10 Best Kettlebell Quad Exercises to Sculp Your Legs

Whether you’re an athlete or a typical fitness enthusiast, if you want to bolster your quadriceps with kettlebells, this article is for you.

The quadriceps is one of the largest lower body muscles that make up your front and lateral thighs.

It is a group of four muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius.¹ Quadriceps Muscle – Physiopedia Training all these quad muscles will help you build sturdy and toned legs.

In this article, I’ve shared the best kettlebell exercises that will reinforce your entire quad muscles from different angles and help you enhance your lower body strength and mobility.

So, whether you’re a male or female, you can integrate these kettlebell quad exercises into your training program to level up your jumping, running, squatting, and sprinting.

10 Best Kettlebell Quad Exercises to Bolster Your Legs

Here is a list of all quad exercises you can do with kettlebells.

1. Front Racked Squat
2. Stationary Front Lunges
3. Leg Extension
4. Bulgarian Split Squat
5. Sumo Squats
6. Deadlift
7. Step up
8. Lateral Lunges
9. Pause Squat
10. Farmer Walk

Let’s see more about each exercise and how to do them with the step-by-step guide.

1. Kettlebell Squat

The front racked squat is a basic but the most effective kettlebell exercise that helps build sturdy quads and legs. Moreover, it also enhances cardiovascular fitness and helps level up your athleticism.

Steps to do it:

1. Grab a pair of kettlebells and hold them in front of your chest by bending your elbows.
2. Assume a shoulder-width stance and keep your chest up and back straight.
3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
4. Push your heels into the ground to get back into the standing position. That’s your one rep!
5. Suggested sets – 3 and reps: 10 to 12 each.

2. Kettlebell Lunges

The lunges target the multiple muscles throughout the lower body, primarily the quadriceps and hamstrings. It also makes the lower body slightly flexible and improves overall balance.

Steps to do it:

1. Holding one kettlebell in each hand, assume a hip-width stance.
2. Keep the KBs at your sides with your palms facing in.
3. Maintaining the upright posture, take one large step forward and bend your knees until they nearly touch the ground.
4. Pressing into the floor, extend your knees until your legs are straight. That’s one rep!
5. If you’re a beginner, do a couple of sets of 8 to 10 reps each; if you’re an intermediate, do more.

3. Kettlebell Leg Extension

The leg extension is a great way to isolate the quads and improve the front thigh muscle definition.

You can also do unilateral leg extension with a kettlebell to target each side individually and effectively.

Steps to do it:

1. Sit on the edge of a bench or tool with your feet slightly off the floor.
2. Put your right foot into the kettlebell handle and firmly grip the bench with your hands for support.
3. Slightly lean back your torso and extend your knees until your quads are activated.
4. Squeezing your quadriceps, pause for a moment, and then land your feet on the ground.
5. Do two sets of eight to ten reps each so you feel the pain in your quad muscles.

4. Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat reinforces the hamstrings, quads, and glutes and improves lower body strength and mobility. It is also great for people with knee injuries as it helps them regain their strength.²Mackey ER, Riemann BL. Biomechanical Differences Between the Bulgarian Split-Squat and Back Squat. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(1):533-543. Published 2021 Apr 1.

Steps to do it:

1. Holding one kettlebell in each hand, stand upright with your back facing the bench.
2. Keep your arms straight at your sides with your palms facing your body, and place the top of your right foot on a bench behind you.
3. Make sure your core is tight, chest up, and back straight.
4. To start the movement, bend your knees and squat down as low as possible.
5. Now, press into the floor through your heels to stand back in the starting position. It’s your first repetition.
6.  You can do two to three sets of eight to ten repetitions, depending on your strength.

5. Sumo Squat

The sumo squats target the outer part of the thigh and muscles. It allows you to work your quads from a different angle and help build defined legs.

