Erin Stern’s 4 Quad-Building Leg Day Exercises for Olympia-Level Legs – Muscle & Fitness

Building Olympia-worthy legs requires attention to detail, and luckily Erin Stern, a two-time figure champion at the “O,” is always ready to share her winning tips for creating an impressive body. Recently, the competitor and coach took to Instagram to share four ways she uses every leg day workout to hit her quads more effectively. Here’s how to try out these changes for yourself.

In the video shared with her nearly 400,000 IG followersStern explained that the goal is to build some “impressive quads without doing a ton of leg extensions,” and that’s what we’re here for!

Here are the four adjustments.

Leg Press adjustment: Move feet further down

“During your leg press, you move your feet further down the sled,” the dream gym partner explained. Those familiar with the leg press know that going heavy is a great way to build muscle in the legs, but fewer people realize that when the feet are higher on the plate, it puts greater emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes. To activate the quads, place the feet lower on the foot pad. This does put some extra tension in the knee, so choose a weight that suits you best. “Really get a feel for what feels most comfortable,” Stern advised.

Free weight squats: Raise your heels

Squats are known for their benefits as a compound exercise, stimulating the quads, but a simple hack could make them even more efficient, says the figure star. “I want you to think about raising your heels,” Stern encouraged. “You want to push through the toes. This is going to accentuate the quads,” she explained.

To try it yourself, the smart coach recommended using a small plate under each foot, such as the 2.5- or 5-pound board. “You want to make sure you have enough of your (fore) foot on the ground so that you’re really pushing and putting your weight through the toes,” she explained. “Then you perform the exercise as you normally would.”

Bulgarian Split Squats: Get more vertical

“If you do this while leaning forward, you’ll hit a lot of glutes, but to hit those quads, I want you to think about making your torso more upright,” Stern advised. “Bonus points for keeping that stack of plates under your heel,” she commented, raising her heels again. “You’re really going to accentuate the quads.”

Free weight squats: Hack squat variation

For her final tip, the muscular beauty returned to free weight squats, holding a single dumbbell with both hands. “I want you to think about pushing your knees forward,” she explained. “And focus on keeping your torso perpendicular to the floor, making it more of a hack squat.”

Again considering the added stress on the knees, Stern encouraged that you take it lightly. “Do lots of reps, but really focus on keeping your torso perpendicular and you’ll build those quads like crazy!”

To follow Erin Stern on Instagram, click here.