Exercise Comparison
All Fours Quad Stretch vs Squat with Bands




Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in All Fours Quad Stretch
Only in Squat with Bands
Instructions
All Fours Quad Stretch
Start off on your hands and knees, then lift your leg off the floor and hold the foot with your hand.
Use your hand to hold the foot or ankle, keeping the knee fully flexed, stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors.
Focus on extending your hips, thrusting them towards the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Squat with Bands
Set up the bands on the sleeves, secured to either band pegs, the rack, or dumbbells so that there is appropriate tension.
Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back, and step back into position. Place your feet wide for more emphasis on the back, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. Keep your head facing forward.
With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips as much as possible. Ideally, your shins should be perpendicular to the ground. Lower bar position necessitates a greater torso lean to keep the bar over the heels. Continue until you break parallel, which is defined as the crease of the hip being in line with the top of the knee.
Keeping the weight on your heels and pushing your feet and knees out, drive upward as you lead the movement with your head. Continue upward, maintaining tightness head to toe, until you have returned to the starting position.
Verdict
Both exercises target the quadriceps. All Fours Quad Stretch is a intermediate exercise using bodyweight, while Squat with Bands is intermediate and uses barbell. Choose All Fours Quad Stretch if you have access to bodyweight, or Squat with Bands if you prefer barbell.