6 Best Barbell Exercises to Build Monster Quads

The quadriceps are made up of four muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius.

The rectus femoris and vastus lateralis are located in the front of the thigh, while the vastus medialis is in the middle. The fourth muscle — the vastus intermedius — runs down the inside of the thigh.

The quads work together to straighten the knees and extend the hip, which is why they're referred to as extensors. As such, to strengthen them, you need to target each head of the quadriceps for optimal growth. In this piece, we will take a look at the best barbell exercises to help you build monster quads.

Barbell Exercises for Monster Quads

Here's a look at six such exercises:

#1 Barbell Squat

The squat is one of the most basic and effective exercises you can do to build your lower body.

The barbell squat works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. As an explosive movement, it also helps develop power in the hips. The squat is done with a barbell across your upper back or on your shoulders behind your neck (a front squat).

Here's how it's done:

Bend your knees till they're as close to 90 degrees as possible while keeping your torso upright when lowering yourself down and allowing only a slight arch in the low back while rising up again.
You should be able to breathe freely throughout the exercise without feeling short of breath, as you're holding too much weight in poor positions for a good breathing technique.

#2 Front Squat

Front squats are an excellent way to build the quadriceps. They're also a good exercise for beginners, as they:

Focus on the quads, rather than on the glutes and hamstrings. As such, front squats can help build your quad muscles more quickly than exercises that work other muscle groups.
Improve core strength by having you keep your abs tight throughout the entire movement. That helps you maintain proper alignment and avoid injury during the movement.

Start by lifting a loaded barbell up to your chest and resting it on your collarbone. With an overhand grip, squat down till your thighs are parallel to the floor, remembering to keep the weight stationed on your collarbone.

#3 Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat

They're done as follows:

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell at arm's length in front of your thighs.
Keeping your front foot on the floor, step back with the other leg, and raise it so that it's about two feet behind you, and the toe of that foot points forward.
Lower yourself down till the front knee is bent at nearly 90 degrees, keeping the back knee straight and driving through it to raise yourself back up to the starting position.
Perform 8-12 repetitions per side on each leg for three sets.

#4 Zercher Squat

Zercher squats are a great way to build the quads. They’re also a good exercise for those who want to to do squat but can’t because of back, hip, or knee problems. They're like regular squats, but you hold the barbell in front of you instead of resting it on your shoulder blades.

You don't need much weight at all for these squats and can easily do them without any weight at all if you want. You can even do them with one hand holding a dumbbell or kettlebell, if that's more comfortable for you.

The setup for these squats is pretty much like a regular front squat; however, instead of holding the barbell high, nestle the weight in the grooves of your arms. Bend your arms upward, and place the weight in the 'V' shape formed by your bent arms. Squat down till the thighs are parallel to the floor, and thrust back up.

#5 Squat and Press

The squat and press is a compound exercise that works the quads, hamstrings, and shoulders. To perform this move properly, you need to have good balance and be able to squat with good form.

To do this exercise:

To begin this move you will need a loaded barbell.
Make sure to keep the weight close to your body as you squat down till the top of the movement when both knees are bent at 90 degrees but not locked out.
Push up through both legs in an explosive motion so that all three muscle groups are working together to drive up from the bottom position till they're fully extended at the top of the move.

#6 Overhead Squat

The overhead squat requires both strength and balance, so it's a great exercise for building the quads. However, you have to be careful not to go too far down, or you will risk injuring yourself.

To do the overhead squat:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly pointed outwards. Hold dumbbells at arm’s length above your head, with your palms facing each other and elbows straight up.
Keeping your back straight and chest tall, bend at the hips till they're below 90 degrees.
Slide one foot back while keeping the other foot stationary on its heel; that will allow you to maintain balance as you lower yourself into the squat position that meets at 90 degrees.
Pressing through both heels, return yourself upright by driving through the heels first followed by pushing from your chest till you're upright again.
If that becomes too difficult for you or if there's any discomfort in any part of this process, stop immediately, as that may indicate an underlying injury.

Takeaway

A barbell is a great tool for building the quads. It’s versatile and can be used in both free weight and machine-based workouts.

Barbell squats are an amazing exercise to work the legs, while Zercher squats and Bulgarian split squats can help you develop strong glutes. If you’re looking for a way to challenge yourself with heavy weights, try overhead squats or squat presses, as these exercises require a lot of grip strength and balance.