Squatting and foot placement.

This is something I never thought about too much but have played with a bit over the years. I naturally squat sorta narrow (stance about shoulder width apart) . This is because I have a somewhat small waist and hips and I am considered a leg squatter. Other guys who have a bigger waist/hips are more glute and hamstring squatters. They can typically ( not always and I am just basing this from the average gym rat) squat more then the leg squatter. After watching some PL's with much wider bases put up some serious weight I tried to convert over to a wider stance. It just didn't work for me and it made more sense and I felt more comfortable and stronger with my normal shoulder width stance. So.......the point: if you are new to the squat choose the stance that best suits your frame.

Just Little wider than shoulder width stance suits me... I have long legs.....

I'm more comfortable with a wider stance with my feet pointing outwards so my knees follow, I am a lot stronger this way and my legs respond better in size and growth. Its all about finding that groove which suits your body best and allows you to achieve your goals

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Originally Posted by marcus300

I'm more comfortable with a wider stance with my feet pointing outwards so my knees follow, I am a lot stronger this way and my legs respond better in size and growth. Its all about finding that groove which suits your body best and allows you to achieve your goals

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Ahhhhh, so your more of a power squatter. I forgot to mention toes out. Another thing I had to fix was not relying on my lower back so much and getting accustomed to sitting back sorta like what you do in a proper box squat (this may vary a Tad geographically) or letting your hips fall back and driving up from your heals. At first it was a bit awkward due to the fact that you don't do anything else like it in your day to day life. I started to squat down like that to pick up things around the house to get accustomed to it.....and yes, I probably looked like a fool.

I tend to squat more high bar than anything so legs are just a bit wider than shoulder width and back angle is slightly more vertical. I will from time to time go to a wider more PLer stance but when I do so I have to work on my hip mobility more to get depth.

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Originally Posted by Docd187123

I tend to squat more high bar than anything so legs are just a bit wider than shoulder width and back angle is slightly more vertical. I will from time to time go to a wider more PLer stance but when I do so I have to work on my hip mobility more to get depth.

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I tend to place the bar lower but do Manta ray squats which force you to squat very high. Much like front and zercher squats, I am not a big fan but when they are written into my program I suck it up and do them.

I squat about the same. I think the wide stance is used in pl is because its less distance to move too. If you have the good mobility then the wide stance is a good way to move a lot in a small distance.
Although i do a wide stance when box squatting for speed. Maybe mentally its like strengthening a different part of my legs.
i just feel more comfortable squatting more narrow.

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Originally Posted by Buster Brown

I tend to place the bar lower but do Manta ray squats which force you to squat very high. Much like front and zercher squats, I am not a big fan but when they are written into my program I suck it up and do them.

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I have some serious mobility issues on my left side in the upper body. Elbow tendinitis on too of shoulder mobility. I need some serious warmups and several sets if I even want to think about getting the bar where it should be for a low bar squat.

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Originally Posted by bigrich4

I squat about the same. I think the wide stance is used in pl is because its less distance to move too. If you have the good mobility then the wide stance is a good way to move a lot in a small distance.
Although i do a wide stance when box squatting for speed. Maybe mentally its like strengthening a different part of my legs.
i just feel more comfortable squatting more narrow.

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Wide stance also engages the posterior chain more as Buster mentioned earlier but it also helps with stopping and reversal power by increasing ligamentous tension provided you keep knees out.

When I first started squatting I squatted narrow. After hooking up with a training partner who power lifted he really drummed into my head that wider was better. At first it went horrible , I was basically starting over again , but after some time it really all came together. I've noticed that squatting wide really translates over to squatting narrow , but not the other way around. My biggest problem I'm working on is shooting my knees out instead of collapsing in .

The most advantageous stance for strength/power squat will be based on the length of your back, the length of your legs and the ratio between the two.

From Dave Tate's squat manual:

If you have shoulder issues, choose a medium to wide grip.
If you have a short back, choose a medium to wide stance.
If you have a long torso, choose a medium stance (the longer the torso, the closer the stance).
If you have long legs and a long back, choose a close to medium stance.
If you have long legs and a short back, congratulations. You can squat any way you want.
If you're using gear, obviously a wider stance is best as the gear supports the hips.

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Originally Posted by 600@50

The most advantageous stance for strength/power squat will be based on the length of your back, the length of your legs and the ratio between the two.

From Dave Tate's squat manual:

If you have shoulder issues, choose a medium to wide grip.
If you have a short back, choose a medium to wide stance.
If you have a long torso, choose a medium stance (the longer the torso, the closer the stance).
If you have long legs and a long back, choose a close to medium stance.
If you have long legs and a short back, congratulations. You can squat any way you want.
If you're using gear, obviously a wider stance is best as the gear supports the hips.

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These are the same principals I have heard and they make great sense. Your body really dictates the most favorable position. I am not a real PL like alot of you guys so even though I want to be a stronger BB I still choose hypertrophy over technique and training for the lift. NOT to say PL training doesn't contribute to hypertrophy (hope no one is taking it that way). Over the years I have seen alot of bad squatting and I think alot of guys just get poor guidance on it unless they come from a PL background or a decent football/wrestling strength program.

I like both training methods to an extent. But i thinimthe "bad squatting" is them going heavy and when youre maxing out form fades a little. I feel it when i hit a certain weight range.
Nothing wrong with choosing one over another. Shit that pump feels good! Then again it feels good when you go heavy and you see stars too lol

Also, depends on "Your Range of Motion"

If your Back is Perfect and you have short Legs, you can squat down to your heals, (although this is tough on the knees and shouldn't do it, imo). You Range of motion is largely determined by your Pelvic Floor Muscles.

