After you read the book and analyze my argument for a mid-foot position, you have my permission to do it any way you want to if you disagree. I may be wrong.
Member
Lifting with balls of your feet as starting position
Hi Coach,
Just wanted to follow up with you on my prior email. I asked if it is okay to squat down and start with heels off the floor and you said depends on objects weight. I am addressing this again because squatting down and lifting on the balls of my feet (with heels coming down as i'm lifting the load) feels more natural. Any thoughts and recommendations?
TMPHBITEU
After you read the book and analyze my argument for a mid-foot position, you have my permission to do it any way you want to if you disagree. I may be wrong.
Member
You may feel differently if you have 100kg on your back.Originally Posted by Gpcpa
Member
I inadvertently started rocking forward onto the balls of my feet (and onto my toes) occasionally while squatting. It was a gradual form-creep thing, and I didn't think about it much until one day I staggered forward at the end of a set of 5 with 280 on my back and almost lost it. The squat rack kept me from pitching too far forward and I muscled the weight up without killing myself or anyone else. I realized I was exaggerating "hips back". The cue that fixed it in my case was thinking about dropping straight down (someone here mentioned a cue of "drop your balls between your knees.") This may not be the appropriate cue for you, but it worked to correct my specific problem. Once I started doing this I instantly felt my squat become less quad dominant and felt my hamstrings engage more during the squat.
Squatting with bad form also gave me a mild but annoying case of knee pain, what I suspect is either patellar tendonitis or chondromalacia. Fixing my squat form, or at least improving it, has allowed my knees to heal quite quickly. I strongly suggest you get used to squatting properly, even if it feels "wrong." Having a near crash with a barbell on my back was a hell of a motivator, and so was kneeling down on the floor and feeling like a shard of glass had embedded itself under my kneecap.
Member
Hi Coach,
I miscommunicated what I was trying to ask you. I wanted to ask you if it is ok to lift everyday objects (such as books, boxes of papers, etc) by squatting down low to the object and getting on the balls of my feet. As I ascend, my feet will gradually plant fully. Is this okay? Or would you recommend kneeling down to an object in a staggered stance (with one foot in front of another), and
then slowly lifting the object?
Member
Gpcpa. In case you missed the sarcasm dripping from Rip's reply, and can't understant crerus75 description of what happens, I think it's best to state this in plain language.
Do not under any circumstances squat with your heels off the floor. Never. Ever.
Member
If memory serves me correct I recall reading an article or perhaps it was in book? where within the text it was stated that squatting on the balls of the feet was THEE way to squat for individuals who were trying to develop strength for weightlifting or events displaying strength. Mark perhaps you could clarify this, my memory is somewhat un-reliable at times :-O
Member
Way to shoot for the sky with that weight, there. Sure you don't want to bore him back to his cave?
In some of my first squat sessions I did stuff like this inadvertantly and it felt okay, but once I got used to the correct lowbar position there was no other way for me to lift. If you're gonna try this crazy shit with the squat try Rip's suggested style, too.
TMPHBITEU
How much does your book weigh?
Member
I said he may feel differently with 100kg on his back.
He will certainly feel differently with more.
I hope you I did not hurt your sensitive feelings with the mention of weights newbies use.
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