There’s more than one way to build muscle. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes novice bodybuilders make is not changing their routine when it starts to get stale. There are lots of ways to change up a resistance exercise program, but let’s draw some inspiration from one of the oldest and most basic leg exercises; the squat. Just by altering your foot position and the angle of your toes, you can change this movement into a completely different exercise.

If you want to work the inner thighs with the squat, keep your feet positioned wide with toes slightly pointed out. Your knees should always travel in the same direction as the feet during the exercise. The wide stance should allow you to squat much deeper while still maintaining a straight upper body. The lower you descend, the more you’ll feel the hamstrings, glutes and inner thighs.

If you’re really looking to work the glutes and hamstrings, try doing 1½ reps with squats. Choose a moderate weight and perform a full squat, going as deep as possible. Come up only until your thighs are parallel to the floor before going back down into a full squat again. From the full squat position, go back up to the starting position. This is one rep. By keeping constant tension on the bottom portion of each rep, the glutes and hamstrings will be forced to work extremely hard.

To focus more on the outer quads, keep your feet close together and parallel. As you descend into the squat, keep your upper body as straight as possible with an arched lower back. The outer quadriceps (vastas lateralis) will be stressed with the close stance. TIP: It may be easier to do this exercise on a Smith Machine so you won’t have to worry about maintaining your balance.