[mikestraws]

Well almost every form guiide or video I have ever seen stipulates your toes should face out at an angle roughly 30 degrees, and your heels should be shoulder width apart. When you squat down your knees track out over your toes right?

Had a gymbro come running over to me between sets with a look of sheer horror on his face, he said if I kept squatting like that I was going to gear all the mucles in my glutes and seriously injure myself. He offerd his advice and got me to stand with toes pointing directly forward. Squatting down like this put a crazy strain on my quads and it was hard to hit parallel.

Any logic behind this kind of form?

[Illidan_Stormrage]

When your feet are closer to toes pointing directly forward you have more tightness in your hips and legs which can give you more power. Having your toes pointed out a bit isn't going to injure you though as long as you remember to keep your knees out too. I've been squatting this way for a very long time and I've never been injured. How far apart your feet are would depend on your build.

[The Blind Monk]

(Original post by alex_tait)
When your feet are closer to toes pointing directly forward you have more tightness in your hips and legs which can give you more power.

This, with the fact that most people can't squat like this unless they wear shoes/squat quite wide to a box, generally in gear (Westside.) Most people are better off having their feet turned out a bit.

[redbuthotter]

Just gonna weigh in and say I've done about 10,000 reps of back squats with ankles out at 30 degrees and I'm ok so far lol.

(Original post by mikestraws)
Well almost every form guiide or video I have ever seen stipulates your toes should face out at an angle roughly 30 degrees, and your heels should be shoulder width apart. When you squat down your knees track out over your toes right?

Had a gymbro come running over to me between sets with a look of sheer horror on his face, he said if I kept squatting like that I was going to gear all the mucles in my glutes and seriously injure myself. He offerd his advice and got me to stand with toes pointing directly forward. Squatting down like this put a crazy strain on my quads and it was hard to hit parallel.

Any logic behind this kind of form?

[Arturo Bandini]

I can't imagine ever squatting with feet directly forwards

[mikestraws]

(Original post by Arturo Bandini)
I can't imagine ever squatting with feet directly forwards

I found it uncomfortable in the hips and legs but at the same time the reps felt easier. Won't be sticking to it.

[Chumbaniya]

Toes pointing in line with the direction your legs are facing. So unless you're squatting with your legs together (???) you don't want to be angling your feet directly forward. If you think about the way your legs work, unless you see some pretty convincing scientific evidence otherwise, it makes absolutely no sense to twist your ankles away from the line along which your knees are bending.

[tooosh]

Squatting like that puts too much on the quads and not enough on the posterior chain.

[HFerguson]

I actually went from turning toes out at 30 degrees to turning out at about 5-10 degrees at most - reason for this was watching MobillityWODs stuff on how you get more tension and power out of certain muscle groups. I narrowed up my squat stance a little bit, and use oly shoes. The only reason I narrowed my stance a tiny bit and turned my feet out less was because this stops my akles rolling/collapsing in, and knees used to follow suit. For most people, toes out at 30 is fine, because they don't have severely flat feet.

Might also depend on whether you're high bar or low bar.
High bar master race here.

[NB_ide]

lol @ people fussing over tiny details in form. Squat however is "comfortable" for you. And if no way is comfortable, don't squat at all.

[Illidan_Stormrage]

(Original post by NB_ide)
lol @ people fussing over tiny details in form. Squat however is "comfortable" for you. And if no way is comfortable, don't squat at all.

Toes forward vs Toes 30 degrees makes a big difference.

[NB_ide]

(Original post by alex_tait)
Toes forward vs Toes 30 degrees makes a big difference.

I'm sure it does, in which case it should be obvious to the trainee what to do.

[Illidan_Stormrage]

(Original post by NB_ide)
I'm sure it does, in which case it should be obvious to the trainee what to do.

It isn't otherwise there wouldn't be so many people saying that you should squat with toes directly forward. Hence this thread. The most comfortable technique isn't always the best technique. For example ideal bench pressing technique hurts like hell but it shifts the most weight.

[NB_ide]

(Original post by alex_tait)
It isn't otherwise there wouldn't be so many people saying that you should squat with toes directly forward.

Maybe it works for them

The most comfortable technique isn't always the best technique. For example ideal bench pressing technique hurts like hell but it shifts the most weight.

I guess it depends what your goals are, where you strike the balance between injury prevention and "shifting the most weight". Different short term/long term perspectives.

It seems strange, though - personally I would always describe my strongest positions as also the most comfortable positions.

[mikestraws]

(Original post by NB_ide)
I'm sure it does, in which case it should be obvious to the trainee what to do.

It is obvious. Squat with my toes pointing slightly outwards to achieve proper depth and feel the work on my quads, glues and posterior chain, rather than just 100$ quads.

[cowsforsale]

Definitely all quads brah.

[SEHughes]

(Original post by NB_ide)
lol @ people fussing over tiny details in form. Squat however is "comfortable" for you. And if no way is comfortable, don't squat at all.

This.

[catjaum]

i used to do 30degrees...but then alot of big guys have told me to keep em as straight as possible....so i usually keep em about 5-10 like the other dude said......