Bodybuilding Wizard

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Portion Guide: How to easily track your food intake without weighing your groceries
    • What is Plyometric Training: Definition and Exercises
    • In-Depth Review: Crazy Nutrition’s Ultimate CRN-5 Creatine Formula
    • 8 practical ways to enrich your meals with protein
    • The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine
    • Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities
    • Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development
    • Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?
    RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Training
      • Weight training basics
      • Advanced bodybuilding
      • Workout programs
      • Home weight training programs
      • Cardio workout
      • Bodybuilding glossary
      • Exercise equipment
      • Weight training accessories
      • Weight lifting injuries
    • Exercises
      • Chest exercises
        • Middle chest exercises
        • Upper chest exercises
        • Lower chest exercises
      • Back exercises
        • Middle back (latissimus dorsi)
        • Upper back (trapezius)
        • Lower back (erector spinae)
      • Bicep exercises
      • Tricep exercises
      • Shoulder exercises
        • Front deltoid
        • Side deltoid
        • Rear deltoid
        • Rotator Cuff
      • Neck strengthening exercises
      • Quadricep exercises
      • Hamstring exercises
      • Calf exercises
      • Tibialis anterior exercises
      • Abdominal exercises
        • Upper abdominal exercises
        • Lower abdominal exercise
        • Oblique exercises
      • Core exercises
      • Forearm exercises
      • Glute & Hip exercises
      • Kettlebell exercises
      • Foam rolling & Stretching
      • Explosive (dynamic) lifts
    • Motivation
      • Videos
        • Motivational videos
        • Funny workout videos
      • Pictures
      • Quotes
      • Funny Fitness
      • Transformations
    • Diet
    • Supplements
    • Anatomy
    • FAQ
    • Health
    Login
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    You are at:Home»Training»Advanced bodybuilding»Hip Versus Quad Emphasis in Lower Body Exercises
    hip versus quad emphasis in lower body exercises
    Advanced bodybuilding

    Hip Versus Quad Emphasis in Lower Body Exercises

    No Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Tumblr WhatsApp

    Hip versus quad emphasis in lower body exercises is an interesting and very important topic! In order to structure effective lower body training programs it is crucial that you have a completely understand the differences between hip dominant and knee dominant (quad dominant) exercises. Without knowing these differences it’s very likely that you’ll unwittingly neglect some lower body muscle groups and develop physique and strength weaknesses.

    The main difference between hip-dominant and quad-dominant exercises is quite straightforward. It’s all about what muscle groups and joints certain exercises target. With this in mind, a hip-dominant exercises will primarily train the glutes, hamstrings and adductors, working through hip flexion and extension, such as a hip thrust. On the other hand, knee-dominant exercises primarily train the quadriceps, working through knee flexion and extension, such as a leg extension.

    The key word here is “primarily”. This is because many exercises train and have aspects of both, but often focus on one or the other. Just because an exercise is hip dominant, does not mean it is not training the quads, and vice versa. Also, by varying how you execute different exercises, you can make hip-dominant exercises more quad-oriented and vice versa.

    Hip Dominant vs Knee Dominant Exercises

    The way you perform any given exercise can have a profound effect on which muscles are emphasized. For example, you can perform a squat with a relatively vertical or horizontal trunk angle as shown in figure 1 on the image below.

    squat: vertical and horizontal trunk angle
    FIGURE 1. Squat with (a) a relatively vertical trunk angle greater than 60 degrees and forward movement of the shins and (b) with a relatively horizontal trunk angle less than 60 degrees and vertical shins.

    Squat

    The trunk angle affects which lower body muscles are emphasized during a squat. When your trunk is more vertical, your knees must travel forward to maintain balance (i.e., quad emphasis). Conversely, when your trunk shifts farther forward, your hips travel backward and very little forward movement of the knees is required to maintain balance (i.e., hip emphasis).

    Basically speaking, maintaining a trunk angle of greater than 60 degrees at the bottom of a squat emphasizes the quadriceps more than the hips, while a trunk angle of less than 60 degrees emphasizes the hips. You can use the shin angle as a guide for determining which muscles you will emphasize. The shins travel forward to emphasize the quadriceps (see figure 1a) but remain mostly vertical to emphasize the hips (see figure 1b).

