If it’s leg day, you’re in luck, Jeff Nippard curated scientific research to offer his best advice for growing the quads. In his latest YouTube video, Nippard broke down 20 of the best and worst quad movements for muscle growth.
Nippard has quickly become one of the most high-profile fitness trainers on the planet. He boasts a staggering 4.9 million YouTube subscribers, regularly offering nutrition and workout advice to his fanbase. As an accomplished natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, Nippard’s athletic background is rooted in science and on-the-ground experience.
Jeff Nippard Ranks 20 of the Best and Worse Exercises for Growing the Quads
First, Nippard provided his ranking system and the criteria an exercise needs to meet to qualify for the S tier.
How Nippard Ranks Each Exercise
S tier – My favorite. Do them if you can.
A tier – Strongly recommend.
B tier – I still do these in certain contexts. There may be better options.
C tier – There are better options for most people. Can still have value in some contexts.
D tier – Probably not a great option for most people.
F tier – Generally not recommended.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
Criteria for Quad Exercises to Reach S Tier
- Stretch and tension
- It needs to feel good (doesn’t cause any pain and smooth resistance profile)
- Simple progression (apply progressive overload by adding weight/reps week to week)
Four heads of the Quadricep
Before diving into each exercise, Nippard named all four heads of the quadriceps muscles.
- Vastus Medialis
- Vastus Intermedius
- Vastus Lateralis
- Rectus Femoris
You can find his rankings below, complete with his insight and justifications for each selection:
Combo Squat Exercises – F tier
“Let’s get the worst out of the way so you guys odn’t waste any time on them. Squat combination exercises like the squat plus press or the lunge plus curl are going straight into F-tier.”
Bosu Ball Squat – F tier
“Bosu ball squats are so bad I didn’t even film them. The problem is because they are so unstable, your ankle ends up doing a lot of the stabilization work and that severely limits the amount of tension that your quads receive.”
Barbell Back Squat – S tier
“It offers high tension on the quads deep in the hole when they are most stretched. They should feel good especially when you lock in your bar path and they might be one of the best exercises for progressive overload period.”
Barbell Front Squat – A tier
“The barbell front squat has all the same upsides of the barbell back squat except it actually shifts even more tension to the quads. That’s because where the barbell center of mass is shifted forward in front of your neck, you’re forced to keep a more upright posture so you don’t fall over.”
Low-Bar Squat – A tier
“A low bar squat, you shift the barbell down two or three inches so it sits on your rear delts instead of your upper traps. Research shows that while this technique will allow you to load more total weight, it actually shifts some of the tension away from your quads and on to your glutes. This isn’t a complete dealbreaker though because you still see extremely high quad activity.”
Hack Squat – S tier
“The hack squat is a long-time bodybuilding staple and it ticks all of the same boxes as the barbell squats plus it has a few extra benefits. You can generally get your sets done a bit faster because there’s less setup, and you’ll be a bit more locked in, meaning less stabilization work and potentially more direct quad tension. You can play with foot position to find a comfortable spot without worrying about your balance.”
Smith Machine Squat – S tier
“I think the best thing about the Smith machine is you can actually push your quads close to or to failure without that same fear of falling over or needing to dump the bar.”
45 Degree Leg Press – A tier
“Since you’re also flexing and extending the knee, the quads will of course receive high tension. However, I do find that a lot of leg presses don’t allow me to get as deep as I can get on a squat.”
Horizontal Leg Press – C tier
“The horizontal leg press is worse in my opinion because they almost always have even more limited range of motion. So, it’ll be harder to get high tension in the deep stretch and once your legs get decently strong, you’ll probably max out the machine, which means overload is going to be more limited for intermediate to advanced lifters.”
Lunge – B tier
“The lunge is a better glute builder than a quad builder in my experience even though it will grow both. You get some stretch and tension on the quads but not as much as you get on the glutes.”
Leg Extension – A tier
“The great thing about the leg extension is that your hips are fixed. This means that, unlike squat-based exercises, your rectus femoris will actually stretch and contract here. This makes it the first exercise where all four heads of the quads will be highly engaged.”
Reverse Nordic – A tier
“The reverse Nordic is the same basic movement as the leg extension except they have the added benefit of being more accessible. You don’t need a leg extension machine to do them. You can also get a much deeper stretch on your quads here.”
Goblet Squat – B tier
“Goblet squats are biomechanically very similar to a barbell front squat so they will highly activate your quads but because you have to hold the dumbbell in your hands, they are actually a lot harder to overload.”
Jump Squat – F tier
“Jump squats will burn some calories. They aren’t terrible for building explosive power, but as a muscle builder, they are just too many other better options out there that will provide more tension and more overload.”
Bulgarian Split Squat – S tier
“Bulgarian split squats are brutal but they sure do work. You’ll get a huge stretch on your quads in doing each leg unilaterally can be very helpful for preventing any left-to-right muscle imbalances but because they are so fatiguing and psychologically challenging, I usually only program two sets of these per workout.”
Deadlift – C tier
“Deadlifts do activate the quads but not nearly as much as squats too. That’s not surprising when you look at the side view,” shares Jeff Nippard.
Step Ups – C tier
“Step ups are equally not fun like Bulgarian split squats, but also less effective because you get less quad stretch.”
Pistol Squat – C tier
“Pistol squats are an impressive movement if you can do them but the lack of stability and overload limitations knock them down quite a bit for me.”
Sissy Squat – A tier
“They get a huge stretch on your quads and don’t let the name deceive you, these are very challenging. That said, they are a bit harder to load so I find them mainly limited to adding reps when it comes to progressive overload and I find that they have more of a learning curve than the other squat options.”
Best Exercise for Quads: Hack Squat
Worst Exercise for Quads: Bosu Ball Squat
This wasn’t Nippard’s first time ranking 20 of the best and worst exercises for muscle growth. He also has broken down lists for the back, triceps, and chest. He used the same tier format and criteria to select his most favored movements.
Having tested the waters as a natural athlete in varying disciplines, Nippard’s science-backed workout knowledge can save lifters a lot of time at the gym. The next time you’re working out, try out his S-tiered exercises and witness more gains!
Watch the full video from Jeff Nippard’s YouTube channel below:
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
