Foot Placement on Squat and Bench

[samperrin11]

Squat: My question is regarding foot placement in the squat. I know in the book it talked about it being acceptable to have your feet turned out 30-45 degrees. I know turning out my feet allows me to hit depth easier. There are many zealots out there who say you must be toes straight ahead. Any further thoughts?

Bench: I have struggled to reach tightness on the bench. In going for a big arch I was tucking my feet behind my knees. While stable it just didn’t feel comfortable. I’ve read about a technique where your feet are in front of your knees pushing back. It seems to feel better. Talking with my friend who is a good bencher his feet are directly below (underneath his knees). He said stronger base. From your book, I’ve worked hard on unracking technique along with finding a spot on the ceiling. (this has helped). Could you also talk about foot placement?

My numbers are getting up there (ready to not come in last place) at a contest. But my bench lags behind.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Squat: Toe angle must obviously depend on stance width. If you take an even moderately wide stance with toes pointed straight forward/feet parallel, and you actually squat with this foot position, your are forcing a rotation to occur in either the knee or ankle. This is bad for the capsular ligaments involved, since it places them in a torsional load. I think it makes much more sense to line the condyles up in a nice straight line, free of twisting, so that you don't hurt yourself. Now, if you are an advanced lifter who wants to intentionally load the ligaments this way to get a few more pounds out of your suit-and-wraps squat, go ahead. But novices should squat with their ankles and knees lined up nice and straight.

Bench: There is a lot more room for variation in bench press foot placement, especially considering the various rules of the different federations. My position on the matter is described in the book.