Strong thighs are key to a powerful set of legs, which also proves a key factor in top notch performance during workouts and daily activities. This is why any complete workout program should devote some time and effort towards enhancing strength and size in key muscle groups such as the Quads, Hamstrings, Groin muscles and the Gluts. This article will look at how you can achieve this. We’ll start by setting the foundation through a look at the anatomy, before moving to some of the best workouts for the key muscle groups of the thigh. Let’s get started.

Basic Muscle Anatomy of the Thigh

The thigh has two main groups of muscles which play a key role in effecting and controlling movement in the Hip and Knee joints. Let’s look at how they are setup and their individual functions. 

The Quads (Quadriceps Femoris)

The Quad, or Quadriceps Femoris in scientific terms, is a huge prominent muscle which occupies the front portion of the thigh. The muscle runs from two spots on the frontal part of the Pelvic and thigh bone before inserting into the knee cap. The knee cap then sends a tendon which inserts into the upper part of the Tibia (Leg Bone). 

In fact, the Quadriceps is a group of four muscles which merge at the base to form a common tendon. The longest muscle, known as Rectus Femoris (RF) is sort of stacked on top of the other three which are more or less arranged adjacently to each other. 

The inner and outer parts of the thigh are occupied by the Vastus Intermedius and Lateralis respectively. The Vastus Intermedius occupies the middle part, just under the RF.

The sheer size and power of the Quads makes them a hallmark feature of a well-worked leg in general. The individual muscles of the Quad can easily be defined on the surface following a consistent workout program.

Action

The Quadriceps are key extensors of the knee joint. They also contribute to Hip flexion (lifting the thigh forwards) by virtue of crossing the hip joint to connect to the pelvis.

Hamstrings

This muscle group lies at the back of the thigh; extending between a bony protrusion at the back of the Pelvic Bone to the back of the Shin and the fibula. In actual sense, the Hamstrings are two groups of muscles arranged on the inner and outer pars of the back of the Thigh. 

In terms of function, Hamstrings are the key movers of the Knee whenever you lift the Shin backwards. Additionally, they also facilitate Hip extension (straightening of the hip joint, especially when coming from sitting to standing).

The outer portion consists of a muscle known as Biceps Femoris. The inner portion is a set of two muscles known as Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus.

Groin muscles (Adductors)

This group of muscles runs from the base of the Pelvic Girdle and inserts into the inner sides of both thighs. By virtue of their orientation, they pull the Thigh inwards; an action known as Adduction. They also play a crucial role in balancing up forces around Femur (Thigh Bone) to ensure safe and proper movements in a variety of directions.

Key muscles include the Adductor Magnus (the largest), Adductor Longus, and Adductor Brevis. A well-developed Magnus adds in an extra bit of width to the general frame of the Thigh.

The Gluts

Gluts are the key muscles involved in movement of the pelvis relative to the Thigh and Spine. They are also instrumental in some movements of the Femur relative to the Pelvis. 

Here is a quick summary:

Gluteus Maximus

• Located in the buttock area.  

• The largest of the Gluts and functions as the key extensor of the hip joint.

Gluteus Minimus and Medius

• Located on the sides of the Pelvis, connecting upper sides of the Pelvis with the Hip Bone.

• They draw the Thigh or the whole Leg outwards. 

• They can also tilt the Pelvis sideways if the limb is fixed to the ground. This makes them key stabilizers of the pelvis in basic physical activities like walking.

Basic Principles of Strength Training in Thigh Muscles

The fundamental principles of strength training for muscle tissue applies to all key muscles of the Thigh. Every workout, no matter how fancy it sounds, should demonstrate the following principles.

Progressive Overload

The idea behind this principle is simple. Muscles can only gain more strength and continue to do so if they are progressively loaded beyond their accustomed limits. 

Be careful here, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should get into the gym to try anything that looks like a mammoth weight. The load should be beyond normal but within safe limits.

To keep things simple, it’s best to use a loading concept known as 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM). If you’ve never heard of this before, 1RM refers to the weight/load you can only lift once for a given exercise activity. For instance, given the Leg Press, your 1RM would be the load/weight you can only Leg Press for once.

