Active quadriceps (front thighs) strengthening and flexibility at the same time. Effective quads mobility drill with your bodyweight.
These are great strengthening drills for increasing both strength and flexibility in your front thighs. Also check our previous part of the same series:
- Active Hamstring Flexibility (Vahva Leg Training)
Start cautiously! Use a wall or a doorframe for assistance in the beginning - this one is as difficult as it looks. Counterweight with dumbbells or weight plates will also work incredibly well.
You sit on your knees and then just lean backwards to feel a nice stretch in your quads. Then you use the strength of your quads to raise yourself up.
The great thing about these ones is that you can target different parts of the front thighs (quadriceps).
Quadriceps muscle has 4 heads: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. With this drill you can hit many heads of the quadriceps. It's also done with bodyweight which makes it an unique exercise.
How to target different parts of the quadriceps:
- Adjust the width of the stance (narrow - wide)
- Change the position of your feet (inwards, outwards - external rotation and internal rotation).
You can expect to see nice gains in size and performance of your quads with this exercise. Strong quads will also keep your knees and hips safe from injuries.
Just start safe and light - use the wall/door frame for assistance! Don't overdo it - adjust the difficulty of the exercise to your level of fitness.
Train hard, stay safe.
