Squatting with Raised Heels
<Anyway, now that we're on the subject of the photos of Dave squatting, there's one thing I've been meaning to bring up. If you take a close look at a couple of the Draper squat photos, you'll notice a well-worn 2X6 under Dave's heels. I haven't seen that since the old Zuver's days. I remember starting to do them that way one day and one of the old Squat Kings (probably Terry or Billy "Peanuts" West) said something like: "get offa' there, ya little moron. Don't use that thing, it'll screw you up."
Needless to say, I took the advice, not really wanting to question someone like that (being bad for one's health). But, it never really made sense to me, as it's definitely more comfortable that way. Still nails the quads with seemingly less stress on the knees. I always thought he meant that it would "screw me up" for competition powerlifting or something, but have always stayed away from using it (not to mention the fact that most modern gyms wouldn't let you bring a hunk of 2X6 in the door). I'm just wondering if Dave still does it that way. Or, if anyone else does. Bill>
Laree writes:
Dave doesn't squat with raised heels anymore and hasn't as long as I've known him. (He doesn't squat with ripped jeans and $2.00 Keds anymore either, as far as I've noticed). I used to squat with a board under my heels and stopped after Dave told me it would hurt my knees, this about 8-10 years ago.
As it turns out, this information was not totally correct. Squatting with a board under the heels probably DID hurt Dave's knees, but wouldn't hurt mine. Using a raised heel posture is actually a better position under weight for people with a short torso, longer leg femur proportion. There's no question that a longer torso (and a longer tibia bone - the distance from your knee to your ankle) will improve squat form due to simple body mechanics.
In the 80's there were enough damaged knees for the experts to say that elevating the heels caused knee problems. Biomechanic science now tells us that body proportions will give us the correct answer - if your leg femur is proportionately longer that your torso length, elevating the heels is a viable answer for you, even though that might hurt the knees of your squatting partner.
Still, this is a hard one to explain in the gym, I gotta tell 'ya. Be bold. You still see guys (mostly) squatting in work boots, right? Well, why? Could it be the elevated heel?
Try this - skip the board - too high anyway. Use a 5 lb weight under each heel - even a 2.5 pounder. Find the right distance for you, and make it the smallest height you can. I'm willing to bet that some of you who've been told that raising your heels would be bad will discover perfect squats.
Second thing that should be mentioned is, short torso not being the case, hip flexor and ankle strength and flexibility will get better over time, increasing the squat ability of nearly everyone. There are other issues we'll never figure out here, such as tracking alignment of the femur as related to the toes and foot width that defines the plane of motion. All mumbo jumbo, but will in some way effect your ability to perform the elusive perfect squat. Sounds like golf lingo, huh? Laree
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Interesting you mention this, Laree. I always do one or two sets of squats with my heels on a 24" 2x4 . It really targets the butt/upper thigh area and causes a great separation. So far my knees can handle it but then again, I don't squat with really heavy poundage. Delphene
<The "heel on block" idea has given me some undue stress on my knees.>
Knee trauma from squatting with heels elevated can be avoided by descending slowly into the below parallel position. Such an M.O. will limit the amount of weight one needs to make progress. This is also a way to help maintain an upright posture, thereby minimizing excessive stress on the lower back, something that can be a problem for those using a flat-footed stance. Or....for the safest squats possible, one can use the Frank Zane Leg Blaster, though unfortunately most gyms do not have them. MrNH
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Stuart McRobert counsels against using a block to elevate the heel in "Insiders". He feels it causes knee problems. When I wanted to start to squat I had a very hard time getting into a squat and keeping my heels on the floor. My lowtech solution was to start squatting down like an Indian around a campfire. I did this quite a few times a day and stayed down for minutes at a time - letting body weight gradually pull me deeper and deeper. I worked on this for a couple of months. I can now go down into a *way below* parallel squat (back, front or overhead) with my butt about 6" off the ground. Heels stay on the floor. This is a tough way to squat but it also seems productive. Chuck
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