According to general recommendations based on extensive research, muscles can make significant strength gains if they are consistently subjected to loads within 80-85% of the 1RM. 

Thigh muscles aren’t an exception. Based on the Overload Principle, a proper training strategy would work towards this weight range by making appropriate increments in time. 40% of 1RM isn’t bad in the initial stages. The key is in committing to appropriate increments towards the golden range.

Specificity 

According to this principle, make sure you are training for strength, not endurance. Some folks tend to confuse an effective workout with a mammoth number of reps and sets. 

Science facts show otherwise. Muscles generally need heavier loading and fewer number of sets per session to gain more strength and size. Focusing on more reps and lower loads builds a muscle’s endurance or its ability to maintain a certain physical activity level for a longer period.

Free Weights are better

The past few decades have seen the advent of machines which are designed to isolate a number of muscle groups for more focused workouts. The Smith Machine provides a good example as it allows the user to perform Squats without the need for engaging other muscles to stabilize the load. 

According to recent research, free weights are associated with larger strength gains compared to most machines. The need for more control when using free weights enhances activation/recruitment of the involved muscle, in addition to other muscles needed to stabilize the movement.

Workouts for Building Strength and Size in the Thigh 

There are dozens of exercises which either isolate or emphasize certain muscle groups around the Thigh and Pelvis. Let’s take a look at the best exercises for each muscle group.

Best Quadriceps Exercises

Barbell Squats

It’s hard to engage in a serious conversation about effective Leg workouts without mentioning the Squat. 

The Squat is a great all-rounder. In other words, it has a rare quality of being able to heavily involve most of the key muscle groups of the Leg, Thigh and the Pelvis. These include the Quads, Hamstrings, and Gluts.

The effects are not limited to the legs. The core and back in general are also substantially involved to keep things stable throughout the movement.

There are two key joints involved in the movement; the Hip and Knee. Essentially, the Squat involves bending and straightening of the Knee and Hip joints, as the back is kept in a neutral position to keep things balanced.

Quadriceps are the most heavily involved muscles as they are required to extend the Knee, which is the most heavily loaded joint during the movement. There are a lot of variations of the Squat, which are essentially efforts to target specific muscles of the Leg. These include the Front, Overhead, Bulgarian, and the Romanian Squat. This section will focus on the good old basic Squat, which is an undisputed builder of the Quadriceps Femoris muscle.

How to do the Squat

Starting position

• The feet should be a little more than Shoulder width apart.
• Maintain a straight back and neck.
• Hold the Barbell at the back of your neck. Make sure it’s rested on your Upper Traps, and not the neck or Spine.

The Squat

• With control, drop down to the Squat position. The motion is the same as sitting back into a chair while maintaining a straight back. In other words, stick your butt out as you bend the knees to 90 degrees or less.
• Lowering yourself further than 90 degrees Knee flexion should load your Quadriceps more. However, a full Squat needs more flexibility and balance around the Hips and Knee. This makes it appropriate for the more advanced lifter. Furthermore, the basic Squat is sufficiently effective to trigger substantial gains, provided that you have a good loading strategy.
• The last phase consists of explosively extending to the initial position.

Note

• The Squat should be positioned at the beginning due to its nature, as a compound movement.
• Avoid curving the Torso forward to prevent back injuries.
• Do not bend the knees beyond your feet. This position places colossal stresses on the Knee joint; thus further exposing it to joint problems like Arthritis.
• Master the form first before you get to heavy loading.

The Lunge (Barbell/Dumbbell)

The Lunge provides a more dynamic exercise that brings aimed at enhancing dynamic control of the Torso in addition to significant gains in muscle strength and size. The exercise effectively engages key muscle groups of the Leg, especially the Quadriceps.

It is relatively simple to execute, and beginners can easily start with low loads or body weight. This makes it another staple and one of the most popular exercises for the lower body. You can use a pair of Dumbbells or a Barbell to keep up with the principle of Progressive Overload.

How to do the Lunge

• Position the Barbell across your upper back, at shoulder level.

• In the case of Dumbbells, hold them in each hand while keeping the arms extended on the sides.

