When strong guys do fast squats, their thigh muscles turn on in a set order—one muscle first, then another, then a third—and that order doesn’t change no matter how heavy the weight is.

When strong guys do fast squats with heavy weights, their leg muscles don't work harder the heavier the weight gets—until they go all the way up to their max. At max weight, two of the three main quad muscles actually fire way more.

When strong guys do fast squats with heavy weights, their butt muscles kick in later during the upward push compared to when they use lighter weights — it’s like their body adjusts how it uses those muscles depending on how heavy the weight is.

Squats make the lower part of the outer thigh muscle grow more than leg extensions do, probably because squats involve more hip and knee movement together.

When strong guys do fast back squats with heavy weights, their butt and hamstring muscles work harder the heavier the weight gets — especially the butt muscle, which really kicks in when the weight is 80% or more of their max lift.

When women who lift weights do squats with a really heavy weight (close to their max), their leg and butt muscles have to work a lot harder than when they use lighter weights.