Should the toes be forward or outward when squatting? This is how foreign professional coaches explain toe forward. Squat is an action first, and then a sport. When I look at a new athlete, I want to see his/her ability to squat forward with his/her toes after taking off his/her shoes. My purpose is to evaluate his movements, which enables me to see all the weak links of the athletes. However, it is more difficult to squat with your toes forward than with your toes out. I don't think anyone will object to this statement, but this is the focus of the examination.
In order to squat to the maximum depth with toes forward, athletes must have sufficient ankle and hip flexibility and sufficient pelvic/core control. In addition, they must have good coordination and balance. Tilting your toes outward at a certain angle can make most people squat to the maximum depth and keep a more straight chest. A few people are always unable to enter the squat posture because of abnormal structure. Some people are born with genetic abnormalities. Nevertheless, most athletes should be able to squat down close to the ground.
Squats with bare hands lay the foundation for other sports, such as jumping and landing. When your toes are pointing out and your knees collapse to the ground, many knee injuries will occur. For athletes who want to jump to the ground, knee collapse and inward turn will tear ACL. My goal is to make athletes jump and land in a good way, so as to reduce their injuries at the end of the season.
Athletes must have sufficient pelvic/core control when squatting to the maximum depth and toes are forward. Once you pick up the barbell, squat becomes a sport. Therefore, the action pattern will change somewhat and become more athletic, including toes slightly everting outward; Doing so can create a mechanical advantage for squatting, which not only provides a broad supporting foundation, but also does not challenge the pelvic control and mobility to the greatest extent.
This is why some athletes can squat lower when their toes are turned out. By turning our hips outward, we can usually get a lower and better squat. When the hips rotate outward, the adductor muscles inside our thighs will lengthen; When we squat, these muscles are in a better position to produce strength (length/tension relationship). If the toes squat slightly outward, it means that the adductor muscle is open and more powerful; Adductor muscles have been shown to help hip stretch (from squatting to standing). The more adductor muscles help, the more powerful and effective the way to lift barbells.
Rotate your hips outward to achieve a lower and better-looking squat. Nevertheless, toe external rotation can only change the opening of adductor muscle, and hip muscle and quadriceps femoris (the main source of strength during squat) are not significantly more activated; Studies have shown that toes over 30 degrees will become invalid. So when doing barbell squats, keep your toes between 10 and 30 degrees, and always use the most comfortable posture. Remember, no two squats will look exactly the same. It is normal that you and your friends will stand in different squat positions when lifting barbells.
Adductor muscle has been shown to help hip stretch. Conclusion This argument is simple. I believe we should be able to squat forward with our toes. If you can't do it, you may need some training. I suggest you turn your toes out when doing barbell squats to achieve the best effect. This is the difference between training and testing. Testing should point out and explain the limitations of our activities. The focus of training should be to strengthen our current ability to act. When training athletes, we must understand the difference between testing and training.
Book information
? The article is taken from Chua's culture, Aaron? Aaron Horschig's book "Strong Squat".
This book features a squat Bible specially written for athletes and bodybuilders. Comprehensive analysis of freehand squat, barbell squat, squat science and squat essentials. Practice squat, exert your whole body strength, and obviously improve the exercise effect. ? Please click here for more information about the book "Squat with Strong Muscles".
Editor//David