Quadriceps
Exercises that target the quadriceps, grouped by whether they stretch or strengthen it.
The quadriceps are the four muscles on the front of the thigh — the rectus femoris plus the three vasti. Together they straighten the knee and absorb load every time you sit down, climb stairs, or land. Three of them cross only the knee; the rectus femoris also crosses the hip, so it doubles as a hip flexor.
They tend to feel tight and overworked when they dominate movements the glutes and hamstrings should share, and a short rectus femoris often travels with an anterior pelvic tilt. Poor control shows up as the knee caving inward or aching at the front (around the kneecap).
They respond to strengthening through range — squats, split squats, terminal knee extension — paired with lengthening the rectus femoris at the hip. See the knee and hip exercises. (For the two-joint muscle specifically, see the Rectus Femoris page.)
