Dumbbell_lunge_1

If there’s one muscle group where getting creative with your exercise selection is totally unnecessary, it’s your legs. Massive quads are rarely achieved through ingenuity. Rather, what will get you there is a willingness to move heavy weights through full ranges of motion on basic movements—repeatedly.

Unique exercises have their place in any program, but many people focus on them too much when they should really be stressing rep ranges, volume, intensity, and frequency with basic moves. Work harder to understand and manipulate these variables, while placing less emphasis on esoteric exercises, and you’re bound to see shocking results. The workout below represents “multi-rep range training,” with strength training rep ranges on squats, hypertrophy ranges on leg presses and lunges, and high reps on extensions to finish it off.

1. Barbell Squat

Your heels should never come off the floor when squatting. Push the weight up through your heels, not the balls of you feet.

Barbell squat

2. Leg Press

There are no half reps allowed on the leg press. Travel through a full range of motion on every rep.

Leg press

3. Dumbbell Lunge

Short strides on lunges target the quads, while longer strides will hit your hamstrings and glutes.

Dumbbell Lunge

4. Leg Extension

Make sure to emphasize the squeeze at the top of the motion. Don’t let momentum take over at any point.

Leg extension

The Workout:

Exercise Sets Reps Rest
Barbell Squat 3* 3-5 2-3 Min
Leg Press 3 6-8 1-2 Min
Leg Extension 2 0-25 45-60 Seconds
Dumbbell Lunge 2 8-10 1-2 Min

* not including two warm-up sets of 5 to 7 reps each with light to moderate effort.

Ryan Sullivan is the owner of Sci-Unison Fitness in Babylon, NY.