Squat Talk: Foot Position and Ankle Range of Motion

     As leg day becomes more and more popular for the gym bros of the world (among other gym goers), we’ll be seeing many different variations of squats. Some of these squats will be good, some will be bad, and some will be horrendous. In this series of squat talks we will deconstruct some of the important technical aspects of the squat that should be universal principles for whichever squat variation you choose.

     Starting from the ground up, let’s talk about foot position. Your foot position will depend on what type of squat you will be performing and, to some degree, on how much hip mobility you have. But to keep things simple lets split techniques into two categories: narrower stance and wider stance squat variations. Generally you will see a narrower stance in Olympic lifters and those who preach the “ass to grass” technique. As a side note, squatting “ass to grass” is not necessary for everyone. But before I go off on a tangent, let’s get back to foot position. A wider stance will be seen more for a powerlifting-type squat because this helps to shorten range of motion and hit competition depth. 

Now where does ankle range of motion come into play here?

     With these two variations of squats there will be different degrees of necessary ankle dorsiflexion that are needed. 

Side note: What is ankle dorsiflexion?

     Dorsiflexion is when the foot approximates with the shin/tibia (Figure 1). The opposite of dorsiflexion is plantarflexion. 

Figure 1: Dorsiflexion (left) and plantar flexion (right). 

Now that we understand dorsiflexion, how does it affect the squat? 

     When squatting with a narrower stance, you need more dorsiflexion to “hit depth” due to the combined knee and hip strategy required to complete the motion. A wider stance, by contrast, will use more of a hip-dominant strategy and will not require as much dorsiflexion at the ankle. Taking a closer look at a narrow stance squat (Figure 2), you can see that the knee needs to track over the foot in order to squat lower. This stance requires you to use both a hip and a knee strategy to get deeper in the squat. When ankle dorsiflexion is limited in this squat variation, you will either need to use more hip strategy or you will see the heels come off the ground to make up for this deficit.

Figure 2: Narrow stance squat. Notice the tracking of the knee over the foot and the amount of dorsiflexion needed to get in this position.

     With a wider stance squat, a more hip-dominant strategy will be used. Therefore, you will not need as much dorsiflexion to complete the movement (Figure 3). The biggest variable between these two variations is the amount of knee tracking over the foot, which will determine the amount of ankle range of motion needed.

Figure 3: Wide stance squat. Notice the knee location compared to the foot and the amount of dorsiflexion need.

     Everyone will fall into a position and variation that is most comfortable for them, with unique difference between one person and another. Squatting technique does not have to be of one extreme or the other, but the principles should remain the same. The amount of hip and knee strategy that you use will be a large determinant in the amount of ankle dorsiflexion that will be required for you to perform a quality squat. 

Ryan Goodell, CSCS

P.S. – I hope you enjoyed my fantastic stick figure drawings.