It seems every now and again, someone will do something at the university gym I train at, and everyone will copy that person. I assume there is some amazing body builder coming when I'm not there and doing workouts everyone thinks will make them look like him. SO Squats. Why is everyone suddenly putting small weights (like 2.5 or 5 kg) under their heels when they squat? I assumed it could be because they have some range of motion issue in a muscle or joint impacting the squat, but more and more people are doing it, it's contagious. WHATS GOING ON? Today I even saw a guy standing on 2 plates to do shrugs. Not even on his heels, just standing on them (He was also doing them in the cage so I already have questions about his sanity anyway). I'm happy just doing a normal old back squat until I hit 2x Bodyweight. But whats the reasoning behind this madness?
But plates generally aren't flat, especially the lighter ones. Even if they are 'flat' they still have holes. Some people encourage using some sort of block under the heels when squatting to encourage you to push more through the heels. Some say it also helps with lack of flexibility, but this should really only be when you are squatting deep whcih not many people really do. Lifting shoes actually have a slightly raised heel. Not sure about the entire foot on the plate though. My only guess what they are mis-copying everyone else. Or maybe they thing the less squishy surface will help with the lift - this doesn't make them stronger though and whatever shoes they are wearing will make a bigger difference. I'm not saying they are smart.
The reason people squat with plates under the heels is because of lack of flexibility. If the calf or hamstring is tight... as it often is in football players and rugby players then even coming into a squat with the tops of their thigh parallel to the plane of the floor will cause the heels to raise. I deal with it with clients all the time. So if you raise the heal he can then get into his proper end position for that type of a squat. The problem is if you do that or you have your clients do that... you haven't really addressed the problem which is tight hamstrings or calf muslces (which often leads to a tightness in the hips as well). He maybe be getting stronger but he's also only going to tighten up more and become more prone to injury such as a hamstring/calf tear. Very common in sports.... primarily because 99% of programs focus on strength and in game drills and have very little training for recovery - that includes flexibility. Often players are left up to their own device at the end of a workout to stretch themselves out. I've seen whole pitches of guys and not one has a single clue how to stretch at the start or end of a warm up. Same as it ever was. As for standing on the plates. lol. Total fool. In gyms you will see any number of guys who do things they saw someone else do but don't understand the concept behind it. It's worse because perhaps their may not be any concept or method behind it. It could be something someone made up. Happens all the time. A good majority of people training in gyms can't do ass to the grass squats. Often you will hear it say that it's an ankle mobility issue. It is.. of sorts. What they mean is tight calves. If they can't get deep into a squat at bodyweight... under the weight of a bar or a loaded bar their form will suffer and their back will round. Dangerous stuff that.
What I've found to be an additional problem is that to a certain degree the squat becomes more anterior and less posterior, because the highly elevated heel means that most of the weight is being driven through the quads, but very little being supported by the hamstrings, calves, etc. For the reason, the squat loses a lot of its actual purpose, and in fact can become quite dangerous, placing a lot of extra strain on the knee.
Straight out of brawn by Stuart Mcrobert: "elevating the heels increases forward knee travel, which increases knee stress" What you are witnessing is a plague of idiots. You have to ignore them, because it's illegal to kill them.
Just to hit the flip side of the coin... and as something I've spent a lot off time studying both at the desk and at the gym.... not everyone believes the maxim that knees forward on squats/split squats and for that matter lunges are necessarily a negative thing. Three well respected trainers I can think of that don't subscribe to the theory are: Charles Poliquin ref: Ask Coach Poliquin Vol. 1 Page 37 (examples below) http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/49/Tip-157-The-Value-of-Split-Squats.aspx [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z7E6Wzs3Dc"]Front Foot Elevated Cable Split Squat - YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr445RNHQ8I&feature=related"]Lee Boyce Front Foot Elevated Split Squat - YouTube[/ame] Peter Twist take a look at most of the positions on his knees under bodyweight... most are totally not what you would see on a traditional hip-break squat. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiOid7W2VOU"]LOAD - Intense Strength (Peter Twist) - YouTube[/ame] Clarence Bass 1) http://www.cbass.com/Squats.htm 2) http://idaimakaya.com/clarencebass.aspx It's one of the most hotly debated subjects in lifting. I tend to do alot of hip break squats where I break at the hips (ass traveling backwards) and there is very little knee travel if any forward. At least when I'm doing bar squats with weight. For bodyweight squats I do them both ways but I don't see them at bodyweight being detrimental. I always surmised that your body has that range of motion naturally and you can easily observe it motion and at speed during sport. A state where your body puts far more stress on the knee in that knee forward of the toe position due than you ever could at bodyweight because of the factors of momentum/speed/weight/ground reaction force. I hold much is true for the forward knee travel on the lunge as well... I've noticed in some of the Charles Poliquin material that he also has the knee travel past the toes on his lunges and split squat... both weighted and at bodyweight. For what it's worth (and those of you who follow top notch trainers and coaches will recognize these two names) both Eric Cressey (Bulletproof Knees) and Alwyn Cosgrove have referenced one study which apparently debunks this whole myth. Fry AC, Smith JC, Schilling BK. Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):629-33. Joint kinetics were studied in the above study and specifically during back squats under two conditions. The first condition placed was a board in front of the participants shins, which restricted forward displacement of the knee. The second condition, movement was not restricted at all. They squatted normally and the knees were allowed to pass the toes. So that might come as shocking to some of you. It's worth looking into.
Oddly enough I think you might find just as many interpretations of studies that support the opposite. The coaches listed I'm hold in pretty high regard. Most of the TWIST stuff I've used with my clients for a very long time and it's pretty impressive for the amount of thought he's put into it. Poliquin is very much the flavor of the moment for HK trainers and he's now flogging certifications and supplements which I think are good quality though quite dear in price. I use several variations of his fish oils (at them moment EPA-DHA 720 blend) but if I didn't get a pro discount I'd doubt I could just justify the bleeding stuff. I do however doubt I'd ever do his cert. It's too expensive and is to my way of thinking too narrowly focused on strength lifting. Would make sense as his back is as an off season strength and conditioning coach for NFL etc. Eric Cressey I've been following for a long time and has a lot of sensible things to say. His Bulletproof Knee's is a good read as is Magnificent Mobility (M2). If you're a trainer or want a deeper understand of the body as it relates to sports/marital arts movement he's your man. Come to think of it Steve Maxwell the kettlebell guru does a ton of stuff under load with knees way out past his toes. Example: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9r6YEytKTI"]Steve Maxwell: Kettlebell Hack Squat - YouTube[/ame]
Cool. I think that we can all agree that squatting with heels deliberately elevated isn't good though?
My personal take on it would be to work on the flexibility issues. I see that as a far bigger issue and just an inroad to longer term problems on down the road and possibly injury. Though I don't think that flexibility is regarded on the same level as strength by most people. I think people view strength as more tangible while I honestly think most people don't give two thoughts about flexibility... they just tend to avoid having to use it... even to the point of subconsciously adjusting their movement patterns... at least until they're injured.
