Squat - heel/flat

[gainmusclefast]

how often have you went back and forth with the type of shoe you use?

last time i tried to go back to flat shoes i was squatting 3x a week and it was bothering my knee. I'm currently only squatting once a week so i a going to try flat shoes again and see how it goes.

i am trying to cut some depth as well as sometimes i get pitched forward on my squat.

[JRMoore82]

The heel would help make hitting depth easier.

I've stuck with oly shoes since I got em. But my squat has continued to progress. So why stop it.

[gainmusclefast]

The heel would help make hitting depth easier.

I've stuck with oly shoes since I got em. But my squat has continued to progress. So why stop it.

yea i squat too deep, I'm trying not to go as far down

[JRMoore82]

yea i squat too deep, I'm trying not to go as far down

Have you tried setting safety rails to just below parallel to train that way?

[young1wisdom]

yea i squat too deep, I'm trying not to go as far down

I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. You'll get a lot more stretch reflex out of the hole the lower you go. If you start squatting higher you might lose that.

[Deepamot]

agree with you @young1wisdom

[NorthStrong]

Used both for a long enough time each, and I like the flat shoes more.

[Pull4YourLife]

how often have you went back and forth with the type of shoe you use?

last time i tried to go back to flat shoes i was squatting 3x a week and it was bothering my knee. I'm currently only squatting once a week so i a going to try flat shoes again and see how it goes.

i am trying to cut some depth as well as sometimes i get pitched forward on my squat.

Great lifts man! Flat shoes helped me alot for my low bar comp squat(breaking at hips, sitting slightly back, trying to keep a more vertical shin angle). I use olympic shoes for high bar squats and front squats. I tried the raised heel for low bar but wasn't as big on it as when I wear flats.

Your right to want to cut depth, were powerlifters we want to put up the biggest total possible so it would be logical to not squat atg and simply go to the required depth.

The knee pain could very well be over training and depth as opposed to the footwear. You mentioned you squatted 3 times a week and go deep. So your knee is in a more flexed state. Might not be the case but just a possibility.

Ultimately go with the shoe that will help you lift more weight and feel secure and safe. I believe Mike Tuscherer cut the heel down in his squat shoes so he only squats with a very small heel as opposed to the standard heights seen in the Adipowers.

[meaantje]

have used both. But from my experience for my competition squat there is not a lot of difference. If you are not limited by your ankle dorsi flexion the only differnce is the difference in balance (to which you can adjust in either shoe). You can cut depth in oly shoes too just film a lot of your squats from the side (phone on bench is ideal height).

I personaly prefer oly shoes to flad sole shoes because they have a hard sole and gives more stability.

I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. You'll get a lot more stretch reflex out of the hole the lower you go. If you start squatting higher you might lose that.

i dont agree. Yes you do get stretch reflex but if you go deeper it will be a lot harder once you are out of the hole.

[Dawes]

I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. You'll get a lot more stretch reflex out of the hole the lower you go. If you start squatting higher you might lose that.

Yeah but there will be a point where too much depth is counter productive to squat numbers regardless of stretch reflex.

You won't see any top powerlifter squatting ATG to get more stretch reflex.

OP I swapped from heeled shoes to flats, but doing so I have also had to change my squat technique.

I find people with heeled shoes will squat with a narrower stance with greater quad emphasis and forward knee travel. It works fine, however in doing so you will have to go lower to hit depth.

Flat shoes you can usually find it easier to do the classic rippetoe sitting back squat with less knee travel and it's easier to gauge when you have hit depth.

Squatting with flat shoes with the same stance/technique as a heeled shoe will automatically require a greater dorsi flexion and effect your squat technique.

So if you are using flats you should consider altering your technique from a quad dominant lift to hip dominant as this will reduce the need for ankle mobility.

However when using a hip dominant squat you will need to lean over more to keep the weight central, so may put additional strain on your lower back.

So just recognise different squat techniques, stances and shoes will effect your knee position, back position and depth. Unless you have good ankle mobility you probably shouldn't squat exactly the same way as you would with your oly shoes, albeit you could gradually work back to it by increasing mobility.

I think the box squat is pretty good to teach the sitting back technique, set it just below parallel and aim to sit down and back. You will have to actively lean to keep the weight central progressively through the lift. Shins to be kept almost vertical and use a shoulder width/slightly wider stance.

[johnmackay]

Have you tried setting safety rails to just below parallel to train that way?

Or box squats at the correct depth

[mdonnelly80]

I used to squat with Chuck's all of the time but only because I was using a wide stance.

I use my Oly shoes with a narrower stance now because I like to bounce out of the hole and it's easier to do so with a heel. It took me a bit to learn how to activate that stretch reflex while keeping proper form but I've been able to push more weight by doing so. It don't go ATG: just a bit below parallel and fire out of the hole. I'll kick over to wide stance squats with flat soles as a change up from time to time and basically consider them an accessory lift now.

It really is a personal preference. Many of my friends/training partners refuse to put on anything other than Chucks and they still push around a ton of weight.