Nippard ranks the hack squat as the best quad exercise.
Powerlifter and content creator Jeff Nippard is renowned for his natural bodybuilding approach and scientific method. With a substantial online following, he consistently shares his tried-and-true insights on optimizing body and nutrition for a healthier lifestyle. Jeff Nippard offers valuable guidance to those seeking effective strategies to enhance their quad muscles. On July 2, 2024, Nippard released a YouTube video showcasing his top twenty quad exercises, categorizing them from best to worst.
This article provides a rundown of those exercises, offering insights from Nippard to help you select the most effective ones.
| Full Name: Jeff Nippard | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 178 lbs | 5’5″ | 10/6/1990 |
| Profession | Era | Nationality |
| Bodybuilding, Powerlifter | 2010s, 2020s | Canadian |
Jeff Nippard’s Ranking System
Before getting into the article, Nippard has a unique way of ranking his exercises. With this, you can differentiate the effects of one exercise from the other. The highest rating is the S, which he calls super and his most effective. F is called failure, and are exercises he wouldn’t advise you to do. Below is Jeff Nippard’s exercise ranking system.
- S – Super (his favorite)
- A – Strongly recommends
- B – Useful in specific contexts, but there could be better alternatives
- C – There are better alternatives, but could be helpful for certain people.
- D – Not a good option for many
- F – Fail (generally does not recommend)
He also states for a quad exercise to get into the S-tier, it needs to tick three boxes, which he lists as:
- Stretch and tension: High quad tension, especially in the stretched position.
- It needs to feel good: It doesn’t cause knee pain and has a smooth resistance profile.
- Simple progression: You can apply progressive overload by adding weight or reps weekly.
Jeff Nippard Explains Four Heads of the Quadriceps
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- Vastus Medialis (teardrop muscle on the inside)
- Vastus Intermedius (runs down the middle)
- Vastus Lateralis (on the outside)
- Rectus Femoris (a long flat head that also runs down the middle on top of the other heads)
“ALL FOUR HEADS CONTRACT TO PERFORM KNEE EXTENSION, WHICH IS WHEN YOU STRAIGHTEN YOUR KNEE OUT, SO EVERY EXERCISE WE COVER PERFORMS KNEE EXTENSION,” Jeff Nippard says.
Jeff Nippard’s 20 Best & Worst Quad Exercises
Combo Squat Exercises – F tier
Combo squat exercises include the squat plus press or the lunge plus curl. He says that with these exercises, your quads are way stronger than your shoulders or arms, so your upper body will always fatigue well before your quads.
Bosu Ball Squat – F tier
“BOSU BALL SQUATS ARE SO BAD I DIDN’T EVEN FILM THEM,” Nippard says.
He also says bosu ball squats are so unstable that the ankle does the stabilization work, limiting the amount of tension on the quads.
Barbell Back Squat – S tier
According to Nippard, the barbell back squat is a popular quad exercise. It’s effective for building your quads, and you can always add a little weight or a rep each week as you gain size and strength.
“IT OFFERS HIGH TENSION ON THE QUADS DEEP IN THE HOLE WHEN THEY ARE MOST STRETCHED. THEY SHOULD FEEL GOOD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOCK IN YOUR BAR PATH, AND THEY MIGHT BE ONE OF THE BEST EXERCISES FOR PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD PERIOD.”
Barbell Front Squat – A tier
Jeff Nippard says the barbell front squat is similar to the barbell back squat but focuses more on the quads. For bodybuilding, you can use the two-finger grip, the crossed-arm grip, or the strap grip. Whatever feels best, focus on keeping your elbows up, squatting between your legs, and standing back up with a tall chest.
“THAT’S BECAUSE WHERE THE BARBELL CENTER OF MASS IS SHIFTED FORWARD IN FRONT OF YOUR NECK, YOU’RE FORCED TO KEEP A MORE UPRIGHT POSTURE SO YOU DON’T FALL OVER. THIS INCREASES THE MOMENT ARM TO THE KNEE JOINT PLACING MORE TENSION ON THE QUADS.”
Low-Bar Squat – A tier
With the low bar squat, you place the barbell on your rear delts instead of your upper traps.
“RESEARCH SHOWS THAT WHILE THIS TECHNIQUE WILL ALLOW YOU TO LOAD MORE TOTAL WEIGHT, IT ACTUALLY SHIFTS SOME OF THE TENSION AWAY FROM YOUR QUADS AND ON TO YOUR GLUTES. THIS ISN’T A COMPLETE DEALBREAKER THOUGH BECAUSE YOU STILL SEE EXTREMELY HIGH QUAD ACTIVITY.”
Hack Squat – S tier
According to Jeff Nippard, the hack squat is a staple bodybuilding exercise with all the benefits of barbell squats. It also saves time to set up and perform, providing stabilization and balance on the machine.
“THE LATEST SCIENCE SHOWS THAT ON AVERAGE FREE WEIGHTS AND MACHINES CAN BOTH BUILD MUSCLE ROUGHLY EQUALLY AS LONG AS YOU’RE PUSHING YOUR SETS HARD. THIS IS TRULY A BRILLIANT QUAD BUILDER, AND IT’S OBVIOUSLY GOING AN S TIER.”
Pendulum Squat – S tier
Nippard says the pendulum squat is similar to the hack squat, except the weight moves up and down in an arc.
“I ACTUALLY FIND THIS RESISTANCE PATH FEELS MORE NATURAL THAN THE LINEAR HACK SQUAT, SO THESE MOVEMENTS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.”