• Take a step forward, sink with the load on contact with the ground by bending both knees. At the lowest level, both knees should be positioned in such a way that the lagging knee gets down towards the floor as close as possible.

• Reverse the motion by taking the lead foot back to the starting position. Repeat the sequence on the other side.

Note

• Maintain a straight back throughout the movement.
• Master the movement with low loads before progressing to heavier ones.

The Leg Press

The Leg Press machine is designed to provide better isolation of the Quads by providing a strong base of support for the Back and Pelvis. The support eliminates the need for heavy recruitment of the stabilizers of the Pelvis and Spine. Although this obviously makes it less of an all-rounder compared to the Barbell Squat, it still affords a great exercise for the Quads. Based on the principles of strength training, it’s best positioned after more compound movements like the Squat and Lunge.

The Leg press Machine is quite easy to use. Basically, it handles all the stability work for you so that you concentrate on engaging the Quads. All you need is to get onto the seat, and set your feet on the footrest before going forward with the forward press.

There is one more thing you need to know about the Machine though. These machines come in two main types based on how the parts are configured or arranged relative to each other.

The first type lets you sit upright and press on the weight to extend the legs flat out. The second type lets you push on the weight upwards at an angle (normally 45 degrees)

There seems to be some debate on the better machine, but all in all, you should be bound for an effective workout if you stick to the principles.

Leg Extensions

If you are more of a machine guy, Leg Extensions provide a good machine-based Quad isolation exercise you can add to your leg-work repertoire. Extensions are best used as a single-joint exercise purposed to complement the more compound movements.

Most machines allow you to perform the exercise in either sitting or lying position. All you need to do is to sit and hook your feet under the pads before straightening the leg to engage your quads.

The amount of Quad isolation is quite top notch and a few sets can drain the gas out of your Quads. However, there are questions regarding its efficacy in enhancing overall physical performance and strength. The fact is that when properly used, it can be a great way of enhancing your overall Quad routine.

Best Hamstrings Exercises

The Romanian Deadlift

Unlike the standard Deadlift discussed in our previous article on strengthening the back, the Romanian Deadlift is adapted towards involving Hamstring muscles. Indisputably, it proves one of the most effective ways of working on the Hamstrings and Gluts. It is also a safer way to introduce Dead-lifting to those with low back problems as it places relatively lower stresses in the back musculature compared to the standard Deadlift. 

How to do the Romanian Deadlift

Starting Position

• Use an overhand grip to hold the Barbell in front at mid-thigh level.
• Keep the feet at shoulder width apart.
• Maintain a straight spine.
• The shoulders should be slightly drawn backwards.

The Movement

• While keeping the back straight, hinge at the hips to take the weight down to your feet.
• Reverse the movement to reassume the starting position.
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Difference between the Romanian and traditional Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift is quite different from the traditional Deadlift based on the starting position and involvement of the knee joint.

• The Romanian Deadlift starts with a standing position as opposed to the traditional lift which starts down low from a Squat position.
• The Romanian Deadlift eliminates most of Knee joint flexion, thus limiting Quadriceps involvement.

Note

Keep things safe. Do not arch your back forward during the movement as it can be dangerous for your low back area. Start with smaller weights to allow for masterly of the basic movement.

Barbell/Dumbbell Squat

As pointed out earlier, Hamstrings are also heavily recruited during the Squat. The reason is that they are also involved in Hip extension and also play a crucial stabilizing role during both the extension and flexion phase of the squat.

Biomechanical studies reveal that the lower you go, the more the Hamstrings are involved. This makes going a little lower than the standard squat a great move for further engagement of the Hamstrings.

Hamstring Leg Curls

The Leg Curl is the Hamstring version of Quad extensions. The exercise lets you effectively isolate the Hamstrings in either sitting or lying positions. However, the lying position is better as it further isolates the muscle due to a broader base of support for the whole body.

The workout is quite simple:

• Lie face down on the bench.
• Take your feet under the pads until they approximate with your leg, just above the ankle joint.
• Bend the legs upwards, being careful not to lift the pelvis off the bench.
• Drop to the previous position with control.