Squats: Toes pointing forward vs 45 degrees

[JEDI]

i usually have my toes at 45 degrees.
but while waiting for one of the squat racks to be free, i noticed that all the guys doing squats have their toes pointing more or less forward. (edit: about 15degree angle)

am i doing it wrong?
if so, what effect is that doing on my body?

and how much weight should i drop down to with this new form?
just squatting the bar? then next time, a 25lb weight on each side. then build up slowly from there?

 

[CPA]

30 degrees. firm believer in Starting Strength. I know there's a couple guys on here who feel otherwise and they should be straight or slightly pointed out.

 

[Zivic]

i usually have my toes at 45 degrees.
but while waiting for one of the squat racks to be free, i noticed that all the guys doing squats have their toes pointing more or less forward. (edit: about 15degree angle)

am i doing it wrong?
if so, what effect is that doing on my body?

and how much weight should i drop down to with this new form?
just squatting the bar? then next time, a 25lb weight on each side. then build up slowly from there?

serious question...
are "all the guys" built or very strong? if so, I'd probably give it a try.

through my years of squating, I don't think I have had my toes pointed any further than 15 degrees. how much I turn them out depends on my stance width.

 

[Pantlegz]

It's all about flexibility, the more straight you're able to keep your feet the more torque you're able to generate. Most people aren't flexible enough to hit proper depth without pointing their toes out to open the hips up a little

 

[SP33Demon]

serious question...
are "all the guys" built or very strong? if so, I'd probably give it a try.

through my years of squating, I don't think I have had my toes pointed any further than 15 degrees. how much I turn them out depends on my stance width.

Yep, I'm about at the same. Open just a little but never out to 45 degrees.

 

[JEDI]

so I squatted 2sets of 10 with toes=15 degrees w/just the bar.

now my knees hurt a little

 

[z1ggy]

Yep, I'm about at the same. Open just a little but never out to 45 degrees.

I point mine out just a touch as well. I think it's just a bit more natural to have them opened a hair as opposed to 100% straight. I'll have to ask my g/f later tonight, she'd know better than I would, anatomically speaking.

 

[Sixguns]

Back squat-pointed just slightly
Front squat- straight

 

[Koing]

Mine are turned out about 10 and 2 o'clock.

The reality is it doesn't matter too much as long as you are comfortable.

Koing

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I probably do somewhere in the 15-30 degree range.

The important thing is to track your knee over your foot.

The reason I don't do straight is two fold. One, I can feel stress in my knees. Two, Straight with proper knee tracking causes my belly to hit my quads (I'm not that fat: 6', 210 pounds) so I can't get into a full squat. The slight angle helps me get my belly between my legs enough that I can full squat. Probably a 90% squat but not full.

Disclosure:
<=== Probably not the best source for this info. But I've been lifting for years on and off a gain.

 

[JEDI]

I probably do somewhere in the 15-30 degree range.

The important thing is to track your knee over your foot.

The reason I don't do straight is two fold. One, I can feel stress in my knees. Two, Straight with proper knee tracking causes my belly to hit my quads (I'm not that fat: 6', 210 pounds) so I can't get into a full squat. The slight angle helps me get my belly between my legs enough that I can full squat. Probably a 90% squat but not full.

Disclosure:
<=== Probably not the best source for this info. But I've been lifting for years on and off a gain.

never thought of knee tracking. I always did what felt comfortable.

at 30-45 degree toe point, my knees are to the inside of my feet.
and if I force my feet to pointer straighter so my knees are aligned, my knees hurt.

 

[SP33Demon]

Yeah after talking with my coach, he said most people don't do it because they're not flexible enough and it'll cause knee pain. It will give you more compression and spring out of the hole though. I tried it on lighter sets and noticed how fast I could spring back after hitting depth. However, on heavy sets it was making my knees sore so I switched back to slightly open.

 

[JEDI]

Yeah after talking with my coach, he said most people don't do it because they're not flexible enough and it'll cause knee pain. It will give you more compression and spring out of the hole though. I tried it on lighter sets and noticed how fast I could spring back after hitting depth. However, on heavy sets it was making my knees sore so I switched back to slightly open.

so what excercises to be flexible enuf to squat with feet pointed mostly forward?

 

[Pantlegz]

so what excercises to be flexible enuf to squat with feet pointed mostly forward?

There are a slew on mobility WOD but mostly just sit in the bottom of the squat, work up to the point that it's comfortable for 5+ min then whenever you're at home and would sit on the couch just squat instead. Once your brain is distracted by something like a TV show you can sit there for 30-45 min without thinking about it, much.

 

[CoconutWarrior]

Yeah, mobilityWod is one of the best resources out there with tons of videos on this stuff. for squats, you toes should be pointed straight forward, maybe slightly out if need be. You should be "screwing your feet in to the ground" to create torsion. One of the most important pieces of advice for squatting is to remember to keep your knees OUT.

 

[JEDI]

Yeah, mobilityWod is one of the best resources out there with tons of videos on this stuff. for squats, you toes should be pointed straight forward, maybe slightly out if need be. You should be "screwing your feet in to the ground" to create torsion. One of the most important pieces of advice for squatting is to remember to keep your knees OUT.

mobilityWod is subscription

 

[MongGrel]

Perhaps ask a local ballet dancer.

Was only half teasing a bit.

 

[TallBill]

I go 30 degrees, feet as wide as the rack will allow. This fall I'm gonna look around for gyms with wider racks or maybe just stands because I'd like my feet a tad wider. Low bar squat, hips back.

 

[Pantlegz]

mobilityWod is subscription

There are tons of free videos on YouTube and through the site

 

[Kaido]

am i doing it wrong?

http://invisiblebread.com/comics/2014-07-17-squats.png

 

[solsa]

I do different angles every time. I believe it's good to slightly change each exercise everytime you do it because it will work muscle in slightly different ways stimulating different parts of the muscle.

 

[JEDI]

5x5 stronglifts recommends 30 degree with heels (not toes) at shoulder length apart.
http://stronglifts.com/squat/#Foot_Position

going to try this cause squatting with my feet as straight as possible isn't working. I cant squat as much weight

 

[z1ggy]

I've adjusted my stance a touch wider than before and point my toes outward even more, and it feels even better.

It really just comes down to anatomy and what you feel comfortable with. I don't think there's any set stance width or toe direction (as long as they aren't pointing inward).

 

[utahraptor]

I have to have my toes angled apart a bit or I can't achieve sufficient depth.

Death to the half reppers!

 

[TheStu]

My toes point out a little bit, probably about 15 degrees. Feet are about shoulder width apart, anything different feels too weird.