When it comes to quad training, Squats is the king. However, barbell squat is not the only exercise for big quads. In this post I am going to share some of the most powerful dumbbell quad exercises.
Table of Contents
Understanding the quads Muscles
The quads muscle is made up of 4 separate muscles.
- Rectus Femoris – The Rectus Femoris Muscle originates at the Iliac crest and inserts at the Patellar Tendon.
- Vastus Lateralis – The Vastus Lateralis muscle originates at the Femur and inserts at the Patellar Tendon. Vastus lateralis is the biggest muscle in the quad group. It lies on the outer side of the thigh.
- Vastus Medialis – The Vastus Medialis Muscle originates at the Femur and inserts at the patellar Tendon. Vastus Medialis is also known as the TearDrop muscle.
- Vastus Intermedius – The Vastus Intermedius muscle also originates at the Femur and inserts at the Patellar tendon.
All four muscles have the function of Knee Extension. However, the Rectus Femoris is also involved in Hip Flexion.
Best Dumbbell Quad Exercises
- Goblet Squat
- Dumbbell Lunges
- Dumbbell Step-Ups
- Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
- Dumbbell Squat Jumps
- Dumbbell Leg Extensions
- Dumbbell Front Squats
- Dumbbell Box Squats
- Dumbbell Sumo Squats
- Dumbbell Walking Lunges
- Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
- Dumbbell Jump Squats
- Dumbbell Lateral Lunges
- Dumbbell Hack Squats
Dumbbell Quad Training Tips
- Experiment with training frequency : If your quads muscles are not growing. Increase the frequency. You can start training quads once a week and increase the frequency upto 3 times a week
- Experiment with Volume : Ideally you should do 2-3 exercises per workout with 3-4 sets per exercise. You can increase the volume by 4-5 exercise and 4-5 sets per exercise
- Use Variety of Training Intensity : Keep one workout strength focused. Higher number of sets, low reps and heavy weights. Keep another workout Volume based, more exercises, more sets, more reps. Keep yet another workout based on Density. User supersets, decrease rest between sets.
- Keep 2-3 compound movements as the base of your workouts. Keep rotating isolation exercises. This will help you train your quads in all possible angles.
How to build quad using dumbbell exercises
If you want to build quads using dumbbell exercises you can follow a tried and tested strategy.
- Start with one basic movement which allows you to isolate the muscle. Go for higher reps and low to moderate weights. The reps should be slow and controlled. The idea is to build the mind muscle connection, get a nice pump and stretch in the muscles.
- Move on to the next exercise. For this movement select a compound exercise or any exercise that allows you to go heavy. Dumbbell squats, dumbbell sumo squats are good options. The idea to go heavy. Lift heavy weights, moderate number of reps
- Finally you want to isolate and finish the quads muscle. For this, pick another isolation exercise. This time you can use shocking principles like rest pause. You can also use pyramid training technique or reverse pyramid training technique to really squeeze the last few reps possible
This workout strategy will give you a killer workout every time.
Dumbbell quad exercises bodybuilding
For bodybuilding you want to have both size and symmetry in your quad muscle. You want the muscle to be thick and at the same time each muscle should be well developed.
Exercises for Vastus lateralis
To isolate the lateralis, focus on a narrow grip and rotate your legs slightly outwards.
- Dumbbell squats with narrow grip
- dumbbell lateral lunges
- Closed stands dumbbell front squat
Exercises for Vastus Medialis
To isolate the medialis, use a narrow grip and a feet elevated position.
- Bulgarian split squat
- Dumbbell walking lunges
Exercises for Rectus Femoris
- Dumbell Front Squats
- Dumbbell Squat Jumps
- Sissy squat
- Dumbbell split squats
Exercises for Vastus Intermedius
- Dumbbell Box Squat
- Front foot elevated squats
Dumbbell quad exercises for beginners
As a beginner you should focus on exercises
- Dumbbell goblet squats
- Dumbbell lunges
- Dumbbell step up
Dumbbell quad exercises for mass
- Dumbbell squats
- Goblet squats
- Bulgarian split squats
Dumbbell quad workouts
Here are complete dumbbell quad workouts for you.
For each exercise keep a rest period of 60-90 secs.
Make sure you do the exercise in a slow, controlled manner.
For weights, just keep as much that allows you to do the rep. The reps should be challenging.
Dumbbell quad workouts Plan A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Goblet Squat | 4 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Lunges | 4 | 8-12/leg |
| Dumbbell Step-ups | 4 | 8-12/leg |
Dumbbell quad workouts Plan B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat | 4 | 8-12/leg |
| Dumbbell Walking Lunges | 4 | 8-12/leg |
| Dumbbell Sumo Squat | 4 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell quad workouts Plan C
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Front Squat | 4 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Reverse Lunge | 4 | 8-12/leg |
| Dumbbell Lateral Lunges | 4 | 8-12/leg |
Summary
Dumbbell is an excellent tool for building quad muscles. It allows you a greater range of motion than machines and gives more flexibility to experiment with position and angles. This helps you target the individual quad muscles in a better way. Go ahead and use these dumbbell quad exercises for bigger and more muscular quads.
References
https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsr/29/2/article-p200.xml
https://www.jrheum.org/content/46/2/198
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974862
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14763141.2020.1727559
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21839557
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4640053
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13102-017-0077-x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24345718
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1466853X05000350
