Saturday, January 14, 2012

foot position by bill starr

Foot Position

by Bill Starr
foot position


Seasoned walkers and runners fully understand the importance of their hands. The hands must work in rhythm with the lower body to create a fluid motion. For weightlifters it’s the feet that are critical, an aspect of lifting that’s usually ignored or overlooked. In any gym I walk into one of the very first things I notice is how many of the members don’t pay the least bit of attention to their feet when they’re lifting.



Most know that proper foot position is beneficial to doing squats and heavy pulls, but few bother to use a solid foot base for pushing movements, such as flat-bench, incline and standing presses. They perform the lifts as if their feet were more of a bother than an asset. The feet, however, shouldn’t be considered useless appendages in the weight room; rather, they’re extremely helpful on any lift, from the most basic to the most complicated.

The correct foot position can make all the difference on any exercise. It can even allow you to use more weight on simple movements, such as standing barbell curls or dumbell presses. On any serious strength exercise, particularly when you’re attempting max weights, foot placement becomes absolutely critical to success.

What’s more, having the proper stance makes many strength exercises much safer to do. So not only is knowing how to use your feet helpful in elevating more weight, but it can also save you some problems in the form of aches, pains and even injuries.

Since the flat-bench press is unquestionably the most performed exercise in the country, I’ll start with it. Seldom do I see people take the time to plant their feet firmly on the floor before commencing the press itself – but all the top benchers certainly do. The good ones set their feet on the floor with authority before they plant their backs tightly down into the bench. Only after they’ve established that firm foundation from their feet up through their bodies to their necks will they take the bar in their hands to press.

The majority, however, merely lie on the bench as if it were a couch, with their bodies relaxed and their feet dangling like vines. With no solid base they’re in trouble instantly when the bar hits the sticking point. Typically, they begin to twist, bridge and, more often than not, allow their feet to leave the floor entirely. The odds of their completing a heavy attempt are totally against them.

The primary reason that it’s so useful to have your feet locked to the floor during a bench press is that when the bar finally does hit the sticking point, you can draw power from that firm base. I’m not talking about the act bridging but, rather, having your entire body so tight that you can bring the power source up from your feet, through your legs, hips, back and into your arms, shoulders and chest.

Those who try it for the first time are amazed at the difference it makes. Yet it’s only common sense. If you don’t have a firm base, there’s no strength movement you’ll be able to do with a max poundage. It may not matter much when you’re using light warmup weights, but when personal records are on the bar, it makes the difference between success and failure.


The same idea holds true for inclines. The incline press is really a better exercise on which to learn this skill because it’s a bit easier to plant your feet firmly, since you’re more upright. Even on the incline most let their feet wander about freely, as if they have no part in the activity. That in no way helps to move heavy weighs – for the same reasons mentioned above regarding the bench press.

Even though having a firm foot base is more useful for heavy singles, doubles and triples, you should do it from the beginning, with all the warmup weights. Over time it will become a habit, and that’s what you want.


Those of us who did the overhead press as part of Olympic lifting understand all too well the importance of having a solid foot base on this lift. Unfortunately, once it was dropped from competition, the overhead press was relegated to the status of an auxiliary movement. People used light weights and high reps, so form didn’t really matter all that much.

Recently, however, the overhead press and related exercises such as push presses and push jerks have been making comebacks. Collegiate strength coaches have learned – or relearned – that those movements are useful for building not only shoulder strength but also upper-back strength. Elevating and holding a heavy barbell overhead hits the muscles and attachments of the shoulders and upper and middle backs in a manner quite different from any other exercise.

Foot position is essential to overhead pressing a max poundage. We used to compare our foot position for heavy presses to that of a bird clinging to a limb of a tree: We’d try to grip the floor with our toes, which assured us of a solid base. Once we did that, it was much easier to keep the rest of our muscles taut – and every single muscle in the body has to be tight when you’re elevating a heavy press, push press or push jerk.

Once the overhead press stopped being a part of most strength routines, technique went down the toilet in a hurry. In most gyms trainees do their presses with one foot behind the other, a practice that’s wrong on three counts. First, the base isn’t firm enough, so you have to use less weight. Second, it keeps you from ever using correct form. Perhaps the most important problem, however, is that placing one foot behind the other puts an unequal stress on your back, particularly your lower back. It’s not helpful and can prove to be troublesome, so why do it?

The best position for most people on the overhead press, push press and push jerk is slightly wider than shoulder width. The majority do better with their toes pointed straight ahead, although a few prefer to turn their toes a bit outward.


Once lifters have learned how to lock their feet solidly into the floor for their overhead presses and push presses, I teach them how to do jerks. They’re great for athletes because they require a high degree of coordination and timing. They also enhance foot speed. The foot placement on that quick lift is even more crucial than it is for the less explosive movements.

