Quadriceps Strengthening Exercises

When it comes to working out, most people tend to concentrate only on their upper body, improving on biceps or their abs. But if you're serious enough, you need to apply just as much effort into your lower body as well. You can't have a total body workout without including all the important muscle sets, which also includes the quadriceps.

Building Your Quadriceps

While people only concentrate on building their upper bodies, they are completely oblivious to the pressure, a bulky and tough upper body puts on the lower body. How would you be able to lug your muscular body around without well-toned legs? Another thing to keep in mind here is that if you do persist with indiscriminately growing your upper body and maligning the lower part, eventually, you might sustain a knee or ankle injury due to wear and tear.

Exercises to Strengthen the Quadriceps

Squats: Squats are one of the most basic of the quadriceps exercises. It is a closed circuit exercise that you need to do with your feet on the ground. You keep a shoulder-width distance between your feet. And then bend your knees and go down smoothly and come back up. Simple enough and one of the best quadriceps muscle strengthening exercises. You can increase the intensity of this exercise by carrying a barbell on your back. You could also carry dumbbells in your hands to increase the difficulty level of this exercise. Do this exercise in 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Lunges: While this exercise is primarily for the quadriceps, pressure also falls on the hamstrings while performing this workout. Here you have to stand with your left foot in front. Keep some distance between the legs. And bend your knees and go down. Repeat the same by keeping your right leg in front. You could also increase the intensity of this exercise with a barbell or dumbbells. One set of right leg forward and another with the left leg forward counts as one set. So do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each.

Leg Extensions: Leg extensions is one of the simplest quadriceps muscle strengthening exercises. Leg extensions are performed on a machine so anyone can do it. Once you sit on the machine, you lock your legs behind the bar and lift it up. You can increase and decrease the weights as you may like. Do this exercise in 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Dumbbell Step Ups: Dumbbell step ups are again a very simple exercise. For this exercise, you need a pair of dumbbells and something to step-up on. All you have to do is carry two dumbbells, first place your right foot on the step and then back down. Repeat this with the left leg. You could do each rep with alternate legs or you could do one full set of the right leg and then one full set of the left leg. Either way, make sure you do 2 sets of 30 reps per leg.

Stretches: What most people forget is to warm down after exercising. So once you are done with all the quadriceps strengthening exercises, it is a good practice to cool down after that. The best stretch is to hold your foot in your hand and stretch it as much as you can. Hold the stretch for about 10 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

It is important that you do not ignore workout for the legs, and train to build them too.