When it comes to lifting weights there’s a lot to learn. But now that you’ve gotten the hang of the basics, we are diving into the nitty-gritty to get you the most out of your lift. That’s why today’s Training Tip Tuesday is dedicated to helping you find the perfect deadlift and squat stance for your body.
As dancers, we know that Second Position in modern dance differs from Second Position in ballet class. Second Position in Modern dance is a bit wider than in ballet. The same is true about your squat stance, deadlift stance, and sumo variations.
Getting the proper footing for these exercises (even if the adjustments are small) can drastically change your range of motion and even which muscles are targeted by the lift.
So, to ensure you are getting the most stability and range of motion out of your lower body lifts, we’ve created a little guide for you to find your perfect stance!
How to Find Your Deadlift and Squat Stance:
First up, a standard deadlift stance:
Stand with your feet together, gently turn your feet out (not to 180 just a natural gentle turnout). From here, rotate your heels behind your toes so your feet are parallel. This will naturally place your feet hip-width apart – the perfect stance for deadlifts and other hinge-focused lifts.
Squat Stance:
From your deadlift stance (parallel, hip-width apart), once again, gently turn out your toes. Then, again, rotate your heels to be behind your toes. If you’re still in a slight turn-out, that’s okay, we just don’t want you working in a turned-out Second Position.
Sumo Squat Stance:
From your squat stance, simply rotate your toes outward. This will feel like a second position, and that’s good! Sumo squats target a completely different muscle group than standard squats as a result of this external rotation!
Sumo Deadlift/RDL:
From your sumo squat stance, simply rotate your heels behind your toes to a parallel-ish position. For deadlifts, we need the stability of the parallel position – but the width of the stance will change our target muscle groups.
Want a visual of how this works? Check out Coach Amber using this trick, here.
It’s as simple as that, just like finding your natural first and second positions in class! Just be careful not to push your rotation when you’re doing this. The whