To target your quads during a hip thrust, you need to adjust your foot placement.
The primary way to increase quad activation during a hip thrust is by modifying your foot position relative to your body.
For a quad-focused hip thrust, the key adjustment is to bring your feet closer to your body.
Here's why this works, based on expert insights:
- Increased Knee Range of Motion: Bringing your feet closer significantly increases the degree to which your knees bend during the exercise's lowering phase.
- Heightened Quad Activation: This greater range of motion at the knee joint directly correlates to increased work and activation from the quadriceps muscles (the muscles on the front of your thighs).
By positioning your feet closer to the bench or elevated surface, you shift some of the load and emphasis from the glutes and hamstrings towards the quads, making the movement more effective for targeting this muscle group.
