Toe Position While Squatting?

Should you squat with your toes pointing straight ahead, or with your toes slightly slanted outwards?
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*In* for answers as well being a squat novice.

FTR, I'm more like 10a & 2p myself, but it seems natural and vastly improved my balance and drop (below parallel).

"So the take-home message from these videos is that one should aim for squatting with toes forward instead of toes out."

"The answer, as always, depends on the individual. If you don’t currently have the mobility to do so, then no, you shouldn’t try to alter your toe angle. If a person with “poor” mobility — in that they don’t have the capability to achieve proper positioning with the toes angled more forward of their current toe angle — attempts to squat this way, then at best they will facilitate poor mechanics and at worst could experience an injury. The poor mechanics could simply result in the inside of the foot being lifted from the ground, thus reducing the stability and force applied at the foot. The potential injury could be due to undue torsion at the knee if the ankles, knees, hips, and everything in between don’t have acceptable mobility. The message should be clear: don’t jump into it if you lack the mobility."

http://www.tabatatimes.com/squats-toes-forward-or-toes-out-2/

"So the take-home message from these videos is that one should aim for squatting with toes forward instead of toes out."

"The answer, as always, depends on the individual. If you don’t currently have the mobility to do so, then no, you shouldn’t try to alter your toe angle. If a person with “poor” mobility — in that they don’t have the capability to achieve proper positioning with the toes angled more forward of their current toe angle — attempts to squat this way, then at best they will facilitate poor mechanics and at worst could experience an injury. The poor mechanics could simply result in the inside of the foot being lifted from the ground, thus reducing the stability and force applied at the foot. The potential injury could be due to undue torsion at the knee if the ankles, knees, hips, and everything in between don’t have acceptable mobility. The message should be clear: don’t jump into it if you lack the mobility."

http://www.tabatatimes.com/squats-toes-forward-or-toes-out-2/

So how do you know if you have the mobility to squat with your toes forward?

I'm guessing you'll have to just try it...perhaps with a spotter nearby?

The width of your stance is probably more important than the orientation of your toes. Different widths will focus on different muscle groups more than others (eg closer stance and toes forward will hammer your quads more).

You do want to make sure you can get proper depth without rounding your back though (lumbar flexion aka buttwink). A trick to do this is to squat side on to a mirror, you can hold the squat rack for stability. Experiment with different stances/widths and see how far you can comfortably go down without rounding too much. Of course having someone who knows the movement to help you establish good form is invaluable!

As for the toes, most people point their toes out slightly as it helps with pushing their knees outward, which inturn creates more torque and stops the knees from caving inward (bad!)

You basically just need to see what works for you based on your goals and individual physiology. Have fun experimenting. :bigsmile:

Point them in a way where your knees stay in line with your toes when you squat. As mentioned, lots of people may try the toes straight ahead, but on ascension, their knees come towards each other. Not good. Personally myself, I point my toes slightly outward.

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Your toes should follow a line drawn from your hip joint to your knee at the bottom squat position. So the only time your feet should possibly point straight ahead is if you have your feet together. when you squat, which you don't, so don't point your toes straight ahead. As your stance gets wider, the angle your toes point out increases. Sumo squatters (feet wider than shoulder width) point them at 45 deg. Shoulder width squatters are at 30 degrees. You can make minor adjustments for anatomy, but don't point them straight ahead. If mobility issues do not permit proper toe position, work on your mobility.

Tom

I squat to parallel with feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed about 30 degrees outward.

The width of your stance is probably more important than the orientation of your toes. Different widths will focus on different muscle groups more than others (eg closer stance and toes forward will hammer your quads more).

You do want to make sure you can get proper depth without rounding your back though (lumbar flexion aka buttwink). A trick to do this is to squat side on to a mirror, you can hold the squat rack for stability. Experiment with different stances/widths and see how far you can comfortably go down without rounding too much. Of course having someone who knows the movement to help you establish good form is invaluable!

As for the toes, most people point their toes out slightly as it helps with pushing their knees outward, which inturn creates more torque and stops the knees from caving inward (bad!)

You basically just need to see what works for you based on your goals and individual physiology. Have fun experimenting. :bigsmile:

I don't understand how somebody can keep their feet straight ahead yet still manage to push their knees out.