T Nation

Rep/Set Range for Quads Development?

Bodybuilding
#1

I’m 22 y/o, 5’9, 175lb, 5% BF. Been lifting for 5-6 years
i usually do something like this for quads.

Leg Press: 3x5, 1x10-15
Hack squat: 3x5, 1x10-15
Walking lunges: 3x10(on each leg).
-I will also alternate in front squats.

I’ve been hitting quads,hams,glute M and F, Back T, and Chest Th. I’m trying to bring up lagging legs. My legs look good from a side shot, but I’m trying to add some width to my quads. what works best for you for quad growth/ development? Rest pause sets, straight sets, super sets, different foot placements? any advice would be great!

#2

20 rep A2G squatting, brah.

#3

[quote]peteskeet wrote:

Leg Press: 3x5, 1x10-15
Hack squat: 3x5, 1x10-15
Walking lunges: 3x10(on each leg).
-I will also alternate in front squats.

I’ve been hitting quads,hams,glute M and F, Back T, and Chest Th. I’m trying to bring up lagging legs. My legs look good from a side shot, but I’m trying to add some width to my quads. what works best for you for quad growth/ development? Rest pause sets, straight sets, super sets, different foot placements? any advice would be great![/quote]

high rep trap bar deadlifts really helped my quad development. use the high handles, and flex your knees a bit more than conventionally. i used the 5/3/1 template and would typically get reps as high as 20+ for my working set.

another exercise that works great is bulgarian squats. keep your working leg close to the bench but make sure the weight stays distributed on your heel/ arch. if your foot is too far away, you’ll be hitting your ham’s/ glutes harder. i like these for 3-4 sets of 10. in the past, i’ve added a rep each week until i reach 13 reps, than i add 5 pounds.

if you do lunges, use the same idea for your feet position as my suggestion for bulgarian squats.

there’s two general methods of volume/ intensity. higher intensity/ lower volume and lower intensity/ higher volume. many think that athletes that are naturally more explosive (higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers) respond better to higher intensity/ lower volume. opposite to this are those who have more slow twitch fibers. some respond best to a combination of the two.

make sure you’re gettin enough calories to support growth and you’re recovering from leg workout to leg workout.

#4

I got my best returns from hitting three sets of 20 on the leg press. First set fail at twenty. Keep the weight the same then use rest-pause to get twenty reps on the last set. Side effects may include but are not limited to: light headedness, dizziness, nausea (with or without vomiting) and various rationalizations for not completing the third set.

Keep rest to 60-90 seconds. Tried this stuff with squats but every other muscle in my body quit before quads. Now I always pre-exhaust quads prior to squatting type moves with leg extensions. Quads are now ~26 inches for what its worth.

#5

[quote]peteskeet wrote:
I’m 22 y/o, 5’9, 175lb, 5% BF. Been lifting for 5-6 years
i usually do something like this for quads.

Leg Press: 3x5, 1x10-15
Hack squat: 3x5, 1x10-15
Walking lunges: 3x10(on each leg).
-I will also alternate in front squats.

I’ve been hitting quads,hams,glute M and F, Back T, and Chest Th. I’m trying to bring up lagging legs. My legs look good from a side shot, but I’m trying to add some width to my quads. what works best for you for quad growth/ development? Rest pause sets, straight sets, super sets, different foot placements? any advice would be great![/quote]

Your 5% bodyfat and trying to grow ?? Some things dont add up. and why are you doing 3x5. try doing what most people looking for leg development do. go look at a few bodybuilders training legs. none of them do 3x5.

#6

Just get really strong at squatting, leg pressing, and lunging. When you can rep out 405 on the squat, you will have big quads.

#7

Agreed with guilty. Lots of leg work. No magic formula here.

#8

On my db split squats, I do 4-5 sets of about 5-6 reps. I feel like I can use good form and not get too tired by high reps before my work set if I keep them low. Can I gain muscle by doing this? I am really tall so I have read low reps are good for building muscle.

#9

High Bar ATG squats. Low reps/ high reps doesnt matter, just get your poundages up and remember to force your knees out on the way up. After finishing your regular squat workout, throw in a set of 20 rep full squats. That should definitely help out.

#10

Quads respond well to both low and high reps. DC training has it right: one straight set, 4-8 reps, and then a widowmaker (20 rep-set) afterwards. 5/3/1 is also good for this (even more-so if you are doing front squats): week one has most people at the 10-11 rep range, and week 3 has most people around the 3-5 rep range.

Best lifts: high bar back squats, front squats, snatch-grip DL, trap bar DL. Basically any kind of leg press/squatting motion that has your knees traveling far in front of your toes.

#11

first off, you are not 5% BF, now that that bullshit is cleared up…vary your reps and sets, the key is (for me anyway) work upward in weight as your sets progress, just kick the shit out of your legs,

you’ll know when you’re done, no half rep bullshit either go as as you can while maintaining a big chest, e.g. don’t let your form turn your squats into a low back movement. put the movement where it should be…in the glutes, hams, and quads.

it’s not rocket science, just get under the bar and get the form right, weight comes after. regardless of narrow stance/wide stance, rep range etc. with intensity and consistency + food your quads will Grow!

#12

Do lots of deep squats with a medium stance and eat more. Even though you probably are not 5% bodyfat, you are probably very lean. It is likely you are not eating enough to gain a lot of leg size.

#13

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
20 rep A2G squatting, brah.[/quote]

Did this today.

Breathing squats make me hate humanity and everything around me.

#14

No secret really, I think the rep range for leg development differs per person more than other body parts though so find what works for you. Personally I get little from high rep squats so I keep the range low and focus on A2G on squats. Walking lunges are the KingMakers of my leg development.

#15

[quote]Westclock wrote:

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
20 rep A2G squatting, brah.[/quote]

Did this today.

Breathing squats make me hate humanity and everything around me.[/quote]

It’s insane, I used to superset the breathing squats with full ROM pullovers…sick!

You ever touched the breathing front squat? I can’t begin to describe that!

#16

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:

[quote]Westclock wrote:

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
20 rep A2G squatting, brah.[/quote]

Did this today.

Breathing squats make me hate humanity and everything around me.[/quote]

It’s insane, I used to superset the breathing squats with full ROM pullovers…sick!

You ever touched the breathing front squat? I can’t begin to describe that!
[/quote]

I did front squats 5x5 before the final breathing squats finish.

It was basically my entire leg day.

Even though I rested like 12 minutes in between, horrible pain.

I would never do breathing front squats, too hard to hold the weight for that many reps when your that exhausted.

#17

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:

[quote]Westclock wrote:

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
20 rep A2G squatting, brah.[/quote]

Did this today.

Breathing squats make me hate humanity and everything around me.[/quote]

It’s insane, I used to superset the breathing squats with full ROM pullovers…sick!

You ever touched the breathing front squat? I can’t begin to describe that!
[/quote]

Yeah, other day I did 335x9 breathing ATG front squats…those were a bitch. However, 155x80 back squats takes the cake for my hardest single set to date.

#18

There is no unproductive rep range for quads.

True high rep work is very uncomfortable and challanges respiration as much as muscular endurance. Few lifters have the heart for this type of training.

Think bodyweight squat for 50, or twice bodyweight for 20-25 reps. Half-bodyweight extensions for 150-200 reps.