Quad Exercises 49 Moves With How-To Steps

All 49 quad exercises 49

• 

  Alternating Single Leg Squat

  Dumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A pistol squat holding a dumbbell, switching legs every rep. Works the quads and glutes one leg at a time, with the dumbbell out front as a counterweight.

  How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell at your chest, or one in each hand, and stand on one leg with the other held out in front of you.
  2. Sit down on the standing leg as deep as you can, keeping your heel down and reaching the dumbbell forward for balance.
  3. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.
  4. Switch to the other leg and repeat. Keep alternating for the set, counting each squat as one rep.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your heel down. If it lifts, you are leaning too far forward.
  • Hold onto a post until you can balance the whole way down and up.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Back Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works hamstrings, glutes and calves.

  A squat with a barbell on your upper back. The main barbell leg exercise, working the quads, glutes and hamstrings.

  How to do it

  1. Set the bar on your upper back, either high on the traps or a little lower across the rear shoulders, and step back from the rack.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes turned slightly out.
  3. Take a big breath, brace your core, and sit down between your legs with your chest up.
  4. Go until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, or as deep as you can with a flat back.
  5. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Knees track over your toes. Do not let them cave inward on the way up.
  • Keep your chest up and your back flat. A rounding lower back at the bottom means you have gone past your range.
  • Brace before every rep. The breath is part of the lift.
• 

  Banded Split Squat

  Band

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A split squat with a band under the front foot and over the shoulders. Works the quads and glutes of the front leg with tension that grows as you stand.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on a band with your front foot and loop the other end over your shoulders or hold it at your chest.
  2. Step the other foot back into a long split stance.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and your front knee over your foot.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Banded Squat

  Band

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat against a band held under your feet and over your shoulders. Works the quads and glutes with tension that grows as you stand.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of a band with your feet about shoulder width apart and loop the other end over your shoulders.
  2. Brace your core and keep your chest up.
  3. Sit down between your legs until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • The band pulls you forward. Fight it with your chest up.
  • Wider feet mean more tension.
• 

  Banded Terminal Knee Extension

  Band

  Steps and tips

  Straightening your knee against a band looped behind it. A rehab-style exercise for the muscle just above the kneecap.

  How to do it

  1. Anchor a band low in front of you and loop it around the back of one knee.
  2. Step back until the band is taut, with that knee slightly bent and your weight on that leg.
  3. Straighten the knee fully against the band, squeezing your thigh.
  4. Let the band bend the knee slowly. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Small movement, full lockout. Squeeze your thigh at the top of every rep.
  • Keep your heel down.
• 

  Barbell Box Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A barbell squat down to a box, pausing on it before standing. Teaches sitting back and builds power out of the bottom.

  How to do it

  1. Set a box at or just below knee height behind you and take the bar on your upper back.
  2. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width and push your hips back as you sit down toward the box.
  3. Sit onto the box under control, pausing for a moment without relaxing.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Sit onto the box, never drop onto it. Stay tight while you are on it.
  • Push the hips back first. It is more of a hinge than a normal squat.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A split squat with your back foot on a bench and a barbell on your back. Works the quads and glutes of the front leg hard.

  How to do it

  1. Set the bar on your upper back and stand a big step in front of a bench, then rest the top of one foot on it behind you.
  2. Keep your torso upright and brace your core.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Take the bar from a rack and walk to the bench with care. A spotter helps.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Belt Squat

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with the weight hanging from a belt around your hips on a belt squat machine. Loads the legs without loading the spine.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on the platform, fasten the belt around your hips, and attach it to the machine.
  2. Release the weight so it hangs from your hips, and stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
  3. Sit down between your legs, keeping your chest up.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso tall. Leaning forward is the belt pulling you into it.
  • A good choice on days your back is tired.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Bodyweight Lunge

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  Stepping forward into a lunge and pushing back to standing with no weight. The basic lunge, working the quads and glutes.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet together and your hands on your hips or at your sides.
  2. Step one foot forward and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the floor.
  3. Push through the front foot to step back to standing.
  4. Repeat with the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and your front knee over your foot.
  • A long step keeps the front knee from travelling far past the toes.
• 

  Bodyweight Squat

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with no weight. The pattern behind every other squat, and a warm-up that works the quads and glutes.

