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Are men skipping leg day or not? Here’s the average military man’s quad size

More powerful quads don't just complement your new jeans; they can also lower knee pain and help protect your knees.

By Steph Green Aug 26, 2025 11:01 AM

man doing dumbbell shrug holding dumbbells outside standing in parking lot — Anete Lusina / Pexels

Your legs carry you around all day, every day, and they also deserve some attention in the gym. Beefier, stronger legs are also more proportionate to the desirable muscular V-taper look, which is a goal for some men. You know what they say about skipping leg day. Personally, after a good leg workout, I can definitely feel my strength enhancing in my quads. After some of my more intense workouts or if it’s been a while, I might get that jelly leg feeling and soreness the next day.

The quadriceps

The quadriceps are the large muscles at the front of your upper thighs. Stronger quads help everything from walking and climbing to knee health. One interesting study found that individuals with osteoarthritis who had stronger quadriceps also experienced less knee pain and better overall physical function.

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I came across data on the average size of a military man’s quadriceps. We look at the military as a group of people who have to maintain a certain degree of physical fitness to do their duties. That being said, I was interested to see the average quad size. Are military men staying committed to leg day and pumping those quads?

The average military man’s quad size

This measurement of the entire thigh includes body fat and encompasses more than just muscle mass, so it shouldn’t be the sole indicator of your leg day progress and your quad size alone. Even so, it’s still a good indicator overall and could motivate you for your next leg day.

The 2012 Anthropometric Survey of United States Army Personnel involved 4,082 male military members. The data showed the average circumference measurement of the male thigh is:

62.51 cm or 24.61 inches

Tips to grow those quads

Here are some top tips to help you grow those quads:

It’s best to mix up your workout routine with a range of different quad-focused exercises, including compound movements like back squats and Bulgarian split squats, as well as isolation moves like leg extensions.
Don’t skip your rest days.
Try mixing up your rep ranges and incorporating progressive overload, where you increase the weight, reps, or sets over time as you get stronger and fine-tune your technique.

Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and… Read Full Bio

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