This squat variation is very versatile, as you can us a dumbbell or even a medicine ball to front load your squat. A goblet squat is a great squat variation to shift the load to the front of the body, increasing the work performed by the quadriceps.
In order to load the quads during squats it is important to shift the load forward, by front-loading the body. Depending on your goal, if you want to target less muscles, a narrow stance is the better option, but if you want to target more muscles, a wide stance is the better option. Therefore, your quads produce the same amount of force regardless of the stance you take, so opt for the stance width that feels the most comfortable. Therefore, stance width does not make the quads “more active”, rather it influences the number of muscles that are active. What this means is that when we take a narrow stance, the other muscles that help to perform a squat are less active than when we take a wide stance. The difference between these three squat stances is that a narrow stance targets less muscles, while a wider stance recruits more muscles to perform the movement. It is true that when we take a narrow stance during squats, the most active muscle is the quadriceps muscle, however, it is no more active during a narrow squat than during a normal squat or a wide squat. MYTH: Narrow Squats will Build the Quadriceps More than Other Stances This is true, however there are some misconceptions about stance width and quad activation. There are many variations to performing regular squats, and changing up your stance width will change the muscles that are being activated throughout the squat. Slowly raise your body to a standing position and finish the movement by squeezing your glutes and your quads. When performing regular squats, you typically want to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, brace your core, and sit back into the squat until you knees are approximately 90 degrees. Performing regular squats is a great way to target the quadriceps, as they are responsible for performing knee extension. In my latest YouTube video, I share with you some strategies to target your quadriceps while performing squats.