Exercise Guide: Quadriceps

There are literally hundreds of various exercises which target your quadriceps. However, I have found several exercises which are absolutely amazing when it comes to shaping your legs. It doesn't matter if you have a gym membership, because most of these workouts you can perform at home if you have some dumbbells or a barbell.

The first exercise is the Barbell Deadlift. This particular exercise is one of the most popular when it comes to working out your legs. Now, when you are performing this deadlift, remember to always think of it as a squat. You stance should remain the same, which means that your feet are about as far apart as your shoulders. Your feet remain pointing straight forward or turned out to a 25 degree angle at most. And your shins should be about two to three inches from the bar and then when you actually bend down and lower your hips in preparation to lift, the bar will then touch your shins. As you stand, imagine pushing the earth away from you with your feet. When viewed from the side, your hips and shoulders should ascend together. If the hips begin to raise before the shoulders, it means that you're using your back rather than your legs. If you find yourself doing this, than reduce the weight until you can perform the lift correctly.

The second exercise is the Barbell Full Squat. What you will want to do is position a barbell on the back of your shoulders and grasp the bar to on the sides. Put your feet at shoulder width and your toes and knees slightly pointed outwards. Begin to squat until your knees and hips are completely bent. You will then extend your knees and hips until they are straight. This workout can be done with dumbbells as well. There are some people who say that this exercise is dangerous to your knees, however, if you are careful with the weight, than there is nothing wrong with this particular exercise.