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Originally Posted by 600@50

The most advantageous stance for strength/power squat will be based on the length of your back, the length of your legs and the ratio between the two.

From Dave Tate's squat manual:

If you have shoulder issues, choose a medium to wide grip.
If you have a short back, choose a medium to wide stance.
If you have a long torso, choose a medium stance (the longer the torso, the closer the stance).
If you have long legs and a long back, choose a close to medium stance.
If you have long legs and a short back, congratulations. You can squat any way you want.
If you're using gear, obviously a wider stance is best as the gear supports the hips.

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I go pretty narrow when I go heavy but I adjust it depending on how I'm training legs that day.

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Originally Posted by tcw

Also, depends on "Your Range of Motion"

If your Back is Perfect and you have short Legs, you can squat down to your heals, (although this is tough on the knees and shouldn't do it, imo). You Range of motion is largely determined by your Pelvic Floor Muscles.

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And hamstrings and hip flexors and adductors and spinal erectors and........

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Originally Posted by 600@50

And hamstrings and hip flexors and adductors and spinal erectors and........

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This is another good point.....my quads had good size and I could leg press alot which means nothing in terms of having a good squat. I worked the above stated muscles but not to the degree I should and needed to "catch up". It is def worth the catch up as it will pay huge dividends.

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Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Ahhhhh, so your more of a power squatter. I forgot to mention toes out. Another thing I had to fix was not relying on my lower back so much and getting accustomed to sitting back sorta like what you do in a proper box squat (this may vary a Tad geographically) or letting your hips fall back and driving up from your heals. At first it was a bit awkward due to the fact that you don't do anything else like it in your day to day life. I started to squat down like that to pick up things around the house to get accustomed to it.....and yes, I probably looked like a fool.

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Its more of how I am more comfortable due probably having slightly wider hips. When I first started training I did train with PL'ers for around 5 yrs and that's what built the foundations for me to go into bodybuilding. I was a huge squatter in the early days but don't go to my max anymore due to issues with my back, but I still use them and feel more comfortable with a wider stance. I do use the V squat machine in the reverse with a narrower stance and also the hack with a shoulder width stance.

Another thing I have noticed is that some guys who have a wide stance and are true PL's use more of there lower back then others. Even though I keep the bar low on my back I always look up a bit and keep my lower back as tight as possible and drive from the heals. This way feels great to me and I have the most control over the lift.

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Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Another thing I have noticed is that some guys who have a wide stance and are true PL's use more of there lower back then others. Even though I keep the bar low on my back I always look up a bit and keep my lower back as tight as possible and drive from the heals. This way feels great to me and I have the most control over the lift.

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I think part of this has to do with the low back and hamstring muscles acting on either end of the pelvis. To maintain pelvic stability and health the forces on each end can't be polar extremes so when you go with a wider PL stance you tend to use more glutes and hams and therefor you lower back will contract more to stabilize the force from them. Could be way off base but that's what I got lol

Maybe I do it wrong, but I always choose the squat foot placement according to my knees so that they dont go in or out. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Buster Brown

This is something I never thought about too much but have played with a bit over the years. I naturally squat sorta narrow (stance about shoulder width apart) . This is because I have a somewhat small waist and hips and I am considered a leg squatter. Other guys who have a bigger waist/hips are more glute and hamstring squatters. They can typically ( not always and I am just basing this from the average gym rat) squat more then the leg squatter. After watching some PL's with much wider bases put up some serious weight I tried to convert over to a wider stance. It just didn't work for me and it made more sense and I felt more comfortable and stronger with my normal shoulder width stance. So.......the point: if you are new to the squat choose the stance that best suits your frame.

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I'm not experienced enough to give a good opinion, but I can give AN OPINION nonetheless...

I think it also has a lot to do with what you train. Like, my first time doing deep front squats with Oly lifting, I squatted narrow and could lift serious weight. My wider-stance front squat was weak, until I started training it. I remember still being able to narrow-squat more, but the gap became much smaller.

There was another case when I did Zercher squats as a youngling. My partial zercher squat was weaker than my full-range of motion version. It baffled me at the time...

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Originally Posted by Docd187123

I think part of this has to do with the low back and hamstring muscles acting on either end of the pelvis. To maintain pelvic stability and health the forces on each end can't be polar extremes so when you go with a wider PL stance you tend to use more glutes and hams and therefor you lower back will contract more to stabilize the force from them. Could be way off base but that's what I got lol

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That could def be. I wasn't sure if it was more of a preference thing. Its just funny when everyone at the gym preaches to sit back, keep tight, then drive up through your heals and hips....and you still see alot of variations. I believe that technique is paramount to having a good squat.

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Originally Posted by Buster Brown

That could def be. I wasn't sure if it was more of a preference thing. Its just funny when everyone at the gym preaches to sit back, keep tight, then drive up through your heals and hips....and you still see alot of variations. I believe that technique is paramount to having a good squat.

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I'm lucky if I see a couple ppl in my gym do squats period man. It really is sad people don't perform arguably the most effective lift in the gym.

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Originally Posted by docd187123

i'm lucky if i see a couple ppl in my gym do squats period man. It really is sad people don't perform arguably the most effective lift in the gym.

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x100

After playing around with stances I used to be a narrower squatter and found that a wider stance is awkward at first but definitely helps lift heavier loads once you get used to it. Also a big one was bar position (high vs. low vs. very low) and noticing what to do with your back once you come out of the hole. I'm 5'11 with long legs but a shorter torso (not sure what you are), and found a low bar stance with slightly beyond shoulders and using a lot of tightness in the back to bring heavy weight up (to some looks like a weird goodmorning tos ome people) but the weight gets lifting and is a legit powerlifting squat so