OK I'll give this a try
First off welcome to DW.
Heel down, I was taught an exercise where you strike the BD head with the beater, and allow that beater to rebound fully. One full hit, and get that beater outta there. This works the muscle in the middle front of the shin, and as you know when you work a muscle, you feel it. Not cramps mind you, just exercising a muscle. This also pulls the fullest tone from the bass drum, and you develop great control.
Then there's burying the beater, which I don't do, (because of the multiple bounces) that can be done heel up or heel down. I would suggest letting the beater rebound fully, and skipping this technique, my opinion only. Burying the beater does make for a certain sound, but I think the fully rebounding beater produces a more pleasing tone, JMO.
Heel up, you just suspend your thigh in one place and work the pedal with your ankle joint. You don't drop the whole leg, at least I don't. Keep that beater rebounding, it's a harder technique, but it's worth it for the nice round tone you get.
My right shin has a lump in the front middle, it's the muscle I use for playing heel down. I am trying to play hi hat heel down too after a lifetime of playing the HH heel up, and slowly that muscle is starting to develop like the one on my right leg.