Smith Machine Squat – S tier
Nippard says that with the Smith machine squat, you can push your quads close to or to failure without that same fear of falling over or needing to dump the bar. A study proves that training to a failure can strengthen your muscles (1).
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45 Degree Leg Press – A tier
For this exercise, flexing and extending the knee puts high tension on the quads. The 45-degree leg press is good for overload and makes you feel good.
Horizontal Leg Press – C tier
“THEY ALMOST ALWAYS HAVE EVEN MORE LIMITED RANGE OF MOTION. SO, IT’LL BE HARDER TO GET HIGH TENSION IN THE DEEP STRETCH, AND ONCE YOUR LEGS GET DECENTLY STRONG, YOU’LL PROBABLY MAX OUT THE MACHINE, WHICH MEANS OVERLOAD IS GOING TO BE MORE LIMITED FOR INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LIFTERS.”
Lunge – B tier
He thinks the lunge is best used for building your glutes.
“YOU GET SOME STRETCH AND TENSION ON THE QUADS, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS YOU GET ON THE GLUTES.”
Leg Extensions – A tier
“THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE LEG EXTENSION IS THAT YOUR HIPS ARE FIXED. THIS MEANS THAT UNLIKE SQUAT-BASED EXERCISES, YOUR RECTUS FEMORIS WILL ACTUALLY STRETCH AND CONTRACT HERE. THIS MAKES IT THE FIRST EXERCISE WHERE ALL FOUR HEADS OF THE QUADS WILL BE HIGHLY ENGAGED.”
Reverse Nordic – A tier
Nippard says the reverse Nordic has the same basic movements as the leg extensions.
“YOU CAN ALSO GET A MUCH DEEPER STRETCH ON YOUR QUADS HERE. THE SLIGHT NEGATIVE, THOUGH IS THAT THEY ARE REALLY TOUGH, MEANING BEGINNERS MIGHT STRUGGLE WITH THEM AND THEY CAN BE HARD TO OVERLOAD WITH WEIGHT, SO YOU’RE A BIT MORE LIMITED ON YOUR OVERLOAD OPTIONS.”
Goblet Squat – B tier
“GOBLET SQUATS ARE BIOMECHANICALLY VERY SIMILAR TO A BARBELL FRONT SQUAT, SO THEY WILL HIGHLY ACTIVATE YOUR QUADS, BUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HOLD A DUMBBELL IN YOUR HANDS.”
Jump Squat – F tier
“JUMP SQUATS WILL BURN SOME CALORIES. THEY AREN’T TERRIBLE FOR BUILDING EXPLOSIVE POWER, BUT AS A MUSCLE BUILDER, THEY ARE JUST TOO MANY OTHER BETTER OPTIONS OUT THERE THAT WILL PROVIDE MORE TENSION AND MORE OVERLOAD.”
Bulgarian Split Squat – S tier
Jeff Nippard considers Bulgarian split squats a brutal exercise, but they do the job of building your quads.
“YOU’LL GET A HUGE STRETCH ON YOUR QUADS AND DOING EACH LEG UNILATERALLY CAN BE VERY HELPFUL FOR PREVENTING ANY LEFT TO RIGHT MUSCLE IMBALANCES, BUT BECAUSE THEY’RE SO FATIGUING AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY CHALLENGING I USUALLY ONLY PROGRAM TWO SETS OF THESE PER WORKOUT. YOUR QUADS WILL GET MORE SORE DOING THESE THAN ON ALMOST ANY OTHER EXERCISE.”
Deadlift – C tier
According to Nippard, deadlifts are a much better strength and glute builder.
“YOU’LL GET A BIT MORE QUAD INVOLVEMENT IF YOU DEADLIFT WITH A SUMO STANCE, BUT THEY STILL DON’T HOLD THE CANDLE TO SQUATS.”
Step Ups – C tier
“STEP UPS ARE EQUALLY NOT FUN LIKE BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS, BUT ALSO LESS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE YOU GET LESS QUAD STRETCH AND THEY’RE LESS STABLE. THEY DO OFFER A PRETTY SOLID GLUTE STIMULUS.”
Pistol Squat – C tier
Nippard considers pistol squats to be impressive movements but challenging to perform.
“FOR ME, IF YOU’RE LIMITED TO AT-HOME WORKOUTS OR BODY WEIGHT TRAINING, I THINK THEY’RE GREAT, BUT ASSUMING YOU HAVE GYM ACCESS, THERE ARE JUST SO MANY BETTER OPTIONS.”
Sissy Squat – B tier
Sissy squats are similar to reverse Nordics and work your quad muscles.
“DON’T LET THE NAME DECEIVE YOU, THESE ARE VERY CHALLENGING. THAT SAID, THEY ARE A BIT HARDER TO LOAD, SO I FIND THEM MAINLY LIMITED TO ADDING REPS WHEN IT COMES TO PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD, AND I FIND THAT THEY HAVE MORE OF A LEARNING CURVE THAN THE OTHER SQUAT OPTIONS.”
Wrapping Up
Jeff Nippard broke down the list of best and worst exercises you can use to grow your quad and ended the video with what he considers by highlighting just two:
- Hack Squat: Best Exercise for Quads
- Bosu Ball Squat: Worst Exercise for Quads
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References
- Nóbrega, S. R., & Libardi, C. A. (2016). Is Resistance Training to Muscular Failure Necessary?. Frontiers in physiology, 7, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2016.00010
