If you’re eager to build muscle mass in your legs, develop a toned lower body, and improve strength, then the quads are a great set of muscles to start working out with. You might be wondering where to start, luckily this short dumbbell routine shows how you can grow your quads in just five moves.
The quadriceps are a group of four muscles located in the front of the thighs that can visually create a strong, muscular appearance when trained frequently and help extend the knee. So adding some of the best leg workouts to your fitness regimen will not only help develop a more defined physique, it will also make activities like walking, running, and jumping easier.
This lower-body workout, developed by a fitness instructor dani.fit (opens in a new tab), use just five moves to engage and grow your quad muscles. You will perform each exercise for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest before moving on to the next movement. Dani recommends completing three to four rounds, so it’s important that you take these rest periods as this will allow his muscles to rebuild power for each set and round of the workout.
With exercises like lunges and squats, you only need yourself and your dumbbells. However, step-ups are part of the routine, which usually requires a bench. If you don’t have access to one, you can use a chair or low table, as long as it’s secure enough to support your weight and movement.
Watch DaniFit’s Five-Move Dumbbell Quad Workout
If you’ve used a HIIT workout before, you’ll notice that the intervals for this dumbbell workout are the same. This workout is very similar, although it does involve weight, making it a high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) session. This puts more emphasis on muscle building rather than a more cardio-based movement, which still builds strength but more in the form of muscular endurance.
The advantage of a HIRT workout is that you can build strength and muscle hypertrophy through resistance training. Y burn fat and endurance through interval training.
With that said, science has found that HIRT used alone is not enough to improve body fat percentage or metabolism. But the study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (opens in a new tab) revealed that HIRT increases muscle mass and muscle strength. If your specific fitness goal is to reduce overall body fat, then you might be better off using this HIIT workout for fat loss.
As any form of interval training can be very taxing on your muscles, whether you use weights or not, your body will crave adequate recovery time between workouts. You can enhance this process by massaging your muscles using one of the best foam rollers after your workouts or book a sports massage from time to time.
