Thread: feet positioning on squats

No right or wrong way.
If it works for you, it's ok.

if thats the case iv just found a new love for squats! <3

Totally. I always do a stance thats slightly wider than shoulder width apart with feet pointing a touch outward. If I kept my feet closer together and facing straight forward not only would I not be able to do as much weight comfortably but i wouldn't be able to hit my balance right and leaning too much might be an issue. I think you need to stick to your wider stance that works for you. Although keep in mind that generally the wider the stance the easier the squat so don't fall into the trap of spreading your legs too far apart just to crank out more weight do to the less range of motion. Just do what feels right but it sounds like youre already doing it.

I think it's realitive to how tall your are and the torso to leg relationship. I'm 6'2 with a 34 inseam and I'm a little outside of shoulder length.

Interesting post. I'll try wider and toes out as my knees and lower back bother me during squats and I've always felt a tad off balance as well.

for those that are interested, read up on the differences in techniques between bodybuilding and powerlifting squats....

feet slightly wider than shoulders, feet slightly pointed out sort of natural and comfortable , as you squat, thighs knees and feet must be aligned , do not point knees in or too much out, the load must be carried on all the feet and rather on heel not the toes

keep your knees above your ankles by keeping ankle to leg as close as you can to a 90 degree angle... positioning your feet is irrelevant, as long as your mechanics are correct you're gtg.

I've always....and only really squat any serious weight in a wider than shoulder toes out stance. Feels so much more stable and comfortable on my body. When I do shoulder width toes forward I feel so not right and I'm sure I would never have had any luck with squats if I stuck with that. My personal opinion is go with what suits you. I deadlift in the same manner..."sumo"

It's all about your level of flexibility. Most of us have developed restrictions in our hips, ankles, etc., even when uninjured, due to just never really activating the posterior chain and never doing a body weight squat again in our life once we move into kindergarten. We sit all our lives and let the pelvis and spine go to shit, relatively speaking.

The old adage of shoulder width apart is great if you're that flexible. I have wide shoulders and I'm thick in the waist. You have to go wide enough to be able to get out of the way of your thighs and if you have tight hips you will not be able to keep lordosis when you get that low/parallel. Toes should track slight inside of the knee path in order to generate optimal torque with the knee and pelvis when you "spread the floor." Press through the heel but I'm a fan of keeping pressure through the whole foot as well with the big toe especially, again for optimal torque and the arch of the foot to help do it's job. Use your whole damn foot, that's what it's made for!

You probably need some therapy, soft tissue work and mobility work. Box squats and glute ham raises to help strenthen both sides of the ham which helps strengthen and protect the knee especially in a squat. The posterior chain is the bane of our existence. We spend decades ignoring it and/or letting it play second fiddle then we want to squat weight with the imbalance we create! I will be doing some vids and articles about this soon. Stay tuned.

Originally Posted by NVRBDR

keep your knees above your ankles by keeping ankle to leg as close as you can to a 90 degree angle... positioning your feet is irrelevant, as long as your mechanics are correct you're gtg.

Positioning of feet is irrelevant? Come on folks we're better than this. There needs to be conditions on such a statement or it's gonna start sounding very bro-science-ish. Positioning of the feet IS PART OF THE MECHANICS ON WHICH YOU SPEAK!

As Merkaba says..."It's all about your level of flexibility. Most of us have developed restrictions in our hips, ankles, etc., even when uninjured, due to just never really activating the posterior chain and never doing a body weight squat again in our life once we move into kindergarten. We sit all our lives and let the pelvis and spine go to shit, relatively speaking."

The correct position to maximize body mechanics is feet slightly outside of shoulder width, feet slightly pointed out and drive knees slightly out when coming up. We tend to not use the correct position due to how we've let our bodies evolve from the time we are very young. Getting the pelvis lined up, the hips open, the lower spine unlocked, as well as getting the feet more flat are all key to utilizing the proper body mechanics. Soft tissue work, stretching, and good chiropractic care are key to getting back to how we were originally designed. I've found some interesting mobility information at http://www.mobilitywod.com/

Originally Posted by jimm

well basically i want to know if what im doing is right or wrong..

all my life squatting i have had my feet about shoulder width apart and facing straight forward when squatting the weight would not feel even placed on the balls of my feet id often feel asif i was leaning to far forward and putting to much weight on the front balls of my feet.. i would often have a sore lower back when going heavy (for me) but not a good kind of sore more like heading to snap city kind of sore..

Balls of Feet

When the feel of the weight is on the ball of your feet it is tell me that you are using a lot of back in your squat.

Back Squatter

You are back squatting the weight. That mean when your leg drive give out, you lean foward and drivfe with your back.

Your statement, " I'd often feel as if i was leaning to far forward and putting to much weight on the front balls of my feet" tell me you are doing just that.

Stong Back, Weak Legs

Chaning your feet position may help you a little but it's not going to solve your problem.

Also, traditional squatting isn't going to solve the problem.

The problem is once the weight gets heavy or you push your limit with repetitions in the squat, you legs give you and you back take over.

Heel Drive

A good squatter feel the weigh on their heels. They drive from their heels.

Driving from you heels places more of the work on the legs and takes most of it off the back.

However, that won't completely take care of the problem.

Solution

You need to perform exercises that focus on increasing your leg strength. The traditional squat isn't going to do it.

Thus, you want exercises that eliminate the back and place all of the load on the legs.

