Foot Position and Leg Development

[unclebeets]

Just wondering how varying the position of my feet while doing legs changes the portion of the quad that is being worked harder. Which excercises are best for the outer quad and which are good for the "teardrop".

[RealMets]

I have noticed that by pointing my toes in..my outer quad gets more of a work out..and by pointing my toes out the teardrop and inner thighs get more of a workout..but that is just my experience...don't know about others here...!

[Warrior]

Also remember that if you are not training for Powerlifting than using close toe stances are best to target quads. The load will be lighter since your Glutes and Hams are taken out of play - for the most part... but it helps better target the Quads. Going closer than shoulder width is best and takng your stance forward from your verticle plane. This is easy on the Leg Press but Squats would require a Smith Rack or you would simply fall backwards.

As far as lower quads, think in terms of the infamous "runner's legs". Runners tend to have greater upper leg development due to limited range while sprinting or running drills. So to work your lower quads be sure to go allll the waaaayyy dooowwwnnn If you only do half Squats, Leg Presses, Hack Squats - you are not working the lower Vastus muscles (tear drops). Extensions are good but the load from a heavy full range Leg Press is better.

[unclebeets]

Warrior, I've learned a lot from you, your knowledge is obvious and I appreciate it. Thanks for your responses to mine and many other peoples questions, its appreciated.

[Warrior]

No problem brah! I gots a stack of over a dozen books that I keep rereading when I see a good question... this board keeps me on the up and up too. It's like my school work inbetween work and school

[Warrior]

Actually my day goes like this: Sleep, AR, School, AR, Work, AR, Workout, AR, REPEAT...

[unclebeets]

I hear you, everyday I spend more and more time here. Must say that I have dramatically improved my training knowledge since I started here.

[majorpecs]

Hey bro...so you think moving squats over to the SMITH machine and pulling the stance in will better hypertrophy the quads? I love squats...but since I am in the middle of a bulking cycle, I want to squeeze every gain out that I can get.

[Warrior]

Originally posted by majorpecs
Hey bro...so you think moving squats over to the SMITH machine and pulling the stance in will better hypertrophy the quads? I love squats...but since I am in the middle of a bulking cycle, I want to squeeze every gain out that I can get.

Pulling your feet closer together and moving them forward will better target the quads than if you did a traditional Squat. Try it.

[majorpecs]

This will also allow for more weight to be placed upon the quads, won't it? I mean, I should be able to use more weight than a standard squat.....

[Warrior]

No - you'll use less weight since your glutes and hams will be used less, which are large muscle groups. It allows you to focus more on your quads. Since you are targeting the one group - it will require less weight. But after using it correctly you start using some pretty frickin' heavy loads...

On Leg Press I am nearing the end of the bar for more plates, using a close stance and toes forward... so you are still eventually using a large load. Mind you my right knee is starting to hurt and click - but for awhile I was doing them extremely close to where my feet nearly were touching. That was probably to unnatural of a stance - so keep a minimal of 8 inches apart with feet forward off your verticle plane.

It's easy to rack the bar (or leg press for that matter) with a shit load of weight and use a wide stance but in the end you'll have a big enough ass to make Mariah Carey jealous.

A wide stance works Quads, Hams and Glutes which helps Powerlifters use more weight - but in bodybuilding where it is more form than function, closer is better.

BTW - I have seen people who complain a lot about lower back pain on traditional Squats do this with no pain at all.

[superbeast]

Warrior is right on everything he has said. Toes in will target the outer part of the quad and the sweep, while toes out targets the teardrop better. This can be done on extensions, presses, and squats. I swear by close stance squats on a smith machine. I think it is even better than any leg press for quad development. There are a few guys on this board that have trained legs with me, and they can attest to how well these techniques work.

SB

[unclebeets]

I did legs tonight, moved my stance in a close and toes straight ahead on squats..........best leg day in a long time. I ended up using less weight but better burns.

[Warrior]

I did them today too and almost threw up again. I busted the veins in my traps again too... Man... LEG DAY IS THE SHIZNET. Even with the close, forward stance I am still pushin' over a 1,000 on the Leg Press.

BTW - I did take note on something: Doing Squats on the Smith Machine like we discussed is like doing completely verticle Hack Squats - which are commonly recommended for working the Vastus muscles of the Quads.

[unclebeets]

Do you think that front squats are similar to the vertical smith squats that you are talking about?...........when I'm doing front squats my back stays completely vertical or else the weight will fall off the front of my shoulders.

[Warrior]

Originally posted by unclebeets
Do you think that front squats are similar to the vertical smith squats that you are talking about?...........when I'm doing front squats my back stays completely vertical or else the weight will fall off the front of my shoulders.

No because your feet are still positioned under your ass - in your verticle plane. I was reffering to bring them forward. If you do this free weight you would fall over.

Front Squats put your feet under you... not in front.

[unclebeets]

How do front squats target the legs differently than regular squats? Are front squats beneficial for anything? And next leg day I'll be sure to try the smith squats.

[Warrior]

Originally posted by unclebeets
How do front squats target the legs differently than regular squats? Are front squats beneficial for anything? And next leg day I'll be sure to try the smith squats.

Front Squats target the Vastus more than regular Squats.

BTW - because of the isolation in the Quads and less involvement by the Hamstrings... you should not over exagerate by placing your feet too far ahead of you. That was my downfall (I'm okay - just some right knee pain from months of exagerated stances with large loads ) ... so I am giving you a heads up. Keep your feet close together and in front of you but keep the distance within reason... just off the verticle plain. With Leg Press - there is only so far you can go - so this is easier to do correctly.

[unclebeets]

Thats all the leg questions I could think of for now. Thanks for all the help.