According to researchers at Hong Kong's Poly University, wearing minimalist shoes while exercising can make your legs and feet significantly stronger than wearing regular sneakers. The six-month study followed 18 runners in regular kicks and 20 runners in minimalist shoes (stretchy-fabric uppers, zero heel-to-toe drop, and a 3mm outer sole- no midsole cushioning or arch support).
At the end, the regular-shoe wearers' leg/foot muscles hadn't grown-but the leg muscles of the barefoot-shoe folks had gone up in size by 7%, their foot muscles by 9%, forefoot muscles by 12%, and rear-foot muscles by 7%. And though the study was done on runners, researchers believe that wearing a similar shoe during other types of workouts, including lifting, will bring similar results.
A cup of joe can boost squats
For some easy gains on leg day, go for caffeine, says a study from the UK's Coventry University.
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