Coworker wants to start training but his Achilles tendon won't allow him..

[grand666]

My coworker tore his achilles tendon a few years ago and as a result he can't move his knee too far forward without his heel picking up. He can't get into the squat position flat footed on the groudn. By the looks of it, it looks like a heel lift of 1.5 or so inches would be enough to give his foot a solid surface while lifting his heel enough so that his knee can move forward.

My question is this. What is the maximum heel lift that would be considered safe to use, and which brand? He tore his quads on a trampoline a few weeks ago as well. Don't ask, I was shocked. He jumped and heard a snap sound. MRI revealed tore quad muslces in the right leg and left.

I think he has seen the light with what is happening with my current lifting partner and also coworker and wants to start strength training. Good for him but sucks for me as i have to stay late after work to train him and train myself three days a week.

[hollismb]

One of my lifting partners (who I also coach) couldn't squat to depth because of his Achilles when he first started squatting. With lighter weights, he was able to get fairly decent depth with a five or ten pound plate under his heels, enough to convince him that he needed weightlifting shoes. So, he bought some with a 3/4 inch heel, which got him most of the way there. Repetition, increasing weight, and good knees out got him the rest of the way as he gained some additional mobility in the problem ankle, with the squat itself serving as a stretch. Now he's fine, and consistenty gets good depth with his heels on the floor in weightlifting shoes.

[grand666]

Do you have access to an SSC?

I do not. I'm in Denver and still waiting for the seminars to come here at some point for my own lifts.

One of my lifting partners (who I also coach) couldn't squat to depth because of his Achilles when he first started squatting. With very light weights, he was able to get fairly decent depth with a five or ten pound plate under his heels, enough to convince him that he needed weightlifting shoes. So, he bought some with a 3/4 inch heel, which got him most of the way there. Repetition, increasing weight, and good knees out got him the rest of the way there as he gained some additional mobility in the problem ankle, with the squat itself serving as a stretch. Now he's fine, and consistenty gets good depth with his heels on the floor in weightlifting shoes.
Last edited by hollismb; Today at 10:55 PM.

He's got a knob on the back of his. It snapped off years ago and they re-attached it. His knee gets to about right behind his toes when his heel starts to lift. I have wei-rui shoes with 3/4 inch lift as well. I'm not sure how high they go. 1inch or higher that could benefit him.

[Simon Rest]

I think the vs athletic have a higher heel (and are cheap too)

[OBoile]

I think some cobblers can also add inserts to make shoes higher. You may not be able to do this with the newer versions of shoes that have plastic soles, but with the wood ones it was definitely possible. FWIW, the maximum size of the sole (and thus the max heel height) allowed in the IPF is 5 cm. So, 1.5" would be well below that. Of course, that doesn't necessarily make it safe, but I suspect you'd be fine.

[Sean Herbison]

His knee gets to about right behind his toes when his heel starts to lift.

Footwear can certainly be helpful. Another option is to have him do a more hip dominant squat. Sit back and lean over even more, and don't push the knees forward as much. It's not optimal, but neither is being injured.

[krazyduck]

Footwear can certainly be helpful. Another option is to have him do a more hip dominant squat. Sit back and lean over even more, and don't push the knees forward as much. It's not optimal, but neither is being injured.

Or a box squat?

[Sean Herbison]

Or a box squat?

I'm not personally a fan of box squats in most cases.

[Mr_Rogers]

I had a pair of Adipowers that I added 0.25" to making them 1" heels. A local cobbler did a great job on them. I'm pretty confident that you should be able to modify just about any WL shoe to have a higher heel.

[grand666]

Appreciate the feedback guys. So you can't buy WL shoes that already have a 1.5" lift on them? I think his best option is to figure out exactly what his heel lift needs to be for a proper form, then buy the highest he can get and add if necessary.