Steps to do it:

1. Grab a kettlebell with your hands straight in front of your thighs (you can also keep it in front of your chest with your elbows bent). 
2. Stand upright with your feet pointed out on the sides from the center of your body.
3. Keeping your back straight, bend at your knees and hip simultaneously until you get into a squat position.
4. Pause for one second and then stand back up to complete one rep.
5. You’ll feel the contraction in your inner thighs during the movement.

6. Kettlebell Deadlift

The deadlift is a total body workout that bolsters multiple muscles throughout the body, including the quadriceps. Adding it to your kettlebell quad workout routine will lead to all-round leg development.

Steps to do it:

1. Place a pair of kettlebells on the floor and stand upright in the shoulder-width stance with your feet between the weights.
2. Pushing your hips back, bend your knees, and lower yourself to pick up the weight. Maintain a neutral spine position during the entire movement.
3. To lift the weights off the floor, extend your knees and push your hips forward until you return to the start.
4. Return the weight back to the floor to complete your first rep.
5. Perform three to four sets of 4 to 8 reps each.

7. Kettlebell Step up

The step-up is my favorite exercise as it develops strength and balance in the entire lower body. It is a unilateral exercise that allows focusing more on weak legs and helps even out strength and muscle imbalance.

Steps to do it:

1. Pick a kettlebell in each hand, and get into the hip-width stance in front of a tool, box, or bench.
2. Hold the kettlebells in front of your chest with your elbows pointing out, and maintain an upright posture.
3. Step up on the box with your right foot.
4. Push into the bench through your right heel to bring your left foot onto the box. Now your legs are together.
5. Reverse the movement and repeat for the suggested number of sets and reps.
6. Depending on your fitness, you can do two to three sets of eight to ten repetitions each.

8. Lateral Lunges

The lateral lunge provides excellent stretch to the inner thighs and adductors and helps make your lower body stronger and more flexible.

Steps to do it:

1. Holding one kettlebell in your hands, stand upright with your feet together.
2. Keep the KB in front of your chest with your elbows pointing slightly outward.
3. Take one big step to your right side and bend your knees as much as you can.
4. Pressing through your heels into the floor, extend your knees until your legs are straight. That’s one repetition.
5. Do as many sets and reps as needed for each leg.
6. Maintain an upright posture during the entire movement.

9. Squat Hold

The squat hold is an isometric exercise that keeps your quad muscles under constant tension and helps increase muscular endurance and build sturdy legs.

Steps to do it:

1. Grab a kettlebell in your hands with a crushed grip.
2. Stand straight with your feet about shoulder-width stance.
3. Brace your core, inhale deeply, and get into the squat position.
4. Hold the squat for ten to fifteen seconds, and then return to the standing position.
5. Do it thrice (as a last kettlebell exercise for your quads) on your legs day.

10. Farmers Walk

Farmer’s walk is a great cardio exercise that works throughout the body, especially the legs and arms. You can use it as a warm-up exercise before performing the other kettlebell exercises for quads.

Steps to do it:

1. Holding one kettlebell in each hand, stand upright, and keep your arms straight at your sides.
2. Look forward, and keep your body in the upright position.
3. Walk at your usual pace from one end to another for the desired amount of time.

Final Words

The quadriceps is one of the largest lower body muscles that involve in squatting, jumping, running, sprinting, and other various activities.

Having strong quads makes your lower body stronger and scales up your athleticism.

There are various ways you can forge your quads, but if you want to do that with kettlebells, you can integrate the above exercises into your workout regime.

Performing quad exercises with kettlebells allows you to hit the front and lateral thigh from every angle and help you achieve sturdy, toned, and defined legs.

You can also explore the following kettlebell exercises for other muscle groups:

• 8 Kettlebell Lower Back Exercises for Sturdy Spine
• 6 Best Kettlebell Lat Exercises for Broader Back
• The Best Kettlebell Hamstring Exercises

References

• 1
  Quadriceps Muscle – Physiopedia
• 2
  Mackey ER, Riemann BL. Biomechanical Differences Between the Bulgarian Split-Squat and Back Squat. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(1):533-543. Published 2021 Apr 1.