat and activate growth. muscle fibers. , and the hated rollers of the inner surface of the thigh.

Technique:

1. Starting position - legs wider than shoulder width, straightened back, gaze directed forward;
2. With an inhalation, we step with our right foot to the right, making sure that the knee does not go beyond the toe and is perpendicular to the floor, left leg straightened, toe and heel pressed to the floor surface;
3. As you exhale, go back and repeat the effort on the opposite side.

See more in the video:

Additional calories can be burned if, after performing a lunge, you additionally swing with a straight leg or cross-squat back. combination better affects the problem area and pulls up faster.

Carefully! Carry out activities with great care and concentration. Ligaments that are just starting to get used to stress are very fragile, and any sudden movement can cause stretching or tearing. If the ligament area still hurts after a workout, do a light pinching massage and treat with a warming ointment.

Wide stance squat

An excellent stretch for the outer thigh is obtained during wide squats. The multi-tasking plié covers the battlefields of fat and on the buttocks, inner, front and back thighs, as well as a great . The difficulty is medium, which is easy to increase with dumbbells, weights, or simply, instead of focusing on the heel, rise on your toes.

Technique:

1. Starting position - a straight back and a wide setting of the legs with toes turned sideways;
2. Inhaling, slowly lower the pelvis to parallel with the floor. We make sure that the knees do not go beyond the socks, otherwise we make the rack wider. We twist the lower back, strain the buttocks;
3. Exhaling, we rise to the original position.

More on video:

Do 10-12 reps, rest 45 seconds and repeat the circle 2 more times.

People have always mentioned mine pectoral muscles when discussing my physique. Since the chest was the best developed part of my body, you can say that I am an expert in the question of "how to build chest muscles." Thus, I would like to discuss with you a couple of methods for improving weaknesses chest muscles. Many believe that insufficiently voluminous pectoral muscles are their only drawback. It is important to pay attention to other aspects as well. Let's look at some of the imperfections of the chest muscles.

How to pump up the outer part of the pectoral muscles

If your outer chest muscles are not well formed, they will lack that crucial fullness for which I was so famous. My favorite way to pump the outside was with dumbbell raises, which were meant specifically for this area. First, spread the dumbbells as low as possible, but without the risk of injury, and stretch as much as possible. Secondly, when returning to the top position, try not to bring the dumbbells together, leave about 30 cm between them (the contact of the dumbbells in the top position eliminates the work of the outer part). Also, to pump up the muscles of the chest, do push-ups on the uneven bars. This exercise perfectly loads the outer part. Go down as deep as you can and don't go all the way up.

When bench presses with a barbell, use the widest possible grip to load the outer part. Again, touch the barbell to your chest and try not to extend your arms all the way up to maintain tension.

We pump the inner part of the pectoral muscles

Blocky crossovers are especially good for the inside, as you keep the tension in your muscles when your hands touch each other. In the lower position, it is very important to compress the chest muscles. This will create a distinct line in the middle.

Also, you can use dumbbell raises and barbell bench presses to work the inner area. In breeding, make the dumbbells touch each other in the top position and tighten the pectoral muscles for 2-3 seconds. When pressing, just use narrow grip(shoulder width or slightly less) and spread your elbows to the sides.

We swing the upper part of the pectoral muscles

You probably know that bench presses and incline raises are great for pumping your upper chest. It would seem that, regular exercises but they can be made special. I did this by changing the angle of the bench with each set. I started at 15°, then went up to 25°, then 35° and finally 50°. I very often did two, sometimes three sets in each position of the bench. Thus, no part of my upper area escaped the load.

I also highly recommend incorporating heavy days into your routine to develop the maximum size of your upper chest muscles. For example, once a week I did super-heavy presses and dips, no more than 5-6 reps per set. In addition, in order to pump up the chest muscles, in my program I used extra-load - drop sets, forced repetitions, rest / pauses.

Beautiful hips are the main component of a stunning figure that a person dreams of. Taking care of the beauty of this part of the body should begin with an understanding of the device. Thigh - segment lower limb located between hip joint and knee. Consider the functions of the thigh muscles.

The muscles of the anterior thigh are responsible for many functions. Responsible for straightening the knee, turning the hip outward, abduction to the side, approaching the stomach. The back muscles are the biceps. The functions include maintaining bodily balance, straightening from a tilt, pulling the hip back. The muscles of the inner thigh are called adductors, they direct the movement of the femur inward. The outer surface of the thigh consists of muscles that pull back and to the side, visible as a beautiful roundness of the sides of the thighs.

