Strengthening one’s lower body can significantly enhance athletic performance. Well-developed quads help knee function, mobility, and stability.
In late July, IFBB Pro League Wellness Bodybuilder and fitness coach Julia Rene revealed her preferred exercises for leg gains, including quad-development strategies:
Julia Rene’s Quad-Building Workout
- Machine Reverse V-Squats: 3 x 8-10
- Superset — Leg Extensions: 3 x 10-12 & Heels Elevated Goblet Squats: 3 x 12-15
- Superset — V-Squat RDLs: 3 x 10-12 & Machine Glute Kickbacks: 3 x 10-12
- Barbell Walking Lunges: 1 x 100 Yards
[Relatd: The Anatomy of Your Leg Muscles, Explained]
“First, we start with a warm-up to get the blood flow going. I’m not trying to pump up my legs too much because they get pumped really fast,” said Rene. (1)
In her warm-up, Rene incorporates bodyweight lunges, side lunge stretches, walking hamstring scoops, and walking leg kicks. She suggests mobility exercises during warm-ups are more important before training and static exercises are more beneficial during cooldowns.
Machine Reverse V-Squats
Rene kicks off her leg day with the V-squat, favoring machine platform warm-ups to engage her glutes and hamstrings better. She progressively increases the weight of each working set.
Rene utilizes cluster sets when training machine reverse V-squats. Studies have shown that cluster sets are an effective way to boost training volume. (2) Rene takes a 20-second rest before performing four to six reps at the same weight.
Superset — Seated Leg Extensions & Heels Elevated Goblet Squats
Rene executes her next set on the leg extension machine. She supersets them with an elevated goblet squat, raising her heels on a weight plate with a close stance. Rene performs pyramid sets on leg extensions but maintains consistent weight for goblet squats.
“When doing a superset, our rest period [should] be longer,” explained Rene. “If I’m not doing a superset, I rest probably from 60 to 90 seconds. For a superset, it’s 90 to 120 seconds.”
Superset — V-Squat RDLs & Machine Glute Kickbacks, Barbell Walking Lunges
“Though it’s quad-focused leg day, I still need to hit my glutes and my hamstrings,” Rene divulged as she approached the V-squat machine for Romanian deadlifts (RDLs). She prefers this machine as it offers stability and aids in proper hip hinging.
Rene moves to the glute kickback machine, performing unilateral reps to ensure each glute receives equal stimulus. She concludes with a series of 100-yard walking lunges.
References
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
- Tufano, J. J., Halaj, M., Kampmiller, T., Novosad, A., & Buzgo, G. (2018). Cluster sets vs. traditional sets: Levelling out the playing field using a power-based threshold. PloS one, 13(11), e0208035. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208035
Featured image @_juliarene on Instagram
