There are so many unique training principles you can use to build bigger, stronger quads. I should know, because I tried just about all of them during my competitive days to ensure that my lower body was as impressive as my chest, back and arms. Because of my willingness to try anything and everything on leg day, I succeeded in creating a great pair of quads that helped me win seven Mr. Olympia titles. Here are four of my favorite leg-training principles
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Per Bernal
Use Higher Reps
The rule of thumb for gaining size is to use a rep range of 8-12. With legs, however, I always found – and research backs me up – that higher reps produce the biggest gains. I experienced great results with squats, lunges, leg presses and leg extensions when doing sets of 15-20 reps. But this doesn’t mean you should train legs with light weight; I always went as heavy as possible on leg day, even when using high-rep ranges.
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Per Bernal
Go Deep
Of all the factors I think hold people back when it comes to adding size to the quads, adequate range of motion is one of the biggest. So many trainees go only halfway down, sometimes even less, on squats, leg presses and hack squats. You’ll never maximize quad mass doing half squats. On each and every rep, you should reach the point at which your thighs are parallel to the floor on squats, or parallel to the machine platform on leg presses and hack squats. And I’m a huge fan of going past parallel from time to time – almost to where my glutes would touch the backs of my ankles – even if it means going a bit lighter in weight.
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Andersen Ross / Getty
Do Smith Machine Lunges
Lunges are a great quad-building move, but lifters often fail to realize their full potential using free weights. Barbell lunges compromise balance, causing many gym-goers to use less resistance. With dumbbells, going heavy can tire your hands and forearms far more than your legs, meaning your legs don’t always reach full exhaustion.
The solution is stationary Smith machine lunges, where 1) the machine helps balance the bar, and 2) you’re not holding the weight in your hands but rather on your upper back.
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Pav Ythjall
Do Supersets
Supersets are great for building quad mass. But keep in mind, since safety is always an issue when training legs, that machine exercises such as leg presses and extensions tend to be safer than free-weight squats and front squats. Because your legs get so fatigued when supersetting, you don’t want to risk losing your balance with a bar on your back.
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Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Arnold’s Sample Leg Day
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Barbell Squat
4
20,18,15,15
Smith Machine Lunge
4
15-20
Hack Squat
3
15
                       – superset with –
Leg Extension
3
20
Note: On all sets of squats, lunges and hack squats, use a range of motion where your thighs are at least parallel to the floor or platform at the bottom of each rep.
