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Quick question about squats

R

rotel

Guest
When doing squats (dumbbell, barbell), are you supposed to keep your feet flat on the floor?

The reason I ask is, a friend was showing me his workout, and when I tried to do some squats, I noticed my feet aren't flat on the ground, but rather, they arch up so the balls of my feet are the only part touching the ground. For me this has an impact on balance.

So are your feet supoosed to be flat on the floor when your thighs become parallel with the ground? Or is having the balls of your feet and toes only on the ground ok? (ie heels raised above the floor)
 
For something constructive: If you cant go down far enough, there are usually thin wooden boards around the racks for you to elevate your heels. Even the 10-15mm or so offered by those boards can make a massive difference.
 
This is a very common issue with people new to squats.

Keep your feet flat on the floor, keep the bar low on your shoulders and keep your back straight through the entire movement. Also, make sure you go down to at a bare minimum, parallel to the floor, as if you do not, you are putting excessive strain on your knees and will injure yourself.

Like said above, a common solution to the issue of transferred weight to the balls of your feet is to place either a board or a couple of small 10 or 15 lb plates under your heels. However, it's better to just get used to the movement and learn how to do it flat.
 
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