Foot position changes the strategy.

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💡 Foot position is often treated as preference or style. In reality, it is a constraint that reshapes how the system manages rotation, pressure, and force.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus examine ramps, heel elevation, flat foot positions, and toe-only loading. They explain how each option biases propulsion, what each choice gives you, and what it quietly takes away when used without intention.

This is not about labeling movements as good or bad. It is about understanding trade-offs, sequencing, and secondary consequences across the entire system.

You'll learn:

🔸 Why ramps make squatting feel easier

🔸 How heel elevation shifts projection and force direction

🔸 What foot position reveals about rotation access

🔸 Why compensations appear at the knee, spine, and foot

🔸 When toe-only training might apply and when it backfires

🔸 How to sequence foot positions across training phases

⚠️ Foot position is never neutral. Every choice biases outcomes.

🧠 If this changes how you think about ramps, lifting shoes, or training on your toes, that is the intention.

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⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Why Foot Position Matters

How ramps, heel elevation, and stance choices change strategy.

2:00 Why Ramps Increase Squat Depth

Early external rotation and access to space.

5:00 Heel Elevation and Projection

How lifting shoes bias forward force and reduce absorption.

7:30 Flat Foot and Force Production

Why maximal force usually occurs with the foot flat.

10:00 Overusing Ramps

How knee and spine compensations emerge over time.

13:00 Foot and Toe Consequences

Bunions, heel pain, and midfoot compensation explained.

16:45 Ramps as an Early Strategy

Using ramps temporarily to restore relative motion.

18:45 Heel Elevation Use Cases

When stiffness and projection may be appropriate.

22:30 Training on the Toes

Why forefoot-only strategies limit deceleration.

26:00 Injury Risk and Lost Absorption

How ankle, knee, and hip issues develop.

29:45 Programming and Sequencing

Using ramps, flat foot, and heel elevation across phases.

33:30 When Toe-Only Work Might Apply

Rare cases with clear intent and constraints.

36:30 Final Takeaway

Every foot position solves one problem and creates another.

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