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16 Quad Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

If you want to target your quads, choose good exercises.

Here is a list of 16 quad exercises ranked worst to best.

The quadriceps are the large muscles in front of your thighs. They make up nearly half of your thigh muscle and they straighten your leg at the knee. The quads also help support your body weight when you stand on one leg.

These muscles are so powerful because they are responsible for a lot of movements that occur in everyday life and sports activities such as walking, running, jumping, squatting, cycling, and so on. So, if you want to improve how your lower body looks and get fitter overall, aiming for the quads is a great idea.

But what are the best exercises for the quads? A list of quad exercises ranked worst to best was developed by Jeff Cavaliere.

Jeff Cavaliere was the head physical therapist of the New York Mets for 3 years and is now a YouTube sensation. He delivers clear information without noise on his ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel.

Here is Cavaliere’s list of 16 quad exercises ranked worst to best.

athlete performs Bulgarian split squat with dumbbellSource: Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash

16 Quad Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

In this list of 16 quads exercises ranked worst to best you will see some of the most traditional exercises that people do to target their legs and, subsequently, the quads.

The criteria for an exercise ranking high or low in the list is specifically to target the quads and make them stronger and bigger, not taking into consideration the overall leg exercise. For example, if an exercise is great for building calves, hamstrings and target your quads as well, it is a good overall exercise, but maybe not the best for specifically giving your quads the run for its money.

The criteria, in a nutshell are:

  • How much can it create hypertrophy and muscle growth
  • Can it be progressively overloaded in different ways
  • Can the exercise be done safely

With that in mind, here are Cavaliere’s 16 quad exercises ranked worst to best:

Worst:

  • Sissy squat
  • Smith machine hack squat

Better:

  • Drop squats
  • Goblet squats
  • Heavy resistance bike (hill riding)
  • Leg extensions

Better Still:

  • Leg press (feet low)
  • Dumbbell step-ups
  • Sled push / pull
  • Dumbbell Spanish squats / TKE split squats

Almost Best:

  • Hack squats
  • Bulgarian split squats
  • High bar back squats
  • Dumbbell / barbell reverse lunge

Best:

  • Front squats
  • Belt squats
quad exercises ranked worst to bestSource: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Front squat

As you can see, the front squats are among the best of the best for developing the quads. This is the same conclusion we at BOXROX reached in 2022 when we wrote an opinion piece regarding “what is the best exercise for quads.” After dissecting a couple of lower body exercises, we concluded the front squat is better for quads compared to our 2nd place back squat.

Related: The Best Front Squat WODs for Electrifying Gains

Now you know some of the most traditional quad exercises ranked worst to best according to Jeff Cavaliere. If you want a deeper explanation of each of the exercises and why they rank high or low in his list, simply click on the video below.

VIDEO – 16 Quad Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

This is not the first time we reproduce a list of exercises ranked from worst to best. Check out this extensive list as well, if you are interested.

15 Biceps Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

Upper Chest Exercises Ranked from Worst to Best

22 Bodyweight Ab Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

Triceps Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

15 Back Exercises Ranked Best to Worst

22 Bodyweight Arm Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

15 Chest Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

15 Glute Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

16 Shoulder Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

If you want to go further in your knowledge regarding your lower body, check out this curated list of articles from BOXROX that we think might be useful for your goals.

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