  How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes turned slightly out.
  2. Reach your arms forward for balance and brace your core.
  3. Sit down between your legs, keeping your chest up, until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Knees track over your toes.
  • Heels stay down. If they lift, widen your stance or turn your toes out a little more.
• 

  Box Squat

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A bodyweight squat down to a box behind you, with your arms held out in front. Teaches sitting back and controlling the depth of every rep.

  How to do it

  1. Set a box at or just below knee height behind you and stand in front of it, feet about shoulder width apart.
  2. Hold your arms straight out in front of you for balance.
  3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to sit back until you touch the box.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Sit onto the box under control, never drop onto it.
  • Push the hips back first, as if reaching for a chair.
• 

  Bulgarian Split Squat

  Dumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A split squat with your back foot on a bench and a dumbbell in each hand. One of the best single-leg exercises for the quads and glutes.

  How to do it

  1. Stand a big step in front of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, and rest the top of one foot on the bench behind you.
  2. Keep your torso upright and brace your core.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Find your foot position before picking up the dumbbells. Too close and the front knee travels far forward, too far and you lean.
  • Keep your front heel down.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Close-Stance Leg Press

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A leg press with your feet close together and low on the platform. Puts more of the work on the quads.

  How to do it

  1. Sit in the leg press with your feet close together and placed low on the platform.
  2. Release the safety catches and hold the handles.
  3. Lower the platform slowly until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little more.
  4. Press back up until your legs are nearly straight, without locking the knees hard.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your lower back on the pad. If it lifts at the bottom, you have gone too deep.
  • Do not lock your knees at the top.
• 

  Cossack Squat

  BodyweightDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works adductors and glutes.

  A wide-stance squat onto one leg while the other leg stays straight out to the side. Works the quads and glutes and opens the hips and inner thighs.

  How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet much wider than your shoulders and your toes pointing forward or slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight onto one leg and sit down over that foot, keeping the other leg straight with the toes pointing up.
  3. Go as deep as you can with your heel down and your chest up.
  4. Push back up to the middle and repeat on the other side. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep the heel of the bent leg on the floor.
  • Hold a light weight at your chest for balance if you tip backward.
• 

  Dumbbell Lunge

  Dumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes, hamstrings and calves.

  A lunge with a dumbbell in each hand. Works the quads and glutes with the weight at your sides.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step one foot forward and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the floor.
  3. Push through the front foot to step back to standing.
  4. Repeat with the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and the dumbbells hanging still at your sides.
  • Log the weight of one dumbbell. SetLift counts both.
• 

  Front Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with the barbell resting on the front of your shoulders. Keeps the torso upright and puts more of the work on the quads.

  How to do it

  1. Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders with your elbows high and your fingertips under the bar, or your arms crossed over it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, toes turned slightly out.
  3. Brace your core and sit straight down between your legs, keeping your elbows high and your chest up.
  4. Go as deep as you can with a flat back, then drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Elbows up is the whole cue. When they drop, the bar rolls forward and you lose the rep.
  • The bar sits on your shoulders, not in your hands. Your hands only keep it there.
• 

  Goblet Squat

  KettlebellDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat holding one dumbbell or kettlebell against your chest. The best way to learn to squat deep with an upright torso.

