Building Olympia worthy legs requires a love for the details and fortunately Erin Stern, who is a two-time Figure Champion at the “O,” is always ready to share her winning tips for crafting an impressive physique. Recently, the competitor-turned-coach took to Instagram to share four ways that she uses each leg day workout to hit her quads more effectively. Here’s how to try these modifications for yourself.
In the video, shared with her almost 400K IG followers, Stern explained that the aim is to build some “impressive quads without doing a ton of leg extensions,” and we’re here for it!
Here are the four tweaks.
Leg Press Modification: Move the feet further down
“On your leg press, you’re gonna move your feet further down on that sled,” explained the dream gym partner. Those who are familiar with the leg press know that going heavy is a great way to build muscle in the legs, but fewer people realize that when the feet are higher up the plate, this puts higher emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes. To activate the quads, place the feet lower on the foot pad. This does come with some added tension in the knee, so select a weight that works best for you. “Really get a feel for it to see what feels most comfortable,” advised Stern.
Free Weight Squats: Elevate your heels
Squats are known for their benefits as a compound exercise, stimulating the quads, but a simple hack could make them even more efficient says the figure star. “I want you to think about elevating your heels,” encouraged Stern. “You wanna push through the toes. This is going to accentuate the quads,” she explained.
To try it for yourself, the canny coach advised utilizing a small plate under each foot, such as the 2.5 or 5-pound plate. “You wanna make sure that you have enough of your (front) foot on the floor to where you’re really pushing and putting your weight through the toes,” she explained. “Then you’re going to perform the exercise as you normally would.”
Bulgarian Split Squats: Get more vertical
“If you do these leaning forward, you’re gonna hit a lot of glutes, but in order to hit those quads, I want you to think about bringing your torso more upright,” advised Stern. “Bonus points for keeping that plate stack under your heel,” she noted, with heels once again elevated. “You’re gonna really accentuate the quads.”
Free Weight Squats: Hack squat variation
For her last tip, the buff beauty returned to free weight squats, clutching a single dumbbell with both hands. “I want you to think about driving your knees forward,” she explained. “Ands focus on keeping your torso perpendicular to the floor. This turns it into more of a hack squat.”
Once again considering the added tension on the knees, Stern encouraged that you go light on these. “Do a ton of reps, but really focus on keeping that torso perpendicular and your gonna build those quads like crazy!”
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