There are few exercises that are as effective for building strength and size as the quad. This group of muscles includes your hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves. They all work together to extend your knees and hips into a standing position, but there’s one exercise that stands above the rest: the seated single-leg deadlift. This classic compound movement not only works for all four major muscle groups in one go (hamstrings on one side, glutes on the other), but also targets multiple joints at once—from knees down through hips up—making it easy for even beginners to execute correctly!
Seated Single Leg Deadlift
The seated single-leg deadlift is one of the most effective quad exercises you can use to build strength and size. To perform this exercise, sit down on a bench with your back against the seat. Place your feet flat on the floor in front of you and bend at the knees so that they’re resting on top of each other (save for one foot). Place a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand for extra resistance as you lift yourself up off of the seat until only about one fist-width remains between your ankles and thighs. Raise up into position by contracting your glutes hard while maintaining good posture throughout–don’t lean forward or backward! Once upright, lower back down again by bending at both legs until there’s no more ground beneath them–this time taking care not to let any weight travel past where it started (or else risk injury).
Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift
Kettlebell Romanian deadlift is an excellent exercise for the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. It’s also a great exercise for the abdominals, hips, and shoulders.
This exercise involves lifting a kettlebell with both hands while standing on one foot with the other foot planted in front of you (similar to how you would do single-leg squats). You can perform this movement using 1 or 2 kettlebells depending on your strength level as well as whether or not you want to increase or decrease the weight used during each repetition (if increasing).
Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift
The dumbbell sumo deadlift is a great exercise for building your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. It can also help you build muscle mass in your upper body if you’re doing it with a barbell or kettlebell.
- Begin by standing on an elevated surface like a step or bench with feet hip-width apart
- Hold one dumbbell at chest level while keeping arms extended overhead
• Lower the weight until it’s touching the floor (if using a barbell)
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift with Hyperextension
Single-leg Romanian deadlift with hyperextension
This exercise is one of the best quad exercises, but it’s not for everyone. If you’re new to working out or have never done a single-leg exercise before, this will be a tough one for you. The weight should be challenging but not too heavy; in other words, try and use weights between 50 and 75 pounds (22-34kg). You should also make sure that when doing this movement there is no bouncing up and down on your knees like when doing squats!
Barbell Good Morning
- Start with a barbell or dumbbell on the ground in front of you.
- Stand up and bend over, holding the bar with both hands shoulder-width apart (or as close to this as possible). Keep your back straight and do not arch it when bending over.
- Lift the weight into position by pulling it with straight arms until your elbows are locked out in front of you (this should be just below shoulder height). Then slowly return to starting position while inhaling through your nose and exhaling through pursed lips while keeping them slightly moistened with saliva so they don’t stick together when released from the mouth during the contraction phase which helps prevent any unnecessary strain on muscles being used while performing heavy lifts such as squats!
Barbell Hip Thrust
The barbell hip thrust is one of the best exercises for targeting the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The movement involves performing a hip thrusting motion while holding onto a barbell across your shoulders. This exercise works out all three muscles in your posterior chain (glutes), so it’s ideal if you want to build strength and size at once.
The key to performing this move properly is keeping constant tension on your lower back throughout each rep. If you don’t have enough strength or control over this muscle group then it will be difficult to get good results from this exercise–but if you do have strong core muscles then don’t let them sag!
Barbell One-Legged Leg Press
If you’re looking for a quad-dominating exercise, the Barbell One-Legged Leg Press is your best bet. It’s simple, easy to perform and it will help you build up some serious strength in your quads.
- Use a barbell. You can use an Olympic or powerlifting bar or even just pick up any weight from the ground (if you feel like doing that). If you have access to one of those machines that have a bench at each end and a spotter on either side of it, great! Otherwise, screw it up with whatever works best for you, and get out there!
- Use a straight barbell when performing this exercise as opposed to being attached by chains or cables; because these types of attachments tend not only to slow down movement but also make maintaining proper form much more difficult than simply gripping onto something solid like what happens during traditional squats/Deadlifts etcetera.
Standing Ab Wheel Rollouts (Behind the Neck)
- Step 1:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then bend at the knee and raise one leg out to about a 90-degree angle. Keep your back straight and avoid arching it. Hold this position for 2 seconds before returning to start work by pushing off from the ground with both legs or using an ab wheel (if you have one). Repeat 4 times on each side for 3 sets total.
- Step 2:
- Perform this exercise as described above but instead of raising one leg out in front of you while keeping it stationary, keep both knees bent while lifting up onto them–this will work more muscles! Repeat 6 times total on each side
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of the best quad exercises. Remember, these aren’t the only ones you can do. If you want to become a stronger and more powerful athlete, then there are plenty of options out there for you to try!
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