  How to do it

  1. Hold the weight against your chest with both hands, elbows tucked in.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes turned slightly out.
  3. Brace your core, then sit down between your legs, keeping your chest up.
  4. Go until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, or as deep as you can with a flat back.
  5. Push through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Your knees should point the same way as your toes. Do not let them fall in.
  • Keep the weight tight to your chest. Held out in front, it gets much harder for no reason.
  • If you tip forward onto your toes, sit back more and use a lighter weight.
• 

  Hack Squat

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat on the hack squat machine with your back against the pad and your shoulders under the supports. Works the quads on a fixed path.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on the platform with your back against the pad and your shoulders under the supports, feet about shoulder width apart.
  2. Release the safety catches.
  3. Lower slowly until your thighs are at least parallel to the platform.
  4. Press through your whole foot to stand back up, without locking the knees hard.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your back and hips against the pad. If your hips lift at the bottom, you have gone too deep for now.
  • Feet lower on the platform work the quads more, higher works the glutes more.
• 

  Heel-Elevated Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with your heels raised on plates or a wedge. Lets you stay more upright and go deeper, putting more of the work on the quads.

  How to do it

  1. Set your heels on a wedge or a pair of small plates, with the bar on your back or a weight at your chest.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
  3. Brace your core and sit straight down, keeping your chest up.
  4. Go as deep as you can, then drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your knees tracking over your toes as they travel forward.
  • A small lift, an inch or two, is plenty.
• 

  High Knees

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works calves.

  Running on the spot while driving your knees up to hip height. A warm-up and conditioning exercise.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your arms bent as if running.
  2. Drive one knee up to hip height, then quickly switch to the other.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and pump your arms.
  4. Keep going for the set, counting each knee as one rep.

  Keep in mind

  • Stay tall. Leaning back makes it easier and worse.
  • Land softly and quickly.
• 

  Kettlebell Goblet Lunge

  Kettlebell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A lunge holding a kettlebell at your chest. Works the quads and glutes with the upright torso the goblet position gives you.

  How to do it

  1. Hold a kettlebell by the horns against your chest with your elbows tucked in.
  2. Step one foot forward and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees.
  3. Push through the front foot to step back to standing.
  4. Repeat with the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep the bell tight to your chest and your torso tall.
  • Front knee over the foot, back knee just off the floor.
• 

  Kettlebell Squat

  Kettlebell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat holding a kettlebell at your chest or racked at your shoulders. Works the quads and glutes with an upright torso.

  How to do it

  1. Hold the bell by the horns against your chest, or racked at your shoulders, with your elbows tucked in.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes turned slightly out.
  3. Brace your core and sit down between your legs, keeping your chest up.
  4. Go as deep as you can with a flat back, then drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep the bell close to your body. Held out in front, it gets much harder for no reason.
  • Knees track over your toes.
• 

  Leg Extension

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Straightening your knees against the pad of the leg extension machine. Works the quads on their own.

  How to do it

  1. Set the seat so your knees line up with the pivot and the pad sits just above your ankles.
  2. Sit back with your hands on the handles.
  3. Straighten your legs until they are fully extended, squeezing your thighs at the top.
  4. Lower slowly until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees.

  Keep in mind

  • Squeeze at the top and lower slowly. Both halves count.
  • Keep your hips on the seat. Lifting them to swing the weight up is the common cheat.
• 

  Leg Press

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  Pressing a loaded platform away with your feet while seated in the leg press machine. Works the quads and glutes with your back supported.

  How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with your feet on the platform about shoulder width apart, and release the safety catches.
  2. Hold the handles and keep your lower back on the pad.
  3. Lower the platform slowly until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little more.
  4. Press back up until your legs are nearly straight, without locking the knees hard.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your lower back on the pad. If it lifts at the bottom, you have gone too deep.
  • Do not lock your knees at the top.
  • Knees track in line with your feet, never caving in.
• 

  Pistol Squat

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A full squat on one leg with the other leg held straight out in front. The hardest bodyweight leg exercise there is.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with the other leg held straight out in front of you and your arms reaching forward for balance.
  2. Sit down on the standing leg as deep as you can, keeping your heel down and the raised leg off the floor.
  3. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.
  4. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Hold onto a post or use a band for help until you can balance the whole way.
  • Keep your heel down. If it lifts, you are leaning too far forward.
• 

  Plate-Loaded Pendulum Squat

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes, hamstrings and adductors.

