Tip Heavy Weight High Reps for Big Quads Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Heavy Weight High Reps for Big Quads High-rep sets build muscle Heavier low-rep sets do too Here' s how to do them both in the same workout by Mark Dugdale January 11, 2017March 2, 2022 Tags Tips, Training Killer Quads What's the best way to build quads? Either the leg press or hack squat with ascending and/or descending reps. Each machine removes the required stabilization associated with barbell squats. The possibility of losing your balance is gone, so you're free to focus all your energy on quad contraction. Yes, I believe instability techniques can activate more muscle fibers, but I've seen the most growth when I can harness the mind-muscle connection with heavy weight. Some favor lighter weight and high reps for quad development, while others opt for max effort low-rep schemes. I do believe in the metabolic hormone cascade which follows a very high rep (20-30) set of hacks or presses on occasion, but exclusively high rep sets failed to bring me the greatest gains. Low reps (5-8) have always given me the best results, but the risk of injury increases substantially when moving maximum pounds. Thankfully, I've got a solution which harnesses the benefits of both high and low reps. Most serious lifters are familiar with drop sets, but few of them do ascending sets. Leg Press Workout Ascending Sets Set 1 – 12 reps with 2 plates per side Set 2 – 12 reps with 3 plates per side Set 3 – 12 reps with 4 plates per side Set 4 – 12 reps with 5 plates per side Now that you're warmed up, it gets "fun." Set 5 – 5 reps with 6 plates per side Then, without rest, add just one plate to one side and do 5 more reps. Again with rest, add one more plate for another 5 reps. Repeat the one-plate addition two more times. You'll end up with 8 plates per side. In the end you'll have done 25 total reps via 5-reps bouts with brief pauses while a training partner adds plates. You get the pump and the hormonal cascade as you would with a high rep, low weight set, but your last bout of 5 reps is likely a little less weight than a max effort, low rep set due to the accumulated fatigue which mitigates safety concerns. If you're really adventurous, you can actually do both ascending and descending in one set, like this hack squat workout: Note: To achieve overall leg development (not just quads) nothing beats the conventional barbell squat with a medium foot placement. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Front Squat on the Smith Machine Forget what the little functional training nerds say. If your main goal is big legs, the Smith machine beats the basic barbell. Here's why. Tips, Training Paul Carter July 31 Training Tip Do Pull-Throughs for Stronger Squats and a Great Butt Figure competitors and guys who squat 900 pounds have something in common. They use cable pull-throughs to build great posterior chains. Here's how. Tips, Training Tony Gentilcore October 28 Training Tip Cable Superset for Forearms Want bigger forearms? Try this continuous tension superset for four sets. Arms, Bodybuilding, Exercise Coaching, Tips Mark Dugdale October 7 Training Tip Tri-Set for Rear Delts Triceps and Lats Combine the face pull, triceps extension and straight-arm pulldown into one set when you're pressed for time or looking for a new challenge. Here's how. Bodybuilding, Exercise Coaching, Tips Nick Tumminello July 17