Today’s exercise of the day- Cyclist Squats! No, I’ve not suddenly decided to start training for the Tour de France and no, you will never catch me in a velodrome. BUT cyclist squats are a great variation to try, especially if you’re looking to build quad size [hypertrophy] and strength.
Why are they great?
Cyclist squats especially target part of the quadricep often neglected if you don’t ever reach a certain depth of squat; the Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO).
The closer your hamstring gets to the calf in a squat, the more your VMO is forced to switch on to stabilise the knee joint and engage in the exercise.
The more the quads are forced to engage in an exercise, the more tension, stress and ultimately GROWTH.
Overhead variations are great for core stability & overhead flexibility. Keep your chest up, allow the knees to track over the toes and remember to keep that braced, vertical torso position. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not try the following variations too;
Barbell overhead
Dumbbell goblet
Bodyweight
Barbell back squat Shifting the centre of gravity, where the load is positioned and our stance can be especially helpful when doing squats to target specific muscles more than others. This can be handy if you’re looking to develop one muscle of the leg more than another, avoid niggles or if you simply want to add squat volume without always going for back barbell squats.
If you find that one variation of an exercise hurts [not in a good way], isn’t challenging anymore or you can’t progress it due to lack of equipment, look to see how else you can complete the movement pattern! Chances are, you may even find a new favourite!
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