Your quadriceps, or quads for short, are made up of muscles that share a common insertion point just below your knee. Located on the front of your thigh, your quads are responsible for extending your knee and flexing your hip. There are a number of exercises you can perform at home to exercise your quad muscles.
Squats
Squats work all of your lower body muscles, but with an emphasis on your quads. Stand tall with your feet shoulders-width apart. Push your buttocks back, bend your knees and lower as if you were sitting in a chair. Bend your knees to as close to 90 degrees as your flexibility allows. Extend your legs and stand up again to return to the starting position. Repeat for between eight and 20 repetitions. To make this exercise more challenging, hold a weight in your hands, to your chest or across your shoulders.
Natural Leg Extensions
Natural leg extensions closely mimic the leg extension machine that is common in many gyms. Kneel on all fours ensuring that your shoulders are directly over your hands and your hips are directly over your knees. Keep your abs tight and maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Use your quads to extend your knees and rise up onto your toes. Hold this position---which looks like an inverted V when viewed from the side---for a second before bending your legs and lowering your knees to within 1 inch of the floor. Without allowing your knees to touch the floor, repeat the exercise and continue for the duration of your set. You can make this exercise more challenging by elevating your feet on a step to increase the range of movement and difficulty.
Step-Ups
Working one leg at a time, step-ups can be performed at the bottom of a flight of stairs or using an exercise step. Stand with your feet together, facing the step and hands by your sides. Place your left foot on top of the step and drive up. Step down leading with the same leg. Continue stepping for the desired number of repetitions, then change legs. Alternately, switch leading legs step by step. The higher the step, the more demanding this exercise becomes.
Lunges
This exercise places a significant overload on all of your leg muscles, with particular emphasis on your quads. Stand tall with your feet together and your hands by your sides. Take a large step forward, then bend your legs. Lower your back knee until it lightly touches the floor. Push back up and return to the starting position, then perform a repetition leading with your opposite leg. Continue alternating for the duration of your set. A slightly shorter forward step will increase the demand placed on your quads.
Squat Jumps
Squat jumps will develop explosive quad power. You should only perform squat jumps if you have healthy ankles, knees and back. Stand with your feet shoulders-width apart and your hands by your sides. Push your buttocks back and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Swing your arms forward and up and leap as high as possible. On landing, immediately descend into a squat, and repeat.
References
- "Anatomy of Exercise: A Trainer's Inside Guide to Your Workout"; Pat Manocchia; 2009
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
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