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Squat question: toes

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Rays_Wife
Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
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I would like to know what is proper foot placement when doing a squat. Are the toes supposed to be facing forward, or slightly out to the side? I was taught to angle them out to the side with feet a little past shoulder width apart. My husband says he thinks the feet are supposed to be going straight forward. I feel majorly awkward doing it this way and can't get the full range of motion of going down. Opinions? How do you all do them?

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  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
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    Ah nevermind. I have found the answer in a Rippetoe intro to squat video! Toes out, not straight forward. Youtube is awesome.
  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
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    Yep, toes out, about 30 degrees from forward.
  • melainemelaine
    melainemelaine Posts: 127 Member
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    Ah nevermind. I have found the answer in a Rippetoe intro to squat video! Toes out, not straight forward. Youtube is awesome.


    hahaha, yes! I :heart: youtube!

    Happy squatting!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Yes! My form improved drastically when I started pointing them out. My knees would buckle in before.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    Yes! My form improved drastically when I started pointing them out. My knees would buckle in before.

    Me too! And with them straight forward I couldn't get any depth.
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies. You girls are awesome!! I couldn't get any depth either when I tried them straight toed. Pointed them out and down I went! lol
  • littledumplings
    littledumplings Posts: 223 Member
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    I do my SL squats with toes out, but Body Pump squats we're told to keep them facing forward??
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    I do my SL squats with toes out, but Body Pump squats we're told to keep them facing forward??

    aren't body pump squats kind of half-squats? I think you CAN do toes forward moreish squats (Although perfectly verticle? I dunno...) but you need a lot more flexibility than most people have AND your feet probably can't be as far apart which means even MORE flexibility AND less weight because your quads take more of the strain and your glutes/hamstrings take less. ....

    Also for SL since we doing low bar squats your toes are pointed out as others have said and your feet are wider apart than they would be for a high bar squat.

    Ok now I need to go to the bathroom and test with different foot stances. brb.

    Back. OK. So I am a VERY flexible squatter, I can go ATG (butt all the way down by the floor, legs folded in half, weight on my heels) in basically any position and hang out down there quite comfortably. I just went in and tested it (Bodyweight) with feet forward and feet out and what it does is really engage your glutes to point your feet out and disengages your knees a lot more. My knees did their little "hey what is this exercise nonsense!" crackle when I went down with my feet forward but made no complaint about having my feet out -- and actually this is kind of fun but go stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart, then point then point the toes out.

    Feel that? Yeah. That's why you squat with toes out. I'm sure Rip has a nice article or 30 about that but sometimes its fun to feel it with your own body.
  • littledumplings
    littledumplings Posts: 223 Member
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    bodyweight squatting in living room over here now :)

    I want glutes!! glutes, glutes, glutes, big round juicy glutes!! My quads are big enough, I think I'm going to have to stop body pump lol!
  • RunningDirty
    RunningDirty Posts: 293
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    I pointed my toes forward for a while and became "quad dominant." Now I have to retrain on form. It happens! :drinker:

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