Quad and Glute Workout: An Effective Guide to Toning Your Lower Body

The quadriceps (quads) work to extend your knees, while your glutes work to keep you upright and push your body forward. Keeping both of these muscle groups strong is important for walking and maintaining good posture and balance. Together, these lower-body muscles help to create a strong and stable foundation and help with various types of movements.

Below are some exercises that can help to strengthen your quads, glutes, or even both!

Warm-Up

Warming up is extremely important before exercising. A good example of warming up is jogging at a very light pace for around ten minutes because this will “warm up” your muscles and increase your heart rate, therefore giving you the stamina you need to work out.

A common misconception about exercise is that simply stretching your muscles before exercise is a good idea. While it does have various benefits when incorporated into a workout routine, trying to stretch “cold muscles” first may lead to injury when exercising.

In fact, passive stretching right before intense activity (i.e., sprinting, track and field) is not recommended as it may harm your performance. Simply put, some light active stretching can be part of your warmup routine, but it should never be the first part or the only part.

Quad Workout

1. Sissy Squats

Sissy squats are a form of exercise designed to strengthen your quads, hips, and core. While sissy squats can also strengthen the area around your knees and even relieve knee pain, there is a risk of injuring them if you do not do sissy squats properly.

Instructions:

1. Start by standing with your feet directly under your hips, then raise yourself onto your toes so your heels are off the ground. You can either keep your arms extended in front of you or hold certain stick-like objects.
2. Lower yourself into a squatting position while keeping your spine straight. Go as far as you are physically able to.
3. Shortly after you stop lowering yourself, lower your heels to the ground and stand normally to return to your starting position.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three sets of six reps

2. Leg Extensions

Leg extensions are another form of exercise that can strengthen your quads. This is typically performed using a leg extension machine, but you can also do them while sitting on a regular chair. While we will be discussing doing leg extensions on a normal chair or machine, there are also variations of leg extensions where you stand instead of sit.

Instructions:

1. Sit upright in a chair/machine with your back straight and your feet firmly on the ground (hip-width apart).
2. Extend your knees so that your legs lift against a resistance load in front of you.
3. Bring your feet down to the starting position and repeat.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three sets of ten reps

3. Barbell Back Squats

Not only do barbell back squats strengthen the muscles in your lower body (including the quads), but they can also help burn some real calories if done with good form and the proper intensity. However, they are as beneficial as they are challenging, so be prepared to put in the work!

Instructions:

1. Unrack the loaded barbell, so it rests centered on your shoulder muscles. Make sure to choose a weight that you are capable of lifting while maintaining proper form.
2. Place your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
3. Keeping your back straight, push your glutes back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a sitting position. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause for a moment.
4. Slowly stand up so that your back and legs are straight to return to the starting position.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

For barbell back squats, it is recommended to start off doing two to four sets of three to eight reps. The lighter your barbell, the more sets and/or reps you should do. You can slowly increase the weight of the barbell as you build strength.

For beginners, it is recommended to get comfortable with regular squats before attempting barbell squats.

4. Leg Press

Similar to the barbell squat, the leg press is an exercise that strengthens both your quads and your glutes but requires much less force from your body. However, the downside is that this exercise requires the use of a leg press machine; there are no known alternatives if you don’t own a machine or go to your local gym.

Instructions:

1. Position yourself in the seat of the leg press and place your feet flat on the footplate.
2. Push the footplate away from you using your heels. Never try to push the footplate with just your toes or the front of your feet.
3. Exhale and slowly extend your legs so they are straight with a slight bend in the knees. Keep your back and head firmly against the seat pad throughout all steps.
4. Inhale and slowly bend your knees to 90 degrees to return to the starting position.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three sets of ten reps

Glute Workout

1. Barbell Hip Thrusts

Barbell hip thrusts focus on strengthening your glute muscles alongside other muscle groups in your lower body, and it is an essential exercise! For this movement, you will need a loaded barbell and a bench or a hip thrust machine.

Instructions:

1. Place the barbell parallel to a bench, and then sit on the floor with your back against the bench. Roll the barbell towards you until it is resting centered in the crease of your hips.
2. Plant your feet, and lift your hips slightly off of the ground while keeping your upper arms (namely the shoulder blades) against the bench. Your torso should create a 45-degree angle with the floor. This is the starting position.
3. Squeeze your glutes as you push your feet into the ground before slowly pushing your hips towards the ceiling. Remain in this position for two to three seconds.
4. Return to the starting position by slowly bringing your hips back down, followed by your chest. Keep your glutes tightened and your core engaged throughout the process.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three sets of six to 12 reps

2. Bulgarian Split Squats

Bulgarian split squats are a single-leg version of a squat designed to focus on the glutes and quads. It is dependent on your foot placement and angle of the hips as to which muscle group is primarily targeted. The exercise also strengthens the core and upper body muscles, considering that you need good control of your balance and coordination to maintain proper form.

Instructions:

1. Stand two feet in front of a sturdy bench/chair with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place the top of your right foot on the bench/chair, making sure that your ankle is roughly aligned with the edge of the seat.
3. Bend your left knee, allowing your right knee and ankle to bend on their own. Make sure you’re engaging your core and keeping your chest high.
4. Slightly lean forward at the hips, so your left knee remains aligned with your left toes. Continue inhaling and lowering yourself until your left quad is parallel to the ground.
5. Pause here for a moment before pushing through the heel of your left foot to rise back to the standing position.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Four sets of eight reps on each side

3. Cable Kickbacks

Cable kickbacks focus mainly on strengthening your glutes but also work on the hamstrings, calves, and core. This exercise requires the use of a cable pulley machine, where you can set the desired weight on the pulley machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDM8Kz-aTaA

Instructions:

1. Stand in front of a cable pulley machine about two feet away. Keep your right ankle aligned with the pulley.
2. Attach an ankle cuff to a lower cable, then attach that cuff to your right ankle.
3. Keeping your core engaged and a slight bend in the knee, pull your right leg backward as far as your can by squeezing your glutes. Hold the frame for support to maintain your balance.
4. Slowly return your right leg to the starting position. Repeat the process, then do the same for the left leg.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three to four sets of 12 reps on each side

4. Abduction Machine

There is scientific evidence that using an abduction machine (a hip abduction machine, to be precise) helps with strengthening the gluteus medius, as well as decreasing tensor fascia latae activation to some extent. Working the abductors in your hips can help stabilize your core, as well.

Instructions:

1. Sit in an upright position with your back straightened and pressed against the pad. This is the starting position
2. Exhale and push the legs apart while the pads open up.
3. When your hips have fully rotated, slowly return to the starting position and repeat the process.

Suggested Sets and Reps:

Three sets of 15 reps

Final Thoughts

There is a reason people commonly say to “never skip leg day.” Strong quads and glutes allow you to maintain proper posture and do all kinds of movements in your daily life. As you grow older, the strength in these muscles will decrease, and these exercises reduce the loss of strength you will inevitably face. Of course, you do not have to follow these exercises down to the letter, but incorporating even most of this workout into your regular fitness routine can go a long way.