Hi. I am trying to build up my legs and I am focusing on the big compound lifts like squats and deads, but was hoping to find some excersises to add that may hit the inner strand of my quads more…my legs just taper down a LOT at the knee. I know just building muscle in general should help, but I thought perhaps someone would have some ideas for a supplemental excersise that may hit that muscle a bit more.
Thanks!
Try lunges. They hit everything.
If I understand you correctly you’re talking about the VMO. From what I know, no exercise has really been shown to isolate the VMO significantly, but lunges, deep squats, and terminal knee extensions should recruit it about as much as you can due to its attachment to the adductors and its function to control the patella at the end of knee extension.
Hope this helps some. Good luck!
Try doing leg extentions with your toes pointed out. This will put most of the tension on the inner thigh area. Same as for turning toes in , this will engage the outter quad.
Same thing for squatting, change the direction of your feet to hit different areas. Good luck!!
I had the same problem. A month ago I added three sets of leg press (10 reps) (feet close, toes slightly turned in, concentrating pressing with the part I wanted to grow) after my usual sets of 5x5 front squats. The distance already is amazing. Try it.
Kal-el, i have yet to see someone squat with his toes pointing inside and not tearing his kneecap apart.
[quote]Hekk wrote:
Kal-el, i have yet to see someone squat with his toes pointing inside and not tearing his kneecap apart.[/quote]
I agree, it seems that would cause more damage than benefit. Just try leg extensions with your toes neutral.
Also, Bauer started a thread about leg press being superior for quad hypertrophy. Search for it, there are alot of opinions on it.
time to flame you in Public.
I say stick to the personalized leg specialization routine CW made/gave to you. Really DO IT give it more than two weeks to show signs of growth progress. You are getting stronger size takes TIME!!! and food. You need to eat Oh and when your not eating and working on that program rest dont run, dont jog etc you want those stems to GROW they need to heal.
Flame over best of luck
Phill
OH and an exercise you may not have tried. Look at CT’s recent articles with the sissy hack squats I cant give personal GROWTH experience yet as Ive only done them twice but from that I can say they are brutal.
this link has some info too…
[quote]mertdawg wrote:
Do lunges/1-leg squats like this[/quote]
Damn, is that a split squat/TKE combo!?!? That is damn evil, very nice indeed.
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
Hekk wrote:
Kal-el, i have yet to see someone squat with his toes pointing inside and not tearing his kneecap apart.
I agree, it seems that would cause more damage than benefit. Just try leg extensions with your toes neutral.
Also, Bauer started a thread about leg press being superior for quad hypertrophy. Search for it, there are alot of opinions on it.[/quote]
Your toes aren’t really pointed inward just parallel and about shoulder width apart but it does feel that they’re pointed inward just because their so used to being pointed outward. Squating with this form is much more difficult and only about 75% of your normal squatting weight can be used.
Make sure to go below parallel. I’ve found the other best exercises to build quap sweep are 1-leg hack squats, walking barbell lunges and 1-leg leg presses. But more than anything it just takes time.
Quick question…
If you have a physical problem which wont allow you to do deep squats or most any exercise that takes the knee past 90 degrees under load to “optimally” stress the VMO, what else can you do? Save for the TKE’s?
I had a similar problem but I was actually trying to hit more of my vm, from glancing over your post it sounds as though you are trying to hit the gracillis ( I such at spelling so shut it). try single leg, leg press. I did it heavy (mainly cause I hate loading the fucking thing for two legs) and it made a HUGE difference in a very short amount of time (weeks).
also my feet were straight ahead, never bought into internally or externally rotating my ankles. never worked for me personally.
[quote]waltny wrote:
mertdawg wrote:
Do lunges/1-leg squats like this
Damn, is that a split squat/TKE combo!?!? That is damn evil, very nice indeed.[/quote]
Exactly! It’s my one real quad exercise now. Here’s some results.
[quote]waltny wrote:
mertdawg wrote:
Do lunges/1-leg squats like this
Damn, is that a split squat/TKE combo!?!? That is damn evil, very nice indeed.[/quote]
Except that I run the bands the entire width of the rack across the back so I don’t have to take any time to get set up-I just step over the band.
[quote]mertdawg wrote:
waltny wrote:
mertdawg wrote:
Do lunges/1-leg squats like this
Damn, is that a split squat/TKE combo!?!? That is damn evil, very nice indeed.
Exactly! It’s my one real quad exercise now. Here’s some results.
[/quote]
I might have to try those, I am limited in my range of motion with my left knee and this just may be my “magic bullet” for now.
Almost forgot, nice work on the wheels.
[quote]serpico wrote:
I had a similar problem but I was actually trying to hit more of my vm, from glancing over your post it sounds as though you are trying to hit the gracillis ( I such at spelling so shut it). try single leg, leg press. I did it heavy (mainly cause I hate loading the fucking thing for two legs) and it made a HUGE difference in a very short amount of time (weeks).
also my feet were straight ahead, never bought into internally or externally rotating my ankles. never worked for me personally.[/quote]
This is in response to who?
[quote]mj1 wrote:
Hi. I am trying to build up my legs and I am focusing on the big compound lifts like squats and deads, but was hoping to find some excersises to add that may hit the inner strand of my quads more…my legs just taper down a LOT at the knee. I know just building muscle in general should help, but I thought perhaps someone would have some ideas for a supplemental excersise that may hit that muscle a bit more.
Thanks![/quote]
Leg Press, feet shoulder width apart toes slightly pointed inwards, let knees come back to the chest then back to 95 persent lock out.
DB Split squats, supersetted with feet pointed upwards leg extensions.
Barbell Hack squats 1 1/2 technique.