  A squat on the pendulum squat machine, where the carriage swings in an arc. A very quad-heavy squat with your back supported.

  How to do it

  1. Stand on the platform with your back against the pad and your shoulders under the supports, feet about shoulder width apart.
  2. Release the safety catches.
  3. Lower slowly until your thighs are at least parallel, letting your knees travel forward.
  4. Press through your whole foot to stand back up, without locking the knees hard.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your hips against the pad the whole way down.
  • Feet lower on the platform for more quads, higher for more glutes.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Reverse Lunge

  BodyweightDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  Stepping backward into a lunge and pushing back to standing. Easier on the knees than a forward lunge, working the quads and glutes.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet together, with or without a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the floor.
  3. Push through the front foot to step back to standing.
  4. Repeat with the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and your front knee over your foot.
  • Step back far enough that the front shin stays fairly vertical.
• 

  Reverse Nordic Curl

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works core.

  Kneeling tall and leaning backward with a straight body, then pulling yourself back up with your quads. A deep stretch and strengthener for the front of the thighs.

  How to do it

  1. Kneel tall with your knees about hip width apart and your feet flat behind you.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and tuck your pelvis so your body makes a straight line from knees to head.
  3. Lean back slowly from the knees, keeping that straight line, as far as you can control.
  4. Pull yourself back up to tall using your thighs.

  Keep in mind

  • The hips do not bend. If you fold at the hips, you have gone too far.
  • Start with a small lean and add range over weeks.
• 

  Side Lunge

  BodyweightDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works adductors and glutes.

  Stepping out to the side and sitting into that leg while the other stays straight. Works the quads, glutes and inner thighs.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet together, with or without a weight at your chest.
  2. Step one foot out wide to the side and sit your hips back over that foot, keeping the other leg straight.
  3. Go as deep as you can with your chest up and both heels down.
  4. Push off the bent leg to step back to standing. Repeat on the other side. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Sit back, not forward. The bent knee stays over the foot.
  • Keep the toes of the straight leg pointing forward.
• 

  Single Leg Extension

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  A leg extension done one leg at a time. Works each quad on its own so a stronger leg cannot cover for a weaker one.

  How to do it

  1. Set the seat so your knees line up with the pivot and the pad sits just above your ankles.
  2. Sit back and straighten one leg fully, squeezing your thigh at the top.
  3. Lower slowly until the knee is bent to about 90 degrees.
  4. Finish the set, then do the other leg.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your hips on the seat.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Single Leg Press

  MachinePlate-Loaded

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A leg press with one foot on the platform at a time. Works each leg on its own with the back supported.

  How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with one foot in the middle of the platform and the other foot on the floor or resting off the platform.
  2. Release the safety catches and hold the handles.
  3. Lower the platform slowly until the knee is bent to about 90 degrees.
  4. Press back up without locking the knee. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep the knee in line with the foot. It will want to drift inward.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Sissy Squat

  BodyweightMachine

  Steps and tips

  Leaning back and bending the knees with the hips kept straight, rising onto the balls of your feet. A hard quad exercise done with body weight or on a sissy squat machine.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a post for balance, or lock your feet into the sissy squat machine.
  2. Keeping your hips straight and your body in one line from knees to head, lean back and bend your knees.
  3. Let your knees travel forward and your heels rise until you feel a deep stretch in your thighs.
  4. Pull yourself back up with your quads to standing.

  Keep in mind

  • Hips stay straight. Folding at the hips turns it into a bad squat.
  • Start with a small range and hold onto something.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A Bulgarian split squat with the bar on the Smith machine. The fixed bar path removes the balance so the front leg gets all the work.