Exercises

1) T NATION | Hip Belt Squats

This exercise replicates that squat, placing the full work load on the legs and eliminating it from the back.

2) OverSpeedTraining - Articles: Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets

Step Ups are simply a one leg squats. The legs are maxed out while the back involvement is minimized.

3) Leg Press

The leg press will strength the legs to some extent. However, it does not replicate or work many of the muscle groups that are involved in squatting. Thus, it's not going to help you that much.

Learning To Squat

The only way to increase you squat is to squat.

What you need to do is squat for technique.

Technique is Everything

You squatting will be for technique only. That means you the repetitions you perform need to be to perfection.

1) Work up to fairly heavy loads (around 80-90% of your max) for 1-2 reps.

2) Once you technique falls apart, STOP.

That means if youy technique falls apart in a set, Stop there. If you perform another set and you technique falls apart there you have two options.

A) Drop the load down to a ligher percentage when you can perform the movement correctly.

B) Stop performing the movement for that session.

3) Perform you Technique Squats first in your program when you fresh. This insure your form will be the best.

Foot position

Again, changing your foot position may help a little.

There is a definite "sweet spot" where you going to feel stronger.

Finding that position take some experimentation.

Kenny Croxdale

Originally Posted by Kenny Croxdale

Balls of Feet

When the feel of the weight is on the ball of your feet it is tell me that you are using a lot of back in your squat.


weight WAS on the front balls of my feet it felt asif i would lean or sway a bit (unbalanced) when going heavy.. changed posture and feet alingnment yesterday and made a world of difference
Back Squatter

You are back squatting the weight. That mean when your leg drive give out, you lean foward and drivfe with your back.

Your statement, " I'd often feel as if i was leaning to far forward and putting to much weight on the front balls of my feet" tell me you are doing just that.


yes i USED TO feel a soreness in my lower back when squatting i would often stop because of this... yesterday like i said i went near my usuall max and was repping it for 6 or more reps no soreness what so ever in lower back


Stong Back, Weak Legs

Chaning your feet position may help you a little but it's not going to solve your problem.

Also, traditional squatting isn't going to solve the problem.

The problem is once the weight gets heavy or you push your limit with repetitions in the squat, you legs give you and you back take over.

i do have strong back weak legs but alot was todo with my form i think like i said when squatting getting this discomfort in my back was off putting and never really enjoyed my leg workouts


when i was squatting yesterday i made sure my back was not arched and with the different posture and stanse i felt i was really driving the wight up wards instead of leaning into it.. if that makes sense to you

also my glutes and quads feel good today i never usually get soreness in my glutes like this

Heel Drive

A good squatter feel the weigh on their heels. They drive from their heels.

Driving from you heels places more of the work on the legs and takes most of it off the back.

However, that won't completely take care of the problem.

yeah i definatly felt asif the power was coming more form my heels strenght was way up!

Solution

You need to perform exercises that focus on increasing your leg strength. The traditional squat isn't going to do it.

Thus, you want exercises that eliminate the back and place all of the load on the legs.

Exercises

1) T NATION | Hip Belt Squats

This exercise replicates that squat, placing the full work load on the legs and eliminating it from the back.

2) OverSpeedTraining - Articles: Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets

Step Ups are simply a one leg squats. The legs are maxed out while the back involvement is minimized.

3) Leg Press

The leg press will strength the legs to some extent. However, it does not replicate or work many of the muscle groups that are involved in squatting. Thus, it's not going to help you that much.

Learning To Squat

The only way to increase you squat is to squat.

EXACTLY now with different form and posture i will continue to do just that! looking forward (almost) to next time squatting.

What you need to do is squat for technique.

Technique is Everything

You squatting will be for technique only. That means you the repetitions you perform need to be to perfection.

1) Work up to fairly heavy loads (around 80-90% of your max) for 1-2 reps.

2) Once you technique falls apart, STOP.

That means if youy technique falls apart in a set, Stop there. If you perform another set and you technique falls apart there you have two options.

A) Drop the load down to a ligher percentage when you can perform the movement correctly.

B) Stop performing the movement for that session.

3) Perform you Technique Squats first in your program when you fresh. This insure your form will be the best.

Foot position

Again, changing your foot position may help a little.

There is a definite "sweet spot" where you going to feel stronger.

indeed i definatly felt 100 times better squatting yesterday more weight no discomfort and slight doms in glutes and quads today.. quite sore in the glutes never really get soreness in them so defintaly hitting it from a different angle.

Finding that position take some experimentation.

Kenny Croxdale

thanks for ur input!

oh yes my right knee was broken and so was my left ankle just all this talk of flexibility i thought i should add that in both will never be the same again.. limited flexibility in my ankle big time i have to angle my foot when walking up stairs and its impossible for me to run normally lol i find i can run OK on a treadmill but if i run in the street the uneven ground my ankle gets sore quick so yeah that plays a role aswell

Originally Posted by bjg

feet slightly wider than shoulders, feet slightly pointed out sort of natural and comfortable , as you squat, thighs knees and feet must be aligned , do not point knees in or too much out, the load must be carried on all the feet and rather on heel not the toes

+1 on that

Lots of words on this page.

OP post video and will get you straightened right out.

Originally Posted by Kenny Croxdale

Heel Drive

A good squatter feel the weigh on their heels. They drive from their heels.

Driving from you heels places more of the work on the legs and takes most of it off the back.

Kenny Croxdale

This

This

And more this.

Drive up with the heels. Weight too far forward on your toes will destroy your knees.