If you’ve got a pair of legs that work – train them!

Seriously though, those that train legs will know the importance of squatting. If you don’t hold squatting central to “leg day” then you don’t fully understand leg training.

Squatting recruits a tremendous amount of muscle fibres and as a result you can find yourself lifting some pretty serious weights, even within 12 months of starting out.

The gluteus maximus (our backsides) also get a thorough workout and like any other muscle group that gets significantly broken down, given enough protein and rest it’ll grow!

Now this poses a problem for some more than others, we all want big legs without the “squatters arse” so here’s a handy bit of advice for you. To maximise breakdown of quads without the glutes you’ve got 3 options.

1) Front Squats – The key here is keeping the back straight, as soon as the resistance goes to the back of the shoulders (in a normal squat) you naturally have to bend your back which inevitably recruits the glutes.

Front Squats can be done on either a free bar, or perhaps better to begin with, the Smith Machine. Step right into Smith Machine, place the bar over the front delts, crossing your arms so you right arm is over your left delt and vice-versa and proceed to squat as standard.

2) Hack Squat, works on the same principle – keeping the back straight, naturally limiting glutes input.

3) Pre-exhaustion, 6-8 working sets of 15-20 rep seated leg extensions will exhaust the quads adequately before any squatting movement. This again will spare the glutes.

All 3 options will all maximise your quad training with absolutely no compromise at all. You’ll no doubt notice you can’t lift as much weight, but that’s just a result of your glutes being spared and reassurance that you’re not recruiting those fibres.

If you feel you’ll benefit from this, try each of the 3 options ever other leg session while continuing to squat as normal. This fresh stimuli to your training will also invariably help you breakthrough any plateau’s!

Disclaimer: All exercises on this site are intended for healthy individuals without any present medical conditions. If you are currently experiencing any bone, joint, or musculoskeletal pain, we advise you to consult a licensed health care professional prior to commencing any of the exercises suggested within this site. The author, editor, and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility and liability for any injury arising from the use and application of the information provided within this site.