Thigh Mass 101: A 12-week quad-building program

Math was never my best subject in school, but I've never had any trouble calculating figures in bodybuilding. It ain't, as they say, rocket science. All you have to do is be able to add weight, multiply your gains, and divide your time among training, nutrition and recuperation. If you can do that and count reps to 20, the rest is easy.

That being said, no one's physique is perfect. If your quad development is less than you'd hoped for, my 12-week course will teach everything you need to produce number-crunching thighs. This plan uses three specific exercises: leg extensions, leg presses and hack squats. All of these exercises directly target the quads without the distraction of focusing on hamstrings and calves. Those you can save for another day.

You'll notice the absence of squats in this routine. If you feel you get more quad growth from squats than leg presses, you can make that substitution, but keep in mind that squats may exhaust your hamstrings, glutes and lower back before your quads are pushed to the max.

If you have a bodypart that's been lagging behind the rest, you must take one training day to focus on developing that straggler. If that bodypart is quads, follow this simple formula: Train your quads once a week, all-out, after a day of complete rest, when they're freshest. Concentrate on your quads throughout every set, taking each rep to the point where you feel a full intense burn.

Follow this program for 12 weeks, and you'll see that targeted training will solve your quad problems.

Leg Extensions

These serve two functions in my workout. First, they thoroughly warm up my quads. Second, at the end of my workout, I use them to really burn my wasted quads, searing in as much detail as possible. For a warm-up, I perform three sets of 20 reps, where I really focus on driving blood into my quads. I choose a moderate weight that I can keep moving for 60 to 90 seconds.

I begin with a set using both legs, but then I usually lower the weight and do a set of one-legged extensions with each leg, just to make certain both legs are equally warmed up. This version might be either my second or third set, depending on how I'm feeling that day.

With one or both legs, the movement is the same. Raise the weight at a moderate pace. Don't go so fast that you're just grinding your knee joints or so slow that you're merely burning your thighs without pumping maximal blood into the muscles. A moderate pace allows you to pump as much blood as possible and get your quads really warm.

I use the same pace to lower the weight. Too many bodybuilders focus only on the positive part of this exercise -- they drop the weight and catch it at the bottom. This is a jarring and inefficient use of the weight. When you lower the weight with control, you stretch the muscles and work them through a full range of motion. I keep the weight moving continuously through the whole set.

Leg Presses

For me, this is the best overall quad developer, and I go all out on this exercise. With my legs thoroughly warmed up from extensions, they're at their strongest when I get to presses. I perform four or five sets, depending on how I feel that day - many of the choices I make are based on instinct.

I start with a moderate weight that I can handle for about 15 reps. I usually begin with my feet placed about shoulder width apart in the middle of the footpad. I vary that stance throughout the workout to hit my quads from a variety of angles.

Posture on leg presses is critical, but once you grow accustomed to using good form, it becomes second nature. Then you can focus more intensely on the weight. Keep your entire back against the pad throughout the movement. Don't roll your tailbone under as you bring the weight in: That's a dangerous position that needlessly puts your lower back at risk.

I bring the weight down until my knees touch my chest. If you can't bring the weight down this far without rolling your spine, stop at the point just before your spine comes off the pad. Then I explode through my quads until my legs are fully extended. Without resting at the top, I immediately go into the next rep. The pace here is slow and controlled on the way down, and explosive on the way up.

I pyramid up in weight for each set, keeping the reps in the 10 to 15 range. If I feel like doing a fifth set, I may use the same heavy weight as I did for the fourth set, I may perform a drop set, or I may simply lower the weight and pump out 20 quality reps. Whatever I choose, my thighs are burning when I finish. This is the way to get your quads to grow.

Hack Squats

Hack squats give you much the same feeling as a properly performed squat. They keep the attention focused on your quads without stressing your back.

To begin, I take a narrow to moderate stance, my feet slightly closer than shoulder width. For subsequent sets, I'll change my foot placement to hit my muscles from a variety of angles. I rest my back against the pad and place my shoulders under the shoulder pads. I raise the weight and unhook the handles, then I lower myself all the way down until my butt almost touches my calves.

This gives me a very deep stretch, but I'm able to maintain contact between my lower back and the sliding pad at all times. With the weight down this low, I do use my glutes somewhat, but I feel it much more in my quads

Then, using the power of my quads, I explode up, driving the weight until my legs are almost completely extended. Without resting, I go straight into the next rep. I keep this up until I complete at least 10 reps for every set. For lighter weights, I go higher with the reps. But, as with leg presses, I pyramid up in weight for each set, decreasing the reps as I go. My fifth and final set may be a duplicate of my fourth set, a drop set, or a lighter-weight set in which I perform up to 20 reps.

Squat

I'm not a big believer in squats. I think leg presses offer the same advantage as squats, but without the risks. Many people think that replacing squats with leg presses is a lazy man's way to develop his legs, but for me it's all about focus. When you squat, you have to think about focus. When you squat, you have to think about several different things at once. You have to concentrate on balancing the weight so you don't lose control. You have to concentrate on the position of your back -- in fact, you have to think about protecting your back so much that it can take attention away from your thighs.

Finally, squats place more emphasis on your butt than on your quads. They're a great way to develop a big butt, if that's what you want. But you can get that by just lying on the couch eating potato chips and Cheese Puffs. Guys who rely on squats for their quad development also end up with big hips and wider waists to go with their larger butts. That impacts their overall appearance, particularly their V-taper, in a negative way.

I'm not saying you shouldn't squat; I just think you need to be aware of the drawbacks. Too many bodybuilders trumpet squats as the best overall exercise without ever considering these negative effects.

Leg Extensions: The final burn

At this point, with my legs almost thoroughly fried, I still have one more exercise -- those final leg extensions that burn more detail into my quads. I perform them just as I do for my warm-up -- moderate pace, squeeze at the top, then a slow descent to get a good stretch. I also pyramid up in weight for these final four sets.

Individual reps of leg extensions aren't nearly as difficult as individual reps of heavier movements such as hack squats and leg presses. When you string together 10 or more reps, though, nothing burns your quads more. At this point I don't feel the weight at all. All I feel is burn.