The importance of Foot Position, Are you aware?
So. This topic that I am going discuss with you today will have an entire episode on my YOUTUBE channel (NJLtraining) soon, tune in and check out this and other great topics to help your gym time be more productive.
There are typically 3 stances that happen when lifting weights. The first is hip width, this is often confused with shoulder width. Unless you have a square body shape chances are your Hips and Shoulders are not the same width. Hip width is a more neutral position often used for just standing or if your one of those who stands there to do tricep extensions, bicep curls and so on. The only problem with this stance is that any substantial knee bend and the Knee will be under a lot of pressure, resulting in potential injury and wear and tear.
The second position and the most common used in the CROSStrength training system is what I call the ready stance. The feet are slightly wider than shoulders(slightly)is the KEY. With the heels just outside of shoulder width the toes are turned out at no more than 30 degrees. The easiest way to find this for your own stance is to imagine a straight line going forward from your toes and another straight line going out to the side from your heel. Now open your toes to approximately 30 degrees. PERFECT.
Having the toes slightly open will allow your hips to hinge properly and your knees to naturally slide over your feet. Giving you more mobility and relieving stress off the joints. Remember that it is not normal to have your feet straight ahead. Take a look at any diagram of anatomical position.
The third position is Wide stance. You have either seen a Sumo Squat or do them in your routine, this is a perfect example of wide stance. I never teach this stance nor advice anyone use it. That brings us to the next section of this BLOG.
We have gone over the 3 most common used positions and now I just want to briefly tell you what to be aware of when choosing your stance. The Adductor muscles of the Hip have to be the first thing you look at when it comes to movement and preventing injury. The wider the stance the more pull on the groin muscles. If you have ever had or know someone who has had a groin injury, it takes a long time to heal if you ever fully heal at all. Try this for yourself. Do a body weight squat using all 3 stances we have covered. Notice that when you do a wide stance squat the pull on the adductor muscles is much more noticeable. Imagine that under force of weight. OOOOuch.
Find a neutral stance that not only works for depth or mobility, it will also give you the stability in your joints to continue to increase strength.
Foot position is vital when exercising for safety and for proper development. Stay tuned as I will tackle this topic on my next episode of NJLtraining on YOUTUBE.
"FAILURE IS A RESULT OF NOT TRYING"
Train Smart and Dont Quit
