Squating with a plank under your heals... - Page 2

TooBigForYou · 01-31-2009, 08:50 PM

My gym does not allow cameras. (And don't want to show my face on internet)

Anyway though I have one thing to say.

I today did squats and have discovered something interesting.
For the past couple of months I have been experimenting with different things,
Using the plank, not using it
Wide stance, Narrow Stance
Wide Grip, Narrow Grip
Foot pointing out, food pointing straight
etc...

So today I tried using a bit wider than shoulder stance with foot pointing out and no plank under my heels.
It felt pretty good, even when I went heavy.
I could keep my knees outwards. Sometimes it would just sneek in a bit but if i did it slow and controlled i corrected it. I could also keep my back straight up instead of leaning forward too much.

So i don't know. I think i am going to keep using this technique for now and see how it goes. Maybe because my other muscles (core,hamstring,etc) just needed to strengthen up alittle?
I will see how i go and if anymore problems will post up.
Thanks for all your replies.

sonny crocket · 02-03-2009, 07:00 PM

I am the same height as you and also found I was able to get lower with a board under my heels during the squat. However, this gave me patellar tendonitis rather quickly and I think that this is a bad way to squat which puts too much stress on the knee joint.

What has worked for me is widening my stance and also feeling the hams and adductors stretch at the bottom of the movement and really incorporate them for power out of the hole. It's a much more powerful and natural feeling for me. Not giving advice to you but merely pointing out something that has worked for me and allowed me to add a lot of weight to my squat. thanks

ThomasH · 02-08-2009, 10:07 PM

" Never squat with a board, plate or block under your heels. Raising your heels produces a more upright torso, but at the price of increased leg flexion and greatly increased knee stress and wear and tear. Note how the knees have moved WAY in front of an imaginary vertical line drawn from the toes. For knee safety, the knees should NEVER move in front of this imaginary line, and preferably should be two or more inches BEHIND it. Do not elevate your heels! Also, the bar is too high here.

Protect your knees. Do not use a board, block
or plate under your heels. Instead, improve your
stance, and work to increase the flexibility of your
Achilles tendons, hamstrings, thigh adductors and
glutes. Then you will not need anything under your
heels to maintain your balance."
-Stuart McRobert
The Insider's Tell-All Handbook On Weight-Training Technique pg 158

02-03-2009, 07:00 PM	#12
sonny crocket Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2	I am the same height as you and also found I was able to get lower with a board under my heels during the squat. However, this gave me patellar tendonitis rather quickly and I think that this is a bad way to squat which puts too much stress on the knee joint. What has worked for me is widening my stance and also feeling the hams and adductors stretch at the bottom of the movement and really incorporate them for power out of the hole. It's a much more powerful and natural feeling for me. Not giving advice to you but merely pointing out something that has worked for me and allowed me to add a lot of weight to my squat. thanks Last edited by sonny crocket; 02-03-2009 at 07:06 PM.

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01-31-2009, 08:50 PM	#11
TooBigForYou Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 20	My gym does not allow cameras. (And don't want to show my face on internet) Anyway though I have one thing to say. I today did squats and have discovered something interesting. For the past couple of months I have been experimenting with different things, Using the plank, not using it Wide stance, Narrow Stance Wide Grip, Narrow Grip Foot pointing out, food pointing straight etc... So today I tried using a bit wider than shoulder stance with foot pointing out and no plank under my heels. It felt pretty good, even when I went heavy. I could keep my knees outwards. Sometimes it would just sneek in a bit but if i did it slow and controlled i corrected it. I could also keep my back straight up instead of leaning forward too much. So i don't know. I think i am going to keep using this technique for now and see how it goes. Maybe because my other muscles (core,hamstring,etc) just needed to strengthen up alittle? I will see how i go and if anymore problems will post up. Thanks for all your replies.

02-08-2009, 10:07 PM	#13
ThomasH Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tdot Posts: 517	" Never squat with a board, plate or block under your heels. Raising your heels produces a more upright torso, but at the price of increased leg flexion and greatly increased knee stress and wear and tear. Note how the knees have moved WAY in front of an imaginary vertical line drawn from the toes. For knee safety, the knees should NEVER move in front of this imaginary line, and preferably should be two or more inches BEHIND it. Do not elevate your heels! Also, the bar is too high here. Protect your knees. Do not use a board, block or plate under your heels. Instead, improve your stance, and work to increase the flexibility of your Achilles tendons, hamstrings, thigh adductors and glutes. Then you will not need anything under your heels to maintain your balance." -Stuart McRobert The Insider's Tell-All Handbook On Weight-Training Technique pg 158

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