Thigh size
Flex, May, 2003 by Dorian Yates
Q: Can you recommend a basic quad routine that will bring up the size of my thighs?
A: To build basic thigh mass, stick to basic exercises. I would recommend the following three movements: leg extensions, barbell squats and hack squats. Some may be surprised that I chose barbell squats, as I did not do them during my Olympia-winning years. That was because I suffered a serious hip injury in 1987 (that nearly ended my career) and I was forced to abandon the exercise. However, that does not dilute my belief that for building thigh mass, the barbell squat is number one -- as it was for the first four years of my bodybuilding career.
Before launching into a quad-thrashing session, always do a thorough warm-up that includes 10 minutes on a stationary bike and a series of quad stretches. Forcing blood into the muscles and elevating core temperature is an efficient way to reduce wear and tear on joints, tendons and ligaments.
Start with leg extensions, an isolation exercise, to pre-exhaust the quadriceps for the heavy mass-building movements (squats and hack squats) to come. Keep your form tight as a drum.
Go for superstrict reps -- no swinging or relying on momentum to lift the weight. Extend your legs and pause at the top for a one count, before slowly tensing your quadriceps for a complete contraction. Do a light set of 15 reps and then a couple of ill-out sets with enough weight to induce failure between the 10th and 12th reps.
Now you are ready for squats. Don't fall prey to the egomaniacs in the gym, the guys who crow about the prodigious poundages they handle with no thought of proper form. As with all bodybuilding movements, full-range-of-motion lifting with perfect form is the fastest way to make progress. With your feet shoulder-width apart, ease under the bar and then lift it from its support. Keeping your head up and your back straight, slowly squat down (as if you were sitting into a chair) until the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then push back up to the start position. After two warm-up sets of 12 reps each, do three working sets wherein failure occurs around the eighth rep. Focus on the mind-muscle connection, and take each rep slowly and smoothly through negative to positive phases of the movement.
Finish with hacks to promote the all-important outer-thigh sweep area. Do a light warm-up of 10-12 reps, then do three sets where failure again occurs around the eighth rep. During this exercise, keep your heels close together and descend until your butt gets as low as it will go. Once again, no bouncing at the bottom -- push back up to the top for controlled reps. Do this routine once a week or once every fifth-day cycle and your thighs will soon be slamming on the size.
DORIAN YATES' SUGGESTED THIGH ROUTINE FOR BEGINNERS
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Leq extensions 1 * 15
2 10-12
Squats 2 * 12
3 8
Hack squats 1 * 10-12
3 8
* Warm-up sets.
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