WhatWorksWhat.
Quads

Heels-elevated Squat

Quad annihilation, especially the teardrop and outer sweep.

Complexity · Mediumhypertrophyintermediate+Dumbbells
Check Your Form
  • Glutes
  • Quads
  • Quads - Inner quad (teardrop)
  • Quads - Middle quad
  • Quads - Outer quad
  • Middle quad
  • Outer quad
  • Inner quad (teardrop)
  • Deep quad

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Middle quad

    Hit

    Rectus femoris - crosses hip, best hit when hip is extended (sissy squat, leg ext).

  • Outer quad

    Hit

    Vastus lateralis - outer sweep.

  • Inner quad (teardrop)

    Hit

    Vastus medialis - pops with full depth.

  • Deep quad

    Not hit

    Vastus intermedius - underneath, always involved.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

10:59· Jeff Nippard

How To Get A Huge Squat With Perfect Technique (Fix Mistakes)

Bottom (parallel)

Lockout

Heels on a 1–2 inch wedge or plate. Dumbbells at the sides or front. Sit straight down - torso almost vertical. Drive up.

Common mistakes

  • Heels lifting off the wedge.
  • Going too heavy - the quad isolation makes a much lighter load brutal.

Where you should feel it

Quad annihilation, especially the teardrop and outer sweep.

Injury risk · 3/10

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains quads. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Heels-elevated front squat

    Bar in the front rack.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Heels-elevated goblet squat

    Dumbbell at the chest.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Smith machine heels-elevated

    Fixed bar path.

    95% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

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