  How to do it

  1. Set a bench behind the bar, get under the bar with it on your upper back, and rest the top of one foot on the bench behind you.
  2. Unhook the bar and keep your torso upright.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Find your foot position with the empty bar first. The bar path is fixed, so your feet have to fit it.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Smith Machine Front Squat

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A front squat on the Smith machine with the bar on the front of your shoulders. Works the quads on a fixed path with an upright torso.

  How to do it

  1. Stand under the bar with it resting on the front of your shoulders, elbows high, feet about shoulder width apart and a little in front of the bar.
  2. Unhook the bar and brace your core.
  3. Sit straight down as deep as you can with your chest up and your elbows high.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Feet slightly in front of the bar line so the fixed path matches an upright squat.
  • Elbows up. When they drop, the bar rolls forward.
• 

  Smith Machine Reverse Lunge

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A reverse lunge under the Smith machine bar. The fixed path removes the balance so the front leg gets all the work.

  How to do it

  1. Stand under the bar with it on your upper back and unhook it.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the floor.
  3. Drive through the front foot to bring the back foot forward to standing.
  4. Finish the set on one leg, then do the other.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and the front shin fairly vertical.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Smith Machine Split Squat

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A split squat under the Smith machine bar with both feet on the floor. Works the front leg with the balance taken care of.

  How to do it

  1. Stand under the bar with it on your upper back, one foot forward and one foot back in a long split stance, and unhook it.
  2. Keep your torso upright and brace your core.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Set your feet with the empty bar first so the fixed path fits your stance.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Smith Machine Squat

  Machine

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A squat on the Smith machine with the bar on your upper back. The fixed bar path takes away the balance so you can focus on the legs.

  How to do it

  1. Stand under the bar with it on your upper back and your feet about shoulder width apart, a little in front of the bar line.
  2. Unhook the bar and brace your core.
  3. Sit down between your legs until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Feet slightly forward of the bar line. Directly under it forces you to lean.
  • Knees track over your toes.
• 

  Spanish Squat

  Band

  Steps and tips

  A squat with a thick band around the backs of your knees anchored in front of you, so your shins stay vertical. A knee-friendly quad exercise.

  How to do it

  1. Anchor a thick band at knee height and loop it around the backs of both knees, then step back until it is taut.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and lean back slightly into the band.
  3. Sit down with your shins staying vertical until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Shins vertical is the whole point. Lean into the band and let it hold you.
  • Pause at the bottom for a second to feel the quads work.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  Split Squat

  BodyweightBarbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat in a split stance with both feet on the floor, with or without a bar. Works the front leg with the back leg helping with balance.

  How to do it

  1. Stand in a long split stance, one foot forward and one back, with or without a barbell on your upper back.
  2. Keep your torso upright and brace your core.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • A long stance. If your front knee travels far past your toes, step the back foot further back.
  • Log reps for one side. SetLift counts the other side for you.
• 

  Squat Pulse

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A bodyweight squat held in the bottom half, pulsing up and down a few inches without standing up. Works the quads and glutes with constant tension.

  How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your arms out in front for balance.
  2. Squat down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
  3. Rise a few inches, then sink back down. That is one pulse.
  4. Keep pulsing for the set, then stand up.

  Keep in mind

  • Stay low. If you come up past halfway, the tension is gone.
  • Keep your heels down and your chest up.
• 

  Stability Ball Wall Squat

  Other

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with a stability ball between your back and a wall. The ball guides you into an upright squat, which is easy on the knees and back.

  How to do it

  1. Place the ball between your lower back and a wall and lean into it, with your feet a little in front of you.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
  3. Roll down the wall by bending your knees until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
  4. Press through your whole foot to roll back up.

  Keep in mind

  • Feet far enough forward that your knees stay over your ankles at the bottom.
  • Hold light dumbbells at your sides to make it harder.
• 

  Step-Up

  BodyweightDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  Stepping up onto a box or bench with one leg and driving to standing on top. Works the quads and glutes one leg at a time.

