When performing a good squat, it can be hard to keep good form. One way you can make it easier on your body, as your body adjust to the movement, is to elevate your heels. When squatting, you want to make sure you are going to a depth of at least 90 degrees. This can be hard for some people.
One thing that makes it hard, and I would argue, one of the biggest factors is actually mobility in your ankles. There are a few stretches and exercises to increase the mobility in your ankles, such as the 5 inch wall test, stretching your calves, some box stretches, and some band exercises. I will go further into depth on these later as they can take some time.
Of course I don’t typically recommend quick fixes, but it can take some time to build ankle mobility, so in the mean time, simply elevating your heels can be a great way to take pressure off your knees, while require less ankle mobility to perform a deeper squat. This also allows you to sit back further in the squat, allowing you to keep more pressure on the quads, instead of the hamstrings.
Steven here, is performing this variation with a front squat. He has a specific heel elevation piece of equipment, but if you do not have this in your gym, feel free to simply use a plate. Steven again is doing a front squat, but I love doing this variation with a goblet squat, after having performed my regular squats, as a way to finish off my quads.
Either way, take it slow as you adjust to the new work out. Warm up slowly and completely to make sure the muscles are ready to go before throwing on too much weight. Feel free to comment and ask questions and don’t forget to subscribe to get more use full work out tips.
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