Quads Never Sore

I know that I shouldn’t seek soreness when training, but I never feel any soreness in my quadriceps when I train my legs. I’ve tryed back squats (OL and Pl style) front squats, hack squats (w/ BB) DB squats, split squats, step-ups, hi-reps, lo-reps, hi-frequency, all of these with full ROM (ass to grass)…nothing gets my quads sore. I currently squat 3 times a week, what change should I bring to my training ? thanks.

Are you getting results?

You could wear platform shoes when yous squat but that’s not realistic advice… so, the key is to place 2 10lb. plates under EACH of your heels! This should help put the emphasis on your quads.

You also answered your own question. Full ROM, although recommended, will really bring the glutes&hammies into play. Since you want some quad soreness, do 1/2 squats at first and slowly ease your way up to 1/4 squats. If you still don’t feel the burn, just go w/ the tried and true leg extension/leg press superset. Hope you feel some pain after your next leg workout!!

Sasquatch : yess, my numbers are getting higher and higher, but the quads don’t seem to grow.

vandalay : I already have OL shoes (powerfirm), thx for the advices.

So your goal then is hypertrophy.

Get a little more specific about your workout

Yes for the moment my goal is hypertrophy, especialy in the quads, they are really lagging. I train 3 times a week alternating these two days on M/W/F

day 1
a - front squats
b - pull-ups
c - clean grip deadlifts
d - military presses

day 2
a - back squats
b - bent over barbell rows
c - leg curls
d - dips

I usually go heavy on day 1 (3-5x3-5) and lighter on day 2 (2-3x8-10), I keep a training log, strength is coming on easily and I progress on other body part (size and strength), the quads just dont seem to kick in.

i notice my quads get sore, from doing 1 legged squats, on a box. I think the box at my gym is above knee level. like on this site

http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/exdetails.asp?exid=144

I dont use any weights though. However, depending on how i do them it hits either my quads or my hamstrings. if i go down and let my knees go fwd it hits my quads, or if i squat back, like in a regular squat the hamstrings get hit hard. I go down decently slow till my heel touches the ground and back up i go. You can try pauses at the bottom for extra fun.

how much weight are you using?

and add more volume to your leg exercises

If you are realy looking for a burn, you could try high reps(12-15) per set with only a moderate break between sets. The one leggers with knee forward over shins will also torch them. Try those at high rep too.
I think Death by Squat from Ian King would also do it.

pre or post exhaust methods may be youtr answer.

Suopsetting squats with say leg extensions to target the quads.

Do a set of squats then move directly to leg extension. then rest thats one set.

Give it a try. Also toy with your TUT possibly. Isometric hold. Pauses, etc.

But as long as your are progressing dont seek the PAIN seek to advance.

Good Luck,
Phill

dude, i was being incredibly sarcastic w/ my previous post. You indicate that you understand soreness should not be sought out in training, but then you ask for it. Why? Anyways, you want some muscle growth in the quads, keep working hard w/ the squats. Make sure you’re eating enough to grow, and show some patience.

All of you like to spout dogma about soreness not being a good indicator of hypertrophy inducing stimuli, but that does not exclude it completely from the picture (OMG! Did I just say that?). I never experienced soreness in my lats before I started doing heavy, low rep rows as well as before I dispensed with machines that emulate the pullup and simply did pullups. Guess what? They never really grew before then either.

thanks guys, I will try one leg squats and up the volume.

[quote]xomegaxprimex wrote:
thanks guys, I will try one leg squats and up the volume. [/quote]

When was the last time you changed your leg routine? If you’re doing essentially the same thing for the past 3 weeks you NEED to change for hypetrohpy to occur.

So if squatting was your main leg movement, and you squat heavy try to prexhaust your legs with 3 sets of extensions super setted with leg curls then do 1-2 sets of squats for 20 reps and full range of motion.

You have to use your imagination for growth to happen. Remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Well I used to do this back in my less educated days, but if you want a Quad “burn” then here ya go:

After your Leg Workout (Squats, Leg Presses, lunges, etc.) Get on the Leg Extension machine and pick a weight you can do for 10 to 12 reps. At the top of the 12th rep hold it and then have a workout partner push down hard on the crossbar. Try to fight em down and hold it up as long as you can. If after 3 sets of doing that your quads are not on fire you have something wrong with you or are a liar.

[quote]mindeffer01 wrote:
If you are realy looking for a burn, you could try high reps(12-15) per set with only a moderate break between sets. The one leggers with knee forward over shins will also torch them. Try those at high rep too.
I think Death by Squat from Ian King would also do it.
[/quote]

With Squat/Leg-extansion(for max-hypertropy) is good 12-20 reps/?Or is better 6-12RM?rest-sets 1 or 2 minutes?Why?

I’m a relative beginner, so I’m more asking than telling. But isn’t 3 times per week too often to work legs? Maybe you’re not recovering between workouts and hence not able to build muscle. Most of the time I’ve spent lifting has been with a HIT program. Now, I’m essentially doing each bodypart once per week, hitting it really hard each time. I started a bulk and am having good gains so far, especially in my legs. Much of it is getting my diet and training in gear. But, with legs in particular, I think 3x per week was bad for me. I never felt sore either, but I don’t think I was recovering. I experienced strength gains in other muscles if no real mass gains. (I wasn’t eating to gain mass). But my legs were largely stuck and barely even got stronger. Since I’ve started training them less frequently, I’ve been sore, and more importantly getting good strength and mass gains.

Try doing front squats with a SLOW rep speed.

paul, Depending on how you want to manipulate the variables, what your goals are, what your training age is, your recovery ability,how many other exercises you are doing on that group.
If you want high volume, high intensity, and are only training quads, Go nuts- do 12-15 rep sets with 30 second breaks, or change the t.u.t. to 4-4-4 for 6 reps. That will give you a total of 72 seconds of t.u.t., and should burn the crap out of the quads. The risk is overtraining and injury though.
The high rep high intensity thing was only one suggestion.
Another in the opposite direction is ski squats- stand there against the wall like you are sitting in a chair, just without the chair. Even better, dont use a wall.One rep to failure.
It may not contribute to any real training effect, but it will burn.

[quote]jsbrook wrote:
I’m a relative beginner, so I’m more asking than telling. But isn’t 3 times per week too often to work legs? Maybe you’re not recovering between workouts and hence not able to build muscle. Most of the time I’ve spent lifting has been with a HIT program. Now, I’m essentially doing each bodypart once per week, hitting it really hard each time. I started a bulk and am having good gains so far, especially in my legs. Much of it is getting my diet and training in gear. But, with legs in particular, I think 3x per week was bad for me. I never felt sore either, but I don’t think I was recovering. I experienced strength gains in other muscles if no real mass gains. (I wasn’t eating to gain mass). But my legs were largely stuck and barely even got stronger. Since I’ve started training them less frequently, I’ve been sore, and more importantly getting good strength and mass gains.[/quote]

You are right—and wrong!

Actually I believe it was MR who suggested three times a week for beginners and squats was an excellent program. Pardon me sir, if I have stated that incorrectly.

Now it becomes a question of volume. You obviously can’t do 20 sets on each MOnday., Wed, Friday, but you can and should, squat as often as possible.

Now MR can explain it better than I, so you may want to go to Prime Time T-Nation when Mr.Robertson is available and ask him all the hows and whys. But lifting only once per week per bodypart is an old school way of lifting. Doesn’t make it wrong, just new studies would say more benefit can be gained by lifting bodyparts with as little rest between as possible to fully recover.

Your gains are probably from new stimuli. That’s great. Your next program should be more times per week to really mix it up