Standing on microplates to cue midfoot position?

[Elle]

Elle,

Do you have shoulder mobility issues? I know sometimes if the bar isn’t placed low enough that this can happen.

Interesting feedback on the high heels affecting your deadlift toe problem. I have the same issue. I think my shoes are 3/4”. I may switch to flats and give it a go.

Haha, yes, terrible shoulder mobility! Actually it's really interesting you mention that because the problem is somewhat new. I used to have the bar too low on my back to compensate for my shoulder issues, and that was causing terrible pain in my elbows/triceps, so I started erring on the "too high" side and the "stripper squat" (butt coming up but shoulders staying put) issue cropped up.

Rip says something in the SS book about coming onto toes in deadlift being a lifting shoe / long femur problem and it was absolutely the case for me. I am doing much better now in flats (Altra HIIT XTs, which have a wide toe box and 0 cushioning to mess with the deadlifts).

[Frank_B]

Haha, yes, terrible shoulder mobility! Actually it's really interesting you mention that because the problem is somewhat new. I used to have the bar too low on my back to compensate for my shoulder issues, and that was causing terrible pain in my elbows/triceps, so I started erring on the "too high" side and the "stripper squat" (butt coming up but shoulders staying put) issue cropped up.

Rip says something in the SS book about coming onto toes in deadlift being a lifting shoe / long femur problem and it was absolutely the case for me. I am doing much better now in flats (Altra HIIT XTs, which have a wide toe box and 0 cushioning to mess with the deadlifts).

Interesting about the shoulder mobility and the bar being too low. I always thought it was the other way around. I’m guessing by your name that you’re female. Strange as it may sound but I wonder if, as your press gets better, that you’ll find bar placement easier. The rear deltoid on men seems like it would be easier to find because we generally tend to have a little more meat there.

Also... I had an issue with my tricep/elbow that was a matter of me having the bar height on the rack set a touch too high. Once I was set to squat it was fine, but it was the initial liftoff from the rack where you’d see my elbows quiver from trying to stabilize the bar due to its height. It triggered a lovely case of golfer’s elbow.

I will DEFINITELY look into the Altra HIIT shoe. I’m having serious problems with my foot width. Pretty sure I’ve damaged the fifth metatarsal from my shoes being too narrow. Even the Do-Wins are uncomfortable for me. Hard to find a shoe with both good heel lift and width to squat with.

[mpalios]

I’m 38 and I do the same thing. Poor Pete T has straightened me out for the most part but I’m sure he still beats his head against the wall from time to time when I submit a video to him.

You have long femurs too, by any chance mpalios? I always just assumed this is a nasty byproduct of long femurs. I don’t know if that’s accurate or not, but I feel like it’s an attempt to elevate the heels in order to get just a bit more depth in the bottom.

I dont; think I have long femurs, or at least Pete (or anyone else) has told me that. I'm certain my mid-foot issues are from being an endurance athlete for ~30 years, and never really needing to focus on mid-foot. Just go out, and run!

[Elle]

Interesting about the shoulder mobility and the bar being too low.

I will DEFINITELY look into the Altra HIIT shoe. I’m having serious problems with my foot width. Pretty sure I’ve damaged the fifth metatarsal from my shoes being too narrow. Even the Do-Wins are uncomfortable for me. Hard to find a shoe with both good heel lift and width to squat with.

Yes I'm a female. I agree some of it was just that I don't have a good "meat shelf" to put the bar on. So it tended to slide down my back until I was holding it up with the back of my arms - agony. As my shoulder mobility increases I can bring my hands in more, which provides a better meat shelf.

Unfortunately the Altras dont have a heel (hence why they worked for me with deadlift). If the do-wins are too wide I got nothing for you. I was about to get those little heel wedges to stick in my Altras before I found the do-wins. But I'm a huge wide-toe-box believer and I have many pairs of Altras for various activities. I like that they have some arch support for heavy deadlifts. Some of the other "barefoot style" wide-toe-box shoes have 0 support whatsoever, more like socks.

[Frank_B]

Yes I'm a female. I agree some of it was just that I don't have a good "meat shelf" to put the bar on. So it tended to slide down my back until I was holding it up with the back of my arms - agony. As my shoulder mobility increases I can bring my hands in more, which provides a better meat shelf.

Unfortunately the Altras dont have a heel (hence why they worked for me with deadlift). If the do-wins are too wide I got nothing for you. I was about to get those little heel wedges to stick in my Altras before I found the do-wins. But I'm a huge wide-toe-box believer and I have many pairs of Altras for various activities. I like that they have some arch support for heavy deadlifts. Some of the other "barefoot style" wide-toe-box shoes have 0 support whatsoever, more like socks.

I missed in your previous post where you outright declared yourself female. My apologies. :-)

I'm sure you're probably aware of it, but just in case: I notice the first warm up set with just the bar is less than graceful regarding my shoulder mobility. But, each progressive warmup, I can bring my hands out all the way to the cups and then slowly walk them in to get into position. By the time I'm at my working set, my shoulder mobility is quite a bit better and my ability to squeeze my shoulder blades together to create a bigger shelf gets better too. I'm sure you're probably familiar with the "walk your hands in slowly" method, but it really helps me a lot.

I'll try the Altra's to deadlift in. As for a squat shoe with a wider toe box AND a proper heel, I might be out of luck unless I pay big bucks for something custom.