Quadriceps Exercises

The Quadriceps is the one of the largest muscle groups in the body. It is a group of 4 muscles that make up the front of the thigh. Those 4 muscles are:

• Rectus Femoris
• Vastus Lateralis
• Vastus medialis 
• Vastus Intermedius

All 4 of the muscle follow the Femur (thigh bone) to the knee where they become the patellar tendon and attach just below the knee joint.

The main function of the quads is to straighten the knee. It is also used in walking, running, jumping, squatting, and kicking.

Why are the Quadriceps Important?

The quadriceps is the probably the most important muscles to work on following knee surgery. Focusing on completely straightening the knee is very important for mobility. One study shows, that quadriceps strength is linked to fall decreased fall risk. See it here.

Also, other studies have shown that poor quadriceps strength leads to Osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee. Check out my OA post here.

Lastly, it is also well established, that the stronger the quadriceps is, the better a patient will return from surgeries like knee and hip replacements.

Quadriceps Exercises

Squats

Step ups/downs

Lunges

Knee extensions

Wall sits

SLR /c ER

When doing leg day, I will perform 2-3 exercises for my quads and add in others for the remaining leg groups.

Because the quadriceps are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, they are important to focus on when working out.

Also, I will sometimes go more quadriceps heavy on certain leg days, and when I do, I am definitely sore the next day. So make sure you know how much you can handle. Speaking from experience over here.