    Importantly, this categorization is not limited to the squat: It carries over to all lower body exercises. Two examples are appropriate here.

    Forward lunge & reverse lunge

    First, a forward lunge emphasizes the quadriceps since the shin travels forward. You can also perform a reverse lunge with a vertical shin angle to emphasize the hips, as shown in figure 3.

    lunge for quad or hip emphasis
    FIGURE 2. (a) Forward lunge for quad emphasis and (b) reverse lunge for hip emphasis

    Put another way, a reverse lunge spares the knees, making it a joint-friendly option for those who have knee pain.

    Deadlift

    Second, a deadlift can begin with the shins angled forward to emphasize the quadriceps or remain vertical to put a greater emphasis on the hips, as shown in figure 3.

    deadlift: angled shins for quad emphasis
    FIGURE 3. Deadlift with (a) angled shins for quad emphasis and (b) vertical shins for hip emphasis.

    Closing thoughts:  Hip Versus Quad Emphasis

    hip dominant versus quad dominant exercises

    When designing functional training programs, it is helpful to categorize lower-body strength exercises into either hip-dominant or knee-dominant movements. Organizing all lower-body movements into either of these two subdivisions can ensure simple and balanced programming.

    From a programming standpoint, both quad- and hip-emphasis exercises have their place to ensure complete development of the lower body musculature. That is why you’ll often see a hip-emphasis exercise in one workout followed by a quad-emphasis exercise in the next workout. Therefore, such an arrangement is no coincidence.

    Knee-dominant exercises like goblet squats, split squat variations, and single-leg squats primarily develop the anterior knee extensor musculature like the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis while developing the glutes and hamstrings to a lesser degree.

    Hip-dominant exercises like deadlifts and bridges focus primarily on development of the posterior chain musculature, specifically the glute and hamstring muscle groups.

    However, if you have cranky knees, an exercise that emphasizes the hips more than the knees might prove to be a better programming option, as opposed to skipping a lower body exercise altogether, which will impair your results. For example, if you see a forward lunge in your workout, you can replace it with a reverse lunge to spare your knees. Conversely, if you want more quadriceps development, you can adjust the technique of any hip-emphasis exercise to have a greater quad emphasis, as covered earlier.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
    krunoslav
    • Twitter

    Hey! My name is Petar, and I'm the owner and author of Bodybuilding Wizard. I started this website back in late 2014, and it has been my pet project ever since. My goal is to help you learn proper weight training and nutrition principles so that you can get strong and build the physique of your dreams!

    Related Posts

    Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities

    Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development

    Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    WE ARE SOCIAL
    • Facebook 181
    • Twitter 472
    • YouTube 101
    • Instagram
    RECENT POSTS
    February 4, 2023

    Portion Guide: How to easily track your food intake without weighing your groceries

    January 31, 2023

    What is Plyometric Training: Definition and Exercises

    9.0
    January 28, 2023

    In-Depth Review: Crazy Nutrition’s Ultimate CRN-5 Creatine Formula

    January 22, 2023

    8 practical ways to enrich your meals with protein

    January 17, 2023

    The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine

    RECENT COMMENTS
    • Justin Dew on Designing your own home gym
    • krunoslav on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • Christina on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • jack on Types Of Whey Protein
    • igtropin on Stiff-Leg Deadlift Technique
    LATEST GALLERIES

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    ABOUT
    ABOUT

    We are a group of bodybuilding enthusiasts and this is our effort to have all the details about bodybuilding on a single website. We strive to educate and inform our visitors so that they can make the correct training, nutrition, and supplement decisions on their own. Bodybuilding Wizard will make your dream body your reality and take you to a whole new level!

    POPULAR POSTS
    April 2, 2014

    Lying Leg Curl Exercise Guide

    February 18, 2019

    Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?

    March 30, 2014

    Workout Frequency

    BODYBUILDING WIZARD
    Bodybuilding Wizard Footer Logo
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    • About
    • Write for us
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Friends
    • Advertising
    Copyright © 2014-2022 BodybuildingWizard. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress. Made with love and lots of caffeine.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?