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 8 Week To Bigger Quads 

Researched and Composed by Jacob Wilson, BSc. (Hons), MSc. CSCS

Would you like gain a few inches on your legs by shorts season? Perhaps blow up that awesome muscle just above the kneecap? 

If you are willing to do the work, I can guarantee tremendously impressive results!  I must warn you, though, this program is not an easy one. But, if you want superhuman legs you have to be willing to go through a superhuman workout!  Without further ado here is an 8 week program that will just plain produce!  

8 Weeks to Bigger Legs:

 

I will incorporate several advanced techniques in this program, each of which are meant to produce a different affect on your quadriceps.  Below I outline these techniques.

Mass:  In order to build mass, I will incorporate two different versions of the squat. Nothing packs mass onto your quads quicker than the squat.  However, so that your body does not adjust to this exercise, I will use two versions which affect your legs differently from the traditional squat. As you will find, these versions will be switched every two workouts.  

Change:  The program will change from week to week, your body will never know what hit it, and in order to survive it will have absolutely no choice but to grow and I mean grow big time!

Blood Pump:  I find that nothing creates faster gains than a serious blood pump to the targeted muscles.  Your capillaries will increase and with them will spark an extremely conditioned and chiseled look in all four heads of your quadriceps.   I will utilize the Superset  as well as the Drop Set to produce this effect.

Separation and Peak:  If you want a peaked muscle you simply must incorporate exercises that work the targeted muscles peak!  I find that the two best exercises to heighten and peak the quadriceps are Sissy Squats and Legg Extensions.  

Stretching for Growth:  Incorporating exercises that stretch the targeted muscle group will inevitably allow the muscles more room for growth.  Again, this is why I am incorporating the sissy squat

Your Legs should be worked Every 6 Days.  So If you worked them on Monday you should work them again on Sunday.  

Important Note:  For a better explanation of each exercise, either click on the hyper link of the exercise being explained or click on the picture of the exercise.

Workout One:  

Your first Quadriceps workout will consist of:

                    and     
Wide Stance Toes Pointed                       Leg Extensions
Out Squat

Squat:  Your squats will be performed approximately two inches wider than shoulder width and your toes will be pointed out extremely.  Normally they are just pointed out slightly but I want you to overemphasize pointing  them out!  This of course accentuates the Vastus medialis which is the muscle that inserts into the knee and looks fantastic when you are wearing shorts in the summer!  Make sure you don't just go up and down with these, it should take two seconds to lower and then you can explode back up in a second.  Read about proper technique for squatting by "clicking here"

Execution:  

Warm Up:

Arrive at the gym pumped up!  Now, go to the squat rack and put a weight on, in which you can get 20 repetitions rather easily.  The whole point here is to warm your muscles completely and also to get you focused for the task at hand.  

Next you should pick a weight in which you get 10 repetitions but really could have lifted 15 times.  

Then, pick a weight in which you would probably fail at around 10 repetitions and only rack out 5.  This is usually my warm up, but if you feel you need more to warm your muscles than by all means you should get another warm up set.

In between warm up sets you should stretch out completely, these are examples of stretches I might use in between sets.
Basic Hamstrings Stretch
Basic Thighs Stretch
Basic Groin Stretch

Lets Rock! ( Description of The Working Sets )

Your lower body should now be completely warm and lose.  Most importantly though, your mind should be focused and more than prepared to wage war against your quadriceps!

Working Set One:  Your First Set should be a heavy enough weight so that you reach failure at about 6 controlled repetitions.  Make sure that you have a training partner for this because I want him to assist when you reach failure.  You should not be able to get another rep by yourself! 

Rest 3 minutes

Working Set Two:  You will probably have to lower the weight around ten to 20 pounds because your legs will be fatigued. You must choose a weight in which you reach failure at around 6 repetitions again.  Again you must reach failure so  go to the gym with a training partner.

