Hey guy its JP and today we are going to go over 5 simple ways to TRAIN the QUADS at HOME.
I am continuing this series of ways to train your muscles at home, so you can continue
to work on your body, so you can run faster and longer! Now, lets get into the video!
Despite being unable to access gyms, runners should still incorporate exercises that target
the QUADS! Keeping these muscles strong are important as the quads are heavily involved
in running. As I mentioned before, they are involved in absorbing forces and providing
stability as the foot hits the ground as well as improving force output when you push off
the ground. By continuing to work on these muscles, this will better prepare your body
for the demands of running!
The most foundational and staple exercise to work on the quads is through the squat;
however, you may find it hard to load these muscles since you may not have weights at
home. Despite this, there are actually plenty of other ways to challenge these muscles.
Now, I will be going over ways to further increase the difficulty of the squat, so you
can better train the quads for running! The first way is to add External Resistance.
This is probably one of the most straightforward ways to further challenge yourself. Now, this
does not have to be through a kettebell as you see here, but rather any weighted object
that you can safely hold. This can include holding a backpack filled with books, a bag
of rice, or a grocery bag filled with items. By increasing the weight of what you are holding,
this will increase the demands required from the muscles to help you get up and down.
Another way to further challenge these muscles is by simply getting lower. By increasing
your squat depth, this increases demands on the muscles. However, what I will also mention
is to be aware of any compensations that may occur as you lower further. A typical compensation
is to excessively lean forward from the trunk. Doing so actually takes away loads from the
quads and puts it more into the hips. So, a good cue to follow as you try this strategy
is to try to keep your trunk upright. You will still naturally lean forward a little
as you go further down, but you will definitely notice the quads working more!
The third way to further challenge yourself is to Change the Tempo of the squat. You can
do this by slowing down the descent of the body as well as increasing the speed of it
as it rises up. The reason for this is because the quads work eccentrically during the descent.
To further challenge a muscle working eccentrically, you want to slow down the movement. Then,
during the ascent, it is working more concentrically. To further challenge that, you do the opposite,
and speed up the movement.
A fourth way to increase demands of the quads is to perform the squats continuously. Let
me try to explain what I mean. People tend to pause during different portions of the
squat, such as at the bottom position...and the top position. By taking away theses pauses
and working continuously through the repetitions, this will increase metabolic demands. You
may actually feel more of a burn in the quads when performing squats in this way.
The final way you can really challenge the quads through the squat is incorporating another
variation of it. To give you pratical ways to do this, I will go over some simple variations
of the squat. The first variation I will go over here is the split squat. This incorporates
more strength and coordination demands on the quads of the front leg. To do this one,
start in a staggered position like so. As you perform the exercise, try to keep the
trunk upright. Doing so will bias more of the quads rather than the hips during this
specific movement. Also remember that most of the weight should be on the front leg.
This will be the leg that gets challenged the most from this exercise. Due to this,
remember to perform this exercise on both sides. Anyway, once in position, slowly lower
down. As you lower try to keep the knee from collapsing inward. This will focus the exercise
on working on the muscles rather than relying on passive structures like the ligaments.
Then return to starting position, and you can repeat the exercise.
The second variation I will go over is the Bulgarian Split Squat. This is an advanced
variation of the previous exercise for more of a challenge. The difference with this one
is that the support foot needs to be on an elevated surface. Remember that the purpose
of this leg should really only be for balance and not much weight should be going through
it. Most of the weight should be going through the front leg as this will be the leg where
the quads are really working. Anyway, the cues are similar to the split squat, so I'll
just briefly go over them here. Make sure to keep the trunk upright. Then, maintain
control as you lower straight down. Now as you lower, try to keep the knee from collapsing
in to really work on the muscles of the front leg. Then, return to starting position, and
you can repeat the exercise. And those are 2 simple variations you can
try. Remember that you can also apply the other 4 methods to make the squat harder to
these variations as well to really challenge the quads.
And...those are 5 ways to further train the quads at home to further improve the way you
run. I hope you guys found this video useful. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. And
as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!