For the jerk you should set your feet at shoulder width or slightly beyond; however, your toes do need to be pointed forward for the jerk. After driving the bar upward off your shoulders, your feet should move lightning fast and hit the exact same spot on every rep. The front foot must move directly forward about six to eight inches, generally the length of the lifter’s foot. The rear foot will extend backward and also move in a straight line. Both feet should slam forcefully into the platform at the exact same time, ideally at the instant you lock the bar overhead.

Most beginners have a tendency to swing either or both of their feet toward the middle. That causes their feet to end up on a line, which adversely affects balance and control. Some find that if they turn their front foot in a tad, it helps with their balance.


The same notion also applies to lunges. The feet are the keys to using heavy weights. The starting position is the same as for any overhead pressing movement: shoulder width, toes ahead. When you step into a deep lunge, your lead foot has to move in a straight line, not toward the middle. The real secret to lunging is to slam that lead foot into the floor, which creates a solid base and makes the movement much smoother.


Most lifters will tell you that they know how useful proper foot placement is for and pulling exercise, but few actually practice their beliefs. More often than not they step up to the bar and pull on it without paying any attention to their feet. That’s not helpful when you’re trying to move big weights. Before you even grip the bar for a power clean, deadlift, snatch, high pull or bentover row, take a moment to set your feet snugly on the platform – very snugly. Push your feet down into the platform and try to grip it with your toes.

Once again, you have to have a firm base. If the base isn’t solid, it’s virtually impossible to tighten up all the muscles you’re using in the lift once the bar is in motion. With a solid foundation you’re better able to pull in a more correct line and also pull with more intensity. It also helps at the end of the pull on some lifts because your feet are in a position to move more quickly from that base.

It’s necessary to move your feet, even slightly, on any quick lift such as the power clean, hang clean, full clean, power snatch or full snatch. You can handle more weight on all those lifts if your feet move in a flash, but they must also hit in the exact same spot on every rep.

It ‘s not an easy skill to master. The act of transferring the mental keys from pulling the bar upward as high as possible to instantly thinking of foot movement and placement is one of the most difficult maneuvers in athletics. The only other activity that compares to cleaning or snatching and also jerking is pole vaulting, in which you have to transfer our momentum and though processes form forward to upward. I believe it’s even harder when you have to switch from pulling upward as hard as possible to exploding downward to a perfect bottom position.


I have all my athletes move their feet on the power clean as soon as they have the basic line of pull and sequence down to some degree. Their feet don’t have to move much, just a quick skip jump. Once they drive the bar upward with their traps and arms, they must switch their mental gears to their feet. For some it comes rather easily, but others often take weeks of practice to get it right.

If an athlete is having a great deal of difficulty learning the skill, I have him do hang cleans rather than full power cleans. Hang cleans are better for learning the foot movement because the range of motion is shorter. To do them correctly, you throw the weight upward, using your hips as the primary power source, then catch it using a skip jump. I teach my athletes to drive their heels into the platform, as most tend to jump onto their toes, which doesn’t provide a solid enough base. Some do better if they don’t extend all the way up on their toes but, rather, drive the bar upward almost flat-footed, then skip jump.

Foot placement is even more important in full cleans and full snatches. Your feet have to move correctly and quickly. In addition, you have to train them to hit the exact same spot every time. If you don’t master the skill, you won’t be able to lock out simply because the base won’t be there.


There’s a very simple way to find the ideal starting foot position for every heavy pulling exercise. Shut your eyes and set your feet as if you were about to do a standing broad jump. They’ll move into the best position to provide you with more upward thrust when you pull.


Your feet are also essential to handling heavy squats. Without a solid foundation you won’t be able to move heavy poundages on that movement either. The very best foot position for the squat is an individual matter to be determined through trial and error. In lost instances taller lifters do better with a wider than shoulder width stance – but not always. The basic stance is slightly wider than shoulder width, with your toes slightly turned out. The more you widen your stance, the less you should turn out your toes. When your toes are turned outward with a wide foot placement, you put a great deal of unnecessary stress on your knees. So lifters who use a very wide stance for a sumo-style squat should point their toes straight ahead.

The same notion applies to front squats. The best stance for that lift is also found through some experimenting, but whatever foot placement you use, you have to drive your feet forcefully into the floor before commencing the movement downward. The idea of gripping the floor with your toes works perfectly for either form of squatting because it helps establish a solid foundation.


Don’t take your feet for granted. They’re an integral part of every strength movement, and the sooner you learn how to use them properly, the sooner you’ll make more progress.

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