  How to do it

  1. Stand facing a box or bench about knee height, with or without a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Place one whole foot on the box and drive through it to stand up on top.
  3. Step back down under control with the same trailing leg.
  4. Repeat on the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Push through the foot on the box. Do not jump off the floor foot.
  • Step down slowly. That half is where most of the work is.
• 

  Step-Up Lunge

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A step-up onto a box that flows into a reverse lunge as you step back down. Works the quads and glutes with two movements in one.

  How to do it

  1. Stand facing a box or step about knee height.
  2. Step one foot up onto the box and drive to standing on top.
  3. Step the same foot back down and straight into a reverse lunge, back knee just off the floor.
  4. Push through the front foot to stand, then repeat on the other leg. Keep alternating for the set.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright through both halves.
  • Control the step down. Dropping into the lunge is hard on the knee.

  Watch a demo on YouTube

• 

  TRX Lunge

  Suspension

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  A lunge with your back foot in a suspension strap. Works the front leg like a Bulgarian split squat, with more balance demand.

  How to do it

  1. Face away from the anchor and hook one foot into the strap cradle behind you.
  2. Hop the standing foot forward so you are in a long split stance.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just off the floor, letting the strap swing back.
  4. Drive through your front foot to stand back up. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and your front heel down.
  • Hold something for balance until you find your feet.
• 

  TRX Pistol Squat

  Suspension

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A one-leg squat holding suspension straps for balance and a little help. The way to learn the pistol squat.

  How to do it

  1. Face the anchor holding a handle in each hand, and stand on one leg with the other held out in front.
  2. Sit down on the standing leg as deep as you can, using the straps for balance and as little pull as you need.
  3. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.
  4. Finish the set, then switch legs.

  Keep in mind

  • Use the straps for balance first and strength second. Pull less each week.
  • Keep your heel down.
• 

  TRX Squat

  Suspension

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat holding suspension straps for balance, which lets you sit back deeper and stay upright. Works the quads and glutes.

  How to do it

  1. Face the anchor holding a handle in each hand with your arms straight and a little tension in the straps.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
  3. Sit down between your legs, keeping your chest up and your arms straight.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • The straps are for balance, not for pulling yourself up.
  • Sit back and keep your heels down.
• 

  Walking Lunge

  BodyweightDumbbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes and hamstrings.

  Lunging forward and stepping through into the next lunge, walking across the floor. Works the quads and glutes with balance thrown in.

  How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet together, with or without a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Step one foot forward and lower until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees, back knee just off the floor.
  3. Drive through the front foot and bring the back foot through into the next lunge.
  4. Keep walking for the set, counting each step as one rep.

  Keep in mind

  • Keep your torso upright and your front knee over your foot.
  • Pause for a moment at the bottom of each lunge rather than bouncing through.
• 

  Wall Sit

  Bodyweight

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  Holding a seated position against a wall with your thighs level with the floor. A quad burner, held for time.

  How to do it

  1. Stand with your back against a wall and walk your feet out about two feet.
  2. Slide down the wall until your thighs are level with the floor and your knees are over your ankles.
  3. Press your back into the wall and rest your hands on your thighs or at your sides.
  4. Hold for the set time.

  Keep in mind

  • Knees over ankles, not past your toes.
  • Keep your back flat on the wall. Sliding up when it burns is the common cheat.
• 

  Zercher Squat

  Barbell

  Steps and tips

  Also works glutes.

  A squat with the barbell held in the crooks of your elbows. Keeps you upright, works the quads and glutes, and hammers the core and upper back.

  How to do it

  1. Take the bar from a rack set at about waist height and cradle it in the bends of your elbows, hands clasped.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your chest up.
  3. Brace hard and sit down between your legs, keeping your elbows up.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand back up.

  Keep in mind

  • A pad or towel on the bar saves your arms.
  • Keep your elbows high so the bar does not pull you forward.