The thigh muscles are the largest muscles in the human body. The degree of their development largely affects the strength indicators of the athlete, his endurance and the level of physical fitness in general. In addition, performing leg exercises in the gym, the athlete has a positive effect on the health of the genitourinary system and reduces the load on the knee and hip joints.

Anatomy and functions of the quadriceps
The quadriceps femoris muscle consists of four muscle bundles, however, in exercises, the load falls on the quadriceps as a whole. Only slight shifts in emphasis are possible. The main functions performed by this muscle group:

Static, or holding the body in an upright position. It is the quadriceps that is responsible for ensuring that the knee joint does not give way while standing.
Dynamic provides knee stability when walking, jumping, running. Also, the dynamic function is manifested in flexion and extension of the legs, pulling the knees to the stomach, tilting the pelvis.
The structure of the quadriceps
The lateral thigh muscle is the largest of all the thigh muscles. It forms its lateral surface and is involved in all movements associated with leg extension at the knee.
The wide medial muscle of the thigh forms its inner surface and forms a roundness on the inside of the knee. Just like the lateral muscle, it is involved in exercises, the essence of which is to extend the knee.
Intermediate wide muscle of the thigh is located between the lateral and medial, and is partially hidden under their edges in the area of ​​​​attachment to the patella. Participates in knee extension and is involved in running, jumping, squatting.
The rectus femoris is the longest of the quadriceps muscles. It is located on the front of it, on top of the rest, and gives a rounded shape. This is the only muscle that is not attached to the femur. Participates not only in extension, but also in bending the legs.
Important: the quadriceps of the thigh consists of fast and slow muscle fibers, therefore, for the harmonious development of muscles, it is necessary to perform not only strength exercises, but also aerobic and static ones.

Basic quadriceps exercises
For the development of strength, endurance of an athlete and the growth of muscle fibers, quadriceps training should be based on basic exercises. They involve the maximum number of muscles and ligaments, and ideally occupy about 70% all exercise exercises.

Squats
Undoubtedly, one of the best basic exercises. Perfectly develops quadriceps and gluteal muscles, involves the muscles of the back, abs, and back of the thigh. The effectiveness of squats is proportional to their complexity and trauma, so you should not take a lot of weight without first working out the technique:

The neck is located on the trapezium or the back of the deltas and trapezoids – in no case on the neck;
The back is straight, the shoulder blades are tightened – so the weight is evenly distributed. Leaning forward overloads the lumbar region and leads to injuries in this area. To avoid the temptation to bend over, the chin always looks up;
The feet are slightly wider than the shoulders, but you can put them even wider for comfort and balance. Socks are spread apart;
The movement does not begin with the knees, but with the abduction of the pelvis back. Imagine that your task is to sit on a chair;
The knees remain motionless, in no case do they go beyond the socks. Otherwise, injuries to the knee joints cannot be avoided;
You need to squat to the parallel of the back of the thigh with the floor, but you can lower. The deeper the squat, the more the gluteus muscle is involved. But if the athlete’s goal is to train the quadriceps femoris, it is enough to squat down to a right angle.
You need to get up from the squat smoothly, without jerking, and in no case should you transfer the center of gravity to your toes. At the top point, the legs do not straighten completely, the knee is slightly bent until the end of the approach – this reduces the risk of injury.
Important: when doing this exercise, do not take your maximum weight. Too much weight loads mainly the gluteal muscles. For the harmonious development of quadriceps, it is sometimes worth replacing squats with a barbell on the shoulders with front squats.

Front Squats
This exercise is similar to the previous one, however, a different bar position shifts the focus from the gluteal muscles to the quadriceps. The execution technique is the same, only the position of the neck changes:

The grip is straight, the hands are slightly wider than the shoulders;
The bent arms are raised so that their upper parts become parallel to the floor;
The neck lies on the front of the shoulders;
The squat is performed in the same way as with the barbell on the shoulders.

Hack squats
Squats in the hack simulator work mainly on the quadriceps and reduce the load on the back. The lower back in this exercise is pressed against the movable platform, the hands are held on the rails, and the legs are located on the inclined platform. The width of the setting of the feet can achieve additional emphasis on the lateral surface of the thighs.

The exercise is performed smoothly and measuredly;
At the top point, the knees do not fully extend;
The load should be felt on the quadriceps, and not on the knee joints;
It is impossible to round the chest and go beyond the line of socks with your knees.
Leg press in the simulator
A basic exercise that allows you to work out the muscles of the legs with a lot of weight, while relieving the load from the back. The impact of this exercise on the quadriceps is achieved with a narrow setting of the feet.

The lower back during the exercise is well pressed against the seat in order to avoid serious injuries;
The knees at the top point do not fully unbend, and at the bottom point they almost touch the chest, forming a right angle;
The wide setting of the feet with the breeding of socks to the sides focuses on the inner surface of the thigh;
Lunges
This exercise can be done in different versions: with dumbbells, with a barbell and in the Smith machine. For a comprehensive and harmonious development of muscles, it is better to alternate these options from workout to workout. The exercise gives the greatest effect after performing other basic ones, for example, squats.
The feet are parallel, slightly wider than the hips;
The step should be wide enough so that the leg, bent at the knee, forms a right angle relative to the floor;
The knee should not go beyond the toe line and “walk”, in order to avoid injury, it should remain motionless;
The knee of the back leg should be as close to the floor as possible, but not touching it;
You should rise from the squat, straining the quadriceps as much as possible.
Important: when lunging with a barbell, you need to hold the bar and torso in the same way as with squats. When using dumbbells, the arms are parallel to the body; during the exercise, they do not move.

Isolation exercises for quadriceps
Isolating exercises will not give an increase in muscle mass, will not develop strength or endurance, however, their inclusion in the training is necessary in order to “finish off” this or that muscle, draw it, make it more prominent.
Leg extension in the simulator
This exercise works well on the quadriceps, drawing mainly the front surface of the thigh. When performing, you should not work with a lot of weight, since the load on the knee joint is quite large.

You need to unbend your legs to parallel with the floor;
The loin is firmly pressed against the seat;
Exercise should be done slowly, feeling the muscle that you are working on. Rapid “swinging” by inertia deprives the exercise of its meaning;
The number of repetitions is more than in basic exercises;
The burning sensation of the muscle is the desired indicator.
One leg press

Performing a bench press in the simulator with one leg, you give an isolated load on the quadriceps. The execution technique is similar to the classic bench press. At the beginning of the exercise, the feet should be placed in the center of the platform, after which one leg should be removed.

Maximum weight is not needed, for better pumping (filling with blood) it is advisable to perform more repetitions;
The lower the foot is on the platform, the greater the emphasis on the quadriceps;
This exercise will give the best effect when performed at the very end of the leg workout.
An important part of leg training is stretching the muscles. Lack of stretching exercises robs the fibers of elasticity, prevents their growth and slows down progress.