Exercises aimed at the muscles of the outer side of the thighs will help to give forms that cause admiring glances. With insufficient physical activity and unbalanced nutrition occur body fat, popularly called "ears". Get rid of it by doing exercises for the outer side of the thigh.

The effectiveness of training depends on regularity. Exercise is shown daily. If such a schedule is not possible, it is worth doing the exercises three times a week, but the result will take longer.

During classes, it is important to look at the muscles that you want to bring to the desired state. If the load goes primarily to them, the exercises are performed correctly. If the muscles of the anterior, posterior, and inner parts are of less interest than the outer surface of the thigh, the greatest tension is felt mainly on the muscles of the sides.

It's important to keep track of the details. Whether the squat is deep enough, whether the heels touch the floor, whether it will be possible to raise the leg higher during the swing, whether the angle of elevation is kept correctly - the result and speed of achievement depend on the quality of the exercises.

A gradual increase in load is justified in time. If the exercise has become easy, you need to raise the bar. Starting from ten swings, smoothly move to fifteen, twenty. Break into two sets of 20 times. Gradually increasing the load is useful for a full workout.

It is acceptable to do at home and at work, if there is a suitable place. For classes you will need a mat, dumbbells and a good mood.

Possible difficulties with exercise

It is pleasant and easy to train for the beauty of your own legs. Small difficulties can arise, which are easy to overcome. The main trouble interfering successful training- Slight muscle pain. You should not be afraid, on the contrary, rejoice. This means that the muscles grow and become stronger. The pain will soon pass, it will turn into a pleasant tension of a trained body, sweetly pleasing with the effectiveness of the spent forces.

Among the exercises on the outer surface of the thigh, there are classes that develop the muscles of the inner part. They can also get sick. To reduce such side effect, before training it is shown to warm up. Running (on the spot), jumping, and other aerobic exercises increase muscle temperature in preparation for training.

At first, he will perform “scissors” for a long time, make a large number of swings and lunges, and maintain the quality of movements. If the load indicated in the described exercises is unbearable, it is better to do less, but well. Endurance comes with regular training.

When performing exercises aimed at a specified part of the body, one should not forget about the whole body. Different muscle groups are trained, it is important to monitor the posture - it is assumed to be straight, and the stomach is retracted. It is important to monitor breathing, the speed of movements. Don't delay, but don't delay either. The speed corresponds to the degree of load maintained during the exercise phase.

To exercise daily, you need to set aside time for exercise. It is better if the training time becomes regular, for example, in the morning. When planning your day, choose a time devoted to exercise. Leave enough strength for training, correlate with the diet.

An additional difficulty will be finding a place to exercise. The best option will become gym. Or you can perform the exercises in a place where you can lay a rug and make wide lunges. It is desirable that the room is well ventilated.

Linking Exercise to Nutrition

Get rid of body fat, pump up beautiful muscles will help proper nutrition. Limit flour and sweet foods. Fruits, berries and juices will help to replace your favorite buns. As a treat, it is permissible to use, for example, nuts, in moderation.

You should not eat right before the exercises, it is allowed to refresh yourself an hour before class. Recommended protein food: chicken breast, eggs, fish products. Such food strengthens the muscles. Do not eat immediately after a workout. Within an hour after exercise, burned calories will easily recover from eating food.

Skip dinner for four hours before bedtime. In a dream, the body rests from the received load, the process of processing food slows down. Food is not digested, turning into body fat.

Secrets of self-discipline to achieve results

The beauty of the body directly depends on the inner mood. Make you overcome your own laziness, begin to achieve your cherished goal with diligence and reason. Self-discipline will be needed for a lazy person who does not know when to stop.

So that the outer surface of the thigh quickly acquires ideal forms, be aware of excessive stress that interferes with exercise. Excess will lead to pain, force you to forget about training for a while. It is important to correctly distribute the load, increase gradually.

The need for internal discipline is higher in a person who does not want to overwork. Remember cases from life where you achieved the desired by an effort of will, moreover, it turned out to be pleasant. Take, for example, learning to ride a bike. How many trainings were required to finally ride beautifully and freely! Then you learned to ride longer, became more enduring. Apply a similar mindset to achieve your own beauty.

It is important to believe in achieving the goal, in the success of the exercises. Reasonable distribution of forces, attitude to the result, the manifestation of the will will help to achieve goals.