Quadriceps activation exercises
When we’re talking about quadriceps activation we refer mostly to the vastus medialis (tear drop-shaped muscle next you’re your knee) because this muscle is an active stabilizer of the knee joint. A lot of peoples, especially women have problems recruiting and activating the VMO and as a result they tend to rely excessively on the vastus lateralis muscle (outer portion of the quads). This will cause a muscle imbalance that could very well result in a knee injury. In that regard quadriceps or VMO activation drills can be very important to some individuals. Remember that to be effective the source of instability (if instability is used to increase quadriceps activation) must be beneath the working leg(s). If you perform a split squat with the back leg on a swiss ball, it will not be as effective as if you were doing a split squat with the front leg on an unstable surface: the closer to the source of instability a muscle is, the more it will be affected by the exercise.
Exercise 108. Squat feet on foam/airex pads Key point(s): The foam pad provides a small instability that isn’t exceedingly hard to master. It’s just enough to increase muscle activation without changing the biodynamics of the movement. Do not wear your shoes when you perform this exercise: performing this exercise barefoot (or with socks) will allow for a better activation of the baroreceptors of the feet which will enhance quadriceps activity. Exercise 109. Split squat feet on foam/airex pads Key point(s): Prevent the knees from buckling in. Contrary to popular belief, it’s perfectly okay to let the knee travel past the toes. In fact this prestretch the quadriceps more, leading to a greater activation. In the illustration Christiane is performing an advanced version of the movement by keeping the heels off of the pads.
Exercise 110. Lunges feet on foam/airex pads Key point(s): This movement is similar to the preceding one, except that you start with only on foot on a pad, the other one is in the air then you land it on the second pad.
Exercise 111. “Siffie” split squat and “Siffie” lunges Key point(s): This method comes from the great sport scientist Mel Siff Ph.D. In consists of reducing the support base by performing the exercise on your toes. This creates a certain instability and forces a greater quadriceps activation. Stay on your toes for the duration of the set. When you perform the lunge variation the dynamic action of the body increases the stabilization demand and thus the activation of the quadriceps. Quadriceps potentiation exercises To potentiate the quadriceps we can use any type of jumping exercise as well as explosive lifts such as jump squats and speed squats. The key is that explosive movements wake-up the nervous system and improves your capacity to recruit the muscle. Soviet Olympic lifters used to perform a maximal vertical jump at the beginning of their training sessions and before a competition lift for that specific purpose. Powerlifting legend Fred Hatfield Ph.D. also did the same thing prior to a max squat attempt. Exercise 112. Sit jumps Key point(s): Sit on a box or bench so that your legs are bent at close to a 90 degrees angle. Jump back onto the box utilizing as little back movement as possible: focus on jumping only with your quads. Since the landing surface is higher than the jumping surface, the shock on the joints and tendons is minimal.
Exercise 113. Box jumps Key point(s): Jump onto the box from the ground. Since the landing surface is higher than the jumping surface, the shock on the joints and tendons is minimal.
Exercise 114. Step-up jumps Key point(s): Jump up using only the leg that is on the box. Focus on getting a full extension of that leg. Switch side in the air.
Exercise 115. Jump squat Key point(s): Bend the knees only as far down as you would for a vertical jump. Immediately as you reach the low position jump up as high as you can. Upon landing, resent yourself properly and begin each repetition from the starting position. Use a load that is between 10 and 20% of your maximum squat weight.
Exercise 116. Jump squat series Key point(s): This is similar to the preceding exercise except that you don’t reset between reps: immediately as you land on the floor you jump back up in the air.
Exercise 117. Iso-dynamic jump squat Key point(s): For this variation of the exercise you start each repetition from a static bent-knee position. You hold there for 2-3 seconds before jumping up in the air. This pause will negate the participation of the strength reflex so you will have to rely mostly on muscle power to project yourself. For athletes this variation is better to develop the capacity to explode from a static start (football lineman or sprinter out of the blocks) while the preceding one is better to increase speed by improving both the muscle and reflex/elastic aspects of force production.
Quadriceps stimulation exercises When it comes to stimulating the quadriceps the key is “full range of motion”. As we saw earlier, reaching a stretched position is an effective way of increasing muscle recruitment. So when you are performing a squat, if you stop at the quarter squat position you will not optimally recruit the quadriceps. If you have flexibility issues that prevent you from performing full range-of-motion squats, then you should use other exercises such as split squats and lunges until you resolve your flexibility problem. Exercise 118. Front squat Key point(s): When it comes to building the quadriceps I prefer the front squat over the back squat because it’s much harder to compensate with the lower back (you have to maintain an upright position or drop the bar) and as a result more stress is placed on the quads. If you lack the flexibility to use a clean grip, you can use a crossed-arm grip (illustrated at the right).
Exercise 119. Back squat
Key point(s): To maximize quadriceps stimulation you must use a moderate width (or even narrow) stance and keep the torso upright as much as possible to unload the lower back.
Exercise 120. Belt squat Key point(s): The cable pulls you forward and thus allows you to lean back more as you squat, so you can get a better quadriceps stretch. The movement also unloads the back so the quads take on the bulk of the work.
Exercise 121. Close stance hack squat Key point(s): Keep the legs in contact with each other for the duration of the movement. Elevate the heels to allow for a better quadriceps stretch and a decreased glutes activation.
Exercise 122. Frog stance hack squat Key point(s): Push the knees out on the way down and bring them back in during the lifting action. Keep your heels elevated to decrease glutes activation.
Exercise 123. Sissy squat Key point(s): Keep your heels elevated and your hips up high for the duration of the movement; don’t let them drop down.
Exercise 124. Short step lunges Key point(s): Keep the chest puffed out and the torso solid. The back knee should come close to the floor, but not touch it.
Exercise 125. Bulgarian split squat Key point(s): Keep the torso upright and bring the back knee as close to the floor as possible, without actually touching it. This movement can also be done with dumbbells.
Exercise 126. Front elevated lunge Key point(s): Performing this exercise with the front foot lading on a block increases the overall lower body stretch and makes this exercise all the more effective. It can also be done using dumbbells.
Exercise 127. Dumbbell squat Key point(s): Stop just short of the lockout to maintain quadriceps tension during the whole exercise. Use a narrow stance.
Other decent quadriceps exercises The following movements can be added to your program; however they should only be used as secondary exercises. They are effective, but they are not the MOST effective drills for the quadriceps. Exercise 128. Leg press Key point(s): While you should use a full range of motion at the knees, you shouldn’t go so low that your tailbone or lower back leaves the seat. This will place a lot of stress on the lower back. You can vary your stance to chance the portion of the quadriceps that you emphasize: the closer the stance, the more you’ll stimulate the outer portion and vice versa.
Exercise 129. 1-Leg extension
Key point(s): Much like with the machine curl, I prefer the unilateral version of this exercise for its greater capacity to activate HTMUs. The foot angle can also be changed to vary the muscle activation pattern: turn the feet out to focus more on the inner portion of the quadriceps and turn them in to put more emphasis on the outer portion.
Exercise 130. Leg extension ey point(s): The foot angle can also be changed to vary the muscle activation pattern: turn the feet out to focus more on the inner portion of the quadriceps and turn them in to put more emphasis on the outer portion.
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