What is Quad to Hamstring Ratio?

Quad to Hamstring Ratio (Q:H Ratio ) is the strength of your quads versus your hamstrings.

Q:H Ratio can be a contentious topic in the industry with an unbalanced ratio often attributed as an injury risk. But given how functional these imbalances can be and how frequently they are seen in high performing athletes, it is better to consider Q:H Ratio based on your relative performance goals; do your goals require you to have strong hamstrings or quads? Or do your goals require both to be similarly strong, without a clear bias?

We can consider Q:H Ratio both in terms of training programming (which one you bias more in training) and as a physical quality (whether your hamstrings or quad are stronger).

How to Tell If You Are Quad or Hamstring Dominant?

In a clinical environment, this can be standardised very easily with things like dynamometers, comparing force output versus normative standards. However, this can be difficult in a normal setting. There are ways you can try to gauge it without this equipment -

•  You can simply subjectively assess which exercises you struggle with more, more quad bias ones or more hamstring bias ones.  

• You can also ask yourself ‘Which muscles give you more DOMS, the hamstrings or the quads?’.

• If you've have had previous injuries, the most injured muscle, is likely to be the weaker area, unless you have had full and successful rehab plans.

These basic questions, which can vary based on a range of factors, the answers of which may make them invalid, may give you an insight as to which muscle is weaker. This can help inform your training but should be subject to further assessment if necessary.

When to Bias Hamstring Strength in Training (e.g. 1:2 Q:H Ratio)

If You've Had a Previous Hamstring Injury

If you have previously had injury issues with your hamstrings, it is important to target the area to increase the capacity for load at the hamstrings, to try to reduce injury recurrence. Doing this at various muscle lengths, with various levels of the force velocity curve is recommended to increase the general physical preparedness of the area.

If You're a Bodybuilder

Bodybuilding is an aesthetically focused sport where symmetry is important to showcase your various muscle groups. Therefore, it is important, if your hamstrings are much smaller and less noticeable than your quads, to bias your hamstrings, making them more noticeable for side poses.

If You Want to Improve Your Hinge Strength

If you are looking to improve exercises like your Deadlift 1RM, periodising your training to focus more on the posterior chain muscles that are heavily involved in the exercise, can be very beneficial.

If You're an Office Worker

Prolonged sitters and office workers that are exposed to lots of sitting and sedentary behaviour are commonly associated with tightness in the hamstrings, as well as various other body parts. For these people, it can be beneficial to have a slight bias towards more posterior chain work, as per the relative negative effect induced by their work environment.

Example Hamstring Biased Exercises

• Stiff leg barbell RDL

• Nordic Curl

• GHD Hip Extension

• Single Leg RDL

• Reverse Hyperextension

When to Bias Quad Strength in Training (e.g. 2:1 Q:H Ratio)

If You've Had a Previous Knee or Quad Injury

If you have previously had injury issues with your knees or quads, for example previous ACL or MCL tears, then exercises that strengthen the quads and work around flexion and extension of the knees will be hugely beneficial in reducing reinjury. Doing this at various muscle lengths, with various levels of the force velocity curve is recommended to increase the general physical preparedness of the area.

If You're an Olympic Weightlifter

For athletes like Olympic weightlifters, where the sport is inherently quad dominant (versus the hamstrings) it is important that training is reflective of that, so that they are physically prepared for the demands of the sport. Therefore, the majority of the limited energy and training time should be used to bias the quads and the hamstrings may just be hit during accessory exercises.

If You Want to Improve Your Squat Strength

if you are looking to improve exercises like your Squat 1RM, periodising your training to focus more on the quads than the hamstrings, can be very beneficial, given the relative lack of hamstring contribution to a squat.

Example Quad Biased Exercises

• Barbell Front Squats

• Sissy Squats

• Bulgarian Split Squats

• Dumbbell Goblet Cyclist Squat

• Dumbbell Knee Extension

When to Train Quads and Hamstrings Equally (1:1 Q:H Ratio)

If You Want to Generally Strength Train

When you don’t have specific goals that require you to bias one or the other, having training closer to a 1:1 Q:R Ratio is a good way to generally prepare you body for various activities so that if you ever choose to specialise down an avenue that requires a bias, you can easily do so without needing to play catch up first.

If You're a Runner, Or You Play Team Sports

For running and teams sports, hamstring strains and knee issues are both very prominent, as is the need for strong and powerful hamstrings and quads. Therefore, in the absence of a previous injury, training both somewhat equally is a good way to improve wider performance and reduce injury rates at those two areas.

So, remember, adjusting your Q:H Ratio in your training and building stronger quads or hamstrings can be very beneficial for various sports and goal dependant endeavours. You do not need perfectly balanced hamstrings and quads, but instead you should make sure, whichever you train more of, that you do it slowly and progressively, giving your body time to adapt. All that being said, some say that the quads are the biceps of the lower body, and the first thing people see in your photos, so if you are looking for some beach body clout, then get training your quads…

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Tags: Exercise Type > Strength