For leg development, you have plenty of options. Some exercises are better for shaping while others are best suited to size and strength. If you’re one of those people with long, thin legs who have a tough time building upper thigh mass, I have a leg day routine for you.

One of the best approaches for bringing up hard to train muscle groups is to plan out supersets for those body parts. A superset combines one set each of 2 different exercises performed back to back without rest, and a popular method of supersetting is to pair a compound movement with an isolation exercise.

The vertical leg press is an outstanding compound exercise for training the upper thighs. Although finding one of these machines can be a challenge, the exercise can also be performed on a Smith Machine. Flat on your back, place your feet on the bar and press the weight up and down using your legs. Make sure you have a training partner nearby to help you rack the weight at the beginning and end of each set.

Immediately after finishing a set on the vertical leg press, stand up and begin the next exercise to complete the superset. The sissy squat is a great isolation movement specifically for the upper quadriceps. Gripping a support with one hand, let your upper body descend backwards with knees going forward while balancing on your toes. Think of doing the limbo standing still. The extreme stretch you’ll feel in your upper thighs will develop and isolate those hard to reach muscles.

Three sets of each exercise performed in superset fashion will help build and define those upper quads. Keep the repetitions high (10-15 reps) and perform each repetition slowly so you feel the muscles working. The development of these muscles contributes to the balance of your overall physique.