Rest Three minutes

Working Set Three:  This is your burn out set.  You must pick a weight in which you reach failure at 8 repetitions.  You have to really concentrate on this set.  This is your money set, go into it with this kind of intensity!  

Rest 3 minutes

Your next exercise will be the leg extension.  You should take 1 second to raise the weight up, one second pause at the top and 2 seconds down.  The whole point of this exercise is to create a tremendous blood pump in the quadriceps and you won't accomplish this by just throwing the weight and using momentum instead of your quads!

First Set of leg extensions:  Even though you are warmed up you should pick a light weight and rack out a slow set of ten repetitions.  As I mentioned before this is as important for your mind as it is for your body.

Only Three more sets to go?  Three more double drop sets that is to go!  I must warn you that this is going to be brutal, but the rewards will far outweigh any discomfort that you experience!

Working sets

Select a weight that will allow you to get 8 to 10 clean reps on your own before you would typically fail and end the set.  Once you go to failure, your partner will assist you in completing one additional repetition past your failure point.  He will then immediately lower the weight by around 20% (so if you have 100 on the leg press lower the weight to 80 pounds)  and you continue performing repetitions until you once again achieve failure by yourself. At this point it will feel like someone is blowtorching your quads.   But you've got one more drop set to go!  Have your partner lower the weight by 20 to 30 percent and once again push yourself to failure.  FINALLY, the set it over.

Rest 3 minutes

Repeat the exact same procedure as the first set.

Rest 3 minutes

Repeat the exact same procedure as the first set.

That's it for your quads!  You've made it!  

The next day you may have trouble standing and even more trouble sitting as this is doubly as painful, but who cares you know your quads will have no choice but to grow after this one and that's what counts!


Workout Two:

                       
Wide Stance Toes Pointed                                      Sissy Squats
Out Squat

As with your first workout you should be completely warm before your first working set.  See workout one for clarification.

First Working Set:  Your First Set should be a heavy enough weight so that you reach failure at about 6 controlled repetitions.   Make sure that you have a training partner for this because I want him to assist when you reach failure.  You should not be able to get another rep by yourself!  After completing six reps you will immediately without any rest perform six "one and a half rep" sissy squats !  I want the half rep on the sissy squats to be performed on the lower portion of the exercise. It is vital that you understand this method completely!  I am utilizing a shocking principle here called the Superset, to better understand this principle "click here"

Rest 3 minutes

Second Set:  You will probably have to lower the weight around ten to 20 pounds because your legs will be fatigued.  Again you must choose a weight in which you reach failure at around 6 repetitions.  Then superset squats with six "One and a Half Rep Sissy Squats."  

Third Set:  This is your burn out set.  You must pick a weight in which you reach failure at 8 repetitions.  Again superset squats with six "One and a Half Rep Sissy Squats."  This is your money set, so give it your all!

Rest 3 minutes

Now you will perform 3 sets of just pure sissy squats.

Set One:  Perform 10 one and a half rep Sissy Squats

Set Two: Perform 8 one and a half rep Sissy Squats

Set Three:  Perform 6 one and a half rep Sissy Squats

Workout Three:

This is the Same as workout One Except You are to perform the squats shoulder width apart
with your heels elevated 2 inches on a platform to emphasize a different area in your quadriceps.

Workout Four:

Is the Same as workout Two Except You are to perform the squats shoulder width apart
with your heels elevated 2 inches on a platform to emphasize a different area in your quadriceps.

After your fourth workout start the cycle over with workout number one.  Continue to repeat the cycle till
you have completed a full 8 weeks.

I can guarantee after following this brutal 8 week cycle that your quads will jump to new levels of growth!  Also feel free to contact me at anytime, with any questions you might have concerning this workout!  I look foreword to hearing about your gains!  Have fun!

Overview of 8 week quadriceps Program:  This outline does not include warm ups, only working sets.
Make sure you are completely warm before your working sets.

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