![]() ![]() Shallow squats predominantly target the quads, which are more active over the top half of the move.īut by selectively doing partial squats-or machine hack squats-with heavy weight, in conjunction with full-range moves, you can emphasize your quads and build massive size. ![]() Consequently, if you don't bring your thighs to a point at which they're parallel with the floor, your posterior muscles won't activate. Keep in mind that partial squats are counterproductive if you're trying to build your glutes and hamstrings, because those muscle groups work harder the deeper you go. However, when combined with full-range reps, partial squats can actually be a solid component of your quad-building strategy. Partial Reps, Full GainsĮver see a guy load up a heavy weight on a squat or hack squat and descend just a few inches? That guy is doing partial reps, and he's probably doing them just to impress himself. When combined with full-range reps, partial squats can actually be a solid component of your quad-building strategy. ![]() The multiple relative intensities are great for increasing overall muscular development. If you did your first exercise for sets of 6-8, knock out sets of 8-10 reps on the hack squat. However, if you have any kind of knee pain, you may want to avoid this technique because of the increased stress on the knee and connective tissues. Higher foot placement reduces knee flexion/extension, and thereby takes some muscular stress off the quads, so get your feet low and be sure to keep your heels down during your hack squats. Low foot placement will target the quads to a greater extent than high foot placement by increasing the degree of knee flexion/extension. Some compound exercises are better than others at recruiting the quads, and the machine hack squat is just such a movement-especially if you place your feet fairly low on the machine's platform. On those heavy sets, a spotter is useful to help you push past previous personal bests with your weight or reps. Pyramiding up in weight to a few low-rep sets (as low as 6) will help you increase your strength. If you like to experiment, you can position your feet in or out just a few inches to slightly alter the muscle-recruitment pattern.ĭon't be afraid to use challenging weights here. Instead of getting fancy with foot position, a shoulder-width stance with your feet turned slightly outward will generate the most power. Though it's not always a good idea to squat on a heel board, because it shifts your center of gravity slightly forward, which means the quads take on a greater portion of the workload. Despite the fact that you can't specifically isolate the quads with a squat, the movement is essential if you want to build big legs, and there are ways to increase quad involvement. Most leg workouts start with free-weight squats-and rightly so-since the squat is the single-best overall thigh builder known to man. We'll also give you a few intensity-boosting techniques to help push your leg training into the new growth zone. One obvious strategy is to add quad-specific exercises, but variations of common exercises in terms of foot placement and depth of squatting can also play a role in muscle recruitment. ![]()
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