SquatWedgiez

Dr. John Rusin teaching us a better way to bodyweight hip thrust…

The single leg hip thrust is the best bodyweight glute builder that is easily accessible AND extremely effective. Here’s why:

1️⃣Double the load on ONE leg (more overload)
2️⃣Higher levels of glute activation (more burn)
3️⃣Increased lateral glute stability (more function)
4️⃣More spine friendly (can push harder to failure)

Best trained to pure form failure for metabolic bun burners.
*Stick to non-alternating reps to keep tension on the 🍑

Tall people probably shouldn’t squat exactly like short people.

And they probably shouldn’t do all of their single-leg work the same way either.

If you’re 6’+ with relatively long femurs, your squat will often naturally involve more forward trunk lean and more hip contribution. That isn’t a bad squat. It’s often just the strategy that makes sense for the levers you were given. Trying to force everybody into the same perfectly upright squat ignores the fact that limb proportions and available joint motion help determine how we solve the movement. (Straub & Powers, 2024.)

But programming is more than deciding whether a movement looks “good.”

If my bilateral squat is already relatively hip dominant, I don’t necessarily need every accessory exercise to hammer the exact same strategy. I can use my single-leg work to deliberately bias more knee flexion and quad.

That’s what I’m doing with this Bulgarian split squat.

Instead of sitting DOWN and BACK with a bunch of trunk lean, I’m keeping the torso more upright, letting the front knee travel forward and putting the front foot on a squat wedge. Heel elevation consistently increases knee ROM during squatting, and the newest systematic review/meta-analysis found roughly 5° more knee ROM overall with heel elevation. (Aminiaghdam et al., 2026.)

That gives me a Bulgarian that looks and functions very differently from the more hip-dominant version. We also have direct BSS data showing that changing trunk position changes muscular demands, with greater trunk flexion increasing posterior-chain activation. (Aygun-Polat et al., 2025.)

This is the part of programming that gets missed.

Exercises aren’t inherently “quad exercises” or “glute exercises.” How you perform them matters. Your anatomy matters. Your other training matters.

Don’t force the person to fit the exercise.

Make the exercise fit the person.

trainer

Coach Bobby Whyte loves squatting with a we**ie

Strength / Mobility / Athleticism / Breathwork showing us the we**ie is more than just a squat tool 👇
・・・
Most people never train this 👀

Everyone talks about how important the foot is but rarely do you seeing the hips getting challenged with the feet!

I love the seated ADDuctor Abductor too but getting someone to feel their feet integrate all the way up can be a game changer.

Simple but challenging work like this in the warm up is a perfect way to check that box 🫡

Markow Training Systems
Markow Training Systems

It really is that simple.

A whole foot, heel elevated squat is the best way to strengthen and grow your quads.

Want bigger glutes? Don’t just grab the steepest squat wedge.

Most people assume more heel elevation is always better.

It isn’t.

The angle of your squat wedge changes your squat mechanics, which changes which muscles work the hardest.

📐 0–10°
• More hip dominant
• More forward torso lean
• Greater glute emphasis

📐 15–25°
• A balance of glute and quad emphasis
• More upright torso
• Great all-around option

📐 25°+
• Maximum quad emphasis
• Most upright torso
• Best if your goal is to bias your quads

There isn’t one “best” squat wedge angle.

There’s only the angle that best matches your goal.

So before you choose a wedge, ask yourself one question:

What muscle am I trying to build?

👇 Which angle do you squat on most often?

Most people think bigger calves come from adding more weight.

But if your heels stop when they reach the floor, you’ve already limited your range of motion.

That’s where the SquatWe**ie comes in.

By elevating your entire foot, the SquatWe**ie allows your heels to travel farther below your toes, increasing the range of motion at the ankle and placing your calves under a deeper loaded stretch.

Pair it with a Smith machine, and you’ve got the perfect combination.

The SquatWe**ie provides the range of motion.

The Smith machine provides the stability and load.

Together, they create the mechanical tension your calves need to grow.

Three coaching cues:

✅ Elevate your whole foot on a SquatWe**ie.
✅ Lean slightly forward.
✅ Lower your heels on every rep.

One last tip👇

If it’s your first time training calves this way, start with a lighter weight than you normally would.

The increased range of motion makes every rep more challenging, and your calves will let you know about it the next day.

Have you tried calf raises on a SquatWe**ie yet?

Can you spot Eliza Soriano | Downtown Los Angeles Personal Trainer we**ie 🤭

Do this lower body strength training workout at least once a week so you can also grow your glutes.

Save this workout so you don’t lose it for your next leg day

Excited to see the Adjustable We**ie in use at THIS Gym by Zach Powell

If you squat with a we**ie there, please tag us!