Hi friends,

I see this almost every week: someone squats with all their weight on their heels, toes lifting off the ground, wobbling like they're about to topple over.

The usual culprit is that they've been told "squat on your heels."

Here's a simple cue I give them instead. Imagine your foot is a tripod. Your big toe, little toe, and heel should all press equally into the floor throughout the entire movement.

That one cue usually transforms their squat immediately. Better balance, smoother movement, cleaner technique.

Setting up a heavy camera on a tripod with only one leg would be absurd. It would tip right over. Your foot works the same way. When you load all your weight onto just your heels, you're balancing on one point instead of three.

There is one situation where shifting more weight to your heels can make sense.

If you're doing an exercise specifically targeting your glutes and hamstrings, loading your heels can help you feel those muscles working harder. That's fine for targeted work like Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts.

But not for squatting. Squats require stability, balance, and power from many muscle groups. When your foundation is unbalanced, everything above it suffers.

When you distribute pressure evenly across your entire foot, you create a stable platform. Your ankle, knee, and hip stack properly. The movement feels smoother and more powerful.

Next time you squat, press through three points before you descend. Big toe, little toe, heel. You'll feel the difference immediately.

Until next week,

Kevin

✍️ Quote I’m reflecting upon

“You don’t know how strong you are until you have to be.”

— Tony Robbins