Want more development in your quadriceps or hamstrings? Then use this easy bodybuilding trick: elevate your heels or toes during your next lower-body workout, says Men’s Health Fitness Director B.J. Gaddour, who demonstrates both in the video above.
Placing your heels on weight plates, a low step, wooden block, or the base of an incline bench can help emphasis your quads, says Gaddour.
Take the squat, for instance. The elevated-heel position allows your torso to stay more upright than if your heels were flat, which shifts stress to the front of your upper legs.
On the other hand, you’ll hit your hamstrings more if you put up your toes, he explains. The position increases the stretch demand on the hamstrings. Add load, and it can spur muscle growth.
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