Become a Quad God/des
Anyone else utterly inspired by the Olympics?! I have personally really enjoyed the moguls skiing, skeleton, and snowboarding. And if you have been watching the curling… good for you!
I am sure you have heard of the figure skating “Quad God,” Ilia Malinin. Gary and I were getting ready to watch the men’s figure skating when Gary said, “Let’s see these quads of his.” Not realizing that the “quad” was a jump… not his legs! Hah!!
But the “Quad God” inspired me to share some moves that can help turn you into a quad god or goddess of your own.
Here are my favorite movements to strengthen and build your quads:
Bulgarian Split Squats:
Oh, you knew I was going to say these, didn’t you? Bulgarian split squats are great because you can slightly adjust your torso angle and knee travel to emphasize the quads more. Unilateral work is always a bonus for building balanced strength and stability.
Front Squats:
This movement forces your torso to stay upright, which increases quad activation. It also requires a lot of core stability, making it great for building overall strength with solid carryover to your other big lifts. These do require some mobility, so see my tips below!
Heel Elevated Goblet Squats:
Elevating your heels allows you to sink deeper into your squat and makes the movement more knee dominant. This shifts more emphasis onto the quads. You can add heel elevation to most machine squats for a similar effect. Have you tried these with a cable?!
Hack Squats:
If you have access to a hack squat machine, this one is for you. The hack squat encourages you to stay upright because the weight is positioned there. It is very difficult to lean forward while keeping your shoulders locked into the pads, which means your quads play a major role in driving the movement.
You will find all of these movements sprinkled throughout the Unchained Programs and inside Team Unchained. If your goal is to build big, juicy quads, Villain Era is still one of my all-time favorites for hypertrophy.
If your goal is to build super-strong quads that move serious weight, join Team Unchained during a strength cycle, which is happening now, or run Strength Vendetta on its own.
Whether you want size, strength, or both, there is a path for you. Now go earn the title of quad god or goddess.
