Currently on a overseas business trip and the gym here is very expensive so I decided just to work on my condos gym.
Equipment for leg training:
Bunch of dumbbells and benches
Lying leg curl machine
Leg extension machine
Currently I usually do
Bulgarian split squat
Leg extension
Lying leg curl
DB Lunges or DB Romanian deadlift
Any more suggestion? It is weird because I typically do like 6-7 exercises 3-4 sets each for legs and now I am running out of exercises to do, should I just increase the number of sets? Also while I can go heavy on bulgarian split squats or lunges, it definitely doesn’t feel as taxing on the quads as heavy squats or leg presses do
Try Goblet squats starting with a 15 secs hold, or with double contraction, or 10-6-10 method. Trust me you’ll feel your quads. Double contraction is great on lunges/split squat as well. Then if you want real pain try these mechanical drop sets for 3 rounds each:
_Close stance heel elevated heavy goblet squats 6 reps
_Goblet squat max reps
_Wide stance goblet squat max reps
Or
_Lunge short stride 8 per leg
_Lunge long stride max reps
_Dumbbell squat max reps
yes bulg split squats are challenging because it is hard to balance and can be as exhausting as normal squats but in terms of really putting the pressure on the overall legs i think squats and leg presses are a lot better but I dont have access to those
Here low double contraction: you go all the way down, go up slowly to half range, go back down then all the way up. That’s one rep. Also called 1.5 reps
These are awesome but it’s easy to feel more glutes. I almost consider them one of my hip hinge movements. However, there is a way to feel your quads…if you dare.
If it takes this long to feel fatigue or a sense of accomplishment then you’re not working hard enough. Work harder on the limited movements you have and you can improve.
Yes I agree. Especially if I go down parallel or slightly below parallel I feel like the glutes are stretched more. But that’s ok since I don’t train my glutes directly
thanks sounds like a great way to feel it more on the quads. I can go ass to grass with perfect form for goblet squats with but for some reason I don’t feel much tension on my quads when doing goblet squats even with heavy dumbbells, a lot on my glutes
Well maybe you have a big ass like mine? What I did was using some 2,5kgs plates to elevate the heels and try to be as upright as possible. These techniques help a lot as well! And the better your mind-muscle connection is the better you’ll feel your quads over time.
I had never done BSS until last year and they absolutely crush me. I definitely think these are a great way to hit legs with limited equipment at your disposal. Not sure what your overall goals are but I think if you just up the reps on the exercises you are doing you can at least maintain size, you may lose a little strength from not hitting it heavy but nothing that wont bounce back quickly.
I am repeating what others have said but if you have only dumbbells, try goblet squat with pauses and maybe some Bulgarian split squats and lunges. I like also dumbbell presses, swings snatches overhead. Heavy dumbbell deadlifts and farmers walks.
Yeah my ass is big but so are my quads, my hamstrings are non-existent though
To me compound leg exercises where I feel the most tension on my quads rather than glutes goes like this
Front Squats > Leg Press > BSS > Squats > Goblet Squats
Yes BSS are great but I just don’t feel like it is a great exercise for growth. I feel like it is great to make the legs more balanced and symmetrical and for strength. But I will try to pre-exhaust my quads with legs extension before doing it as others have said here.
