Short-Arc Quad over Bolster
3 × 15 reps per side
Terminal knee extension drill over a bolster to strengthen the quadriceps through the final degrees of range without snapping into hyperextension.
How to do it
- Lie on your back with one knee over a support high enough for comfortable short-arc movement.
- Keep the back of the knee resting on the support.
- Tighten the front thigh muscle.
- Slowly straighten the knee until the heel lifts and the leg becomes almost straight without snapping into lockout.
- Pause briefly at the top.
- Lower the heel back down with control.
Form cues
- Keep the thigh relaxed on the support except for the quadriceps contraction.
- Straighten firmly without snapping into hyperextension.
- Stop for knee-joint pain.
Why this exercise helps
The short-arc quad exercise trains the terminal range of knee extension—the last portion of the quadriceps arc required for stable, fully loaded alignment in walking and standing. Resting the knee over a bolster limits the movement to this final short arc rather than the full range of a leg raise, keeping the quadriceps working through terminal extension concentrically and eccentrically as the heel is lowered. Because the movement avoids deeper knee flexion, the compressive demands on the joint are lower, making it appropriate for early strengthening progressions. Pausing briefly at the top reinforces motor control at the end range.
Stop or modify if
- Snapping or forcefully locking the knee at the top, which stresses the joint instead of training the muscle through end range.
- Raising the thigh off the bolster during the extension, converting the short-arc movement into a full-range leg raise.
- Using a support that is too low, which reduces the available arc and limits the training stimulus at terminal extension.
Modifications and progressions
- Shorten the pause at the top and reduce reps if the quadriceps fatigue quickly; build toward the full prescription gradually across sessions.
- Add ankle weights only after the body-weight version is comfortable throughout all prescribed sets and reps.
Muscles worked
Strengthens: quadriceps
Part of a program
Part of Front Splits
This exercise is one move. Front Splits puts it in a plan — so you know what to do, in what order, and how much, week by week.
- Sequenced & dosed — the right exercises, in the right order, at the right volume.
- Progresses with you — difficulty ramps as you get stronger, not on a fixed calendar.
- Personalized — built around the specific limiter actually holding you back.
- Tracks your progress — see what's working and adjust over time.
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