To elevate the heels during the squat or to not elevate the heels during the squat, that is the question. I can answer that for you but first, do you want the short answer or the long answer?
The short answer is, “It depends.” It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, the end goal. It depends on the movements the lifter’s body is capable of performing. It depends on what equipment is available. And it depends on lots of other factors as well! I was once told, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do an exercise. There is only more appropriate versus less appropriate. More safe versus less safe. More effective versus less effective. And these all depend on the lifter’s athleticism, age, gender, goals, experience, flexibility, strength, past/current injuries, etc. So instead of seeing everything as black and white or right and wrong, start thinking in terms of what I said above.
Certain exercises will be appropriate at certain times for certain people, and certain exercises will be inappropriate at certain times for certain people. This is why it’s so important to start all clients off with a consultation that includes health screening, lifestyle questionnaires, goal setting and exercise history.
At Function Health Club we start all clients off with a complimentary consultation where we gather background information about the client. We also perform fitness testing to see what kinds of movements the new client is capable of performing. With all this information we can then build a program and choose the appropriate exercises for the client. To learn more about our personal training service please click here.
And as far as the heels elevated squat, here is a great blog article from Charles Poliquin’s Strength Sensei website entitled Pros and Cons of Heels Elevated Squat. I like this article because instead of just telling you to do it one way or the other he instead gives you a 360 degree perspective as to which scenario you would want to choose one method over the other. Definitely worth a read!
Besides being a regular contributor to the Function Health Club blog, Jeff Doyle is also the co-owner of Function Health Club as well as a Personal Trainer, BCRPA Trainer of Fitness Leaders, Agatsu Kettlebell Instructor and Older Adult Wellness Practitioner. He also has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics. You can contact Jeff directly at jeff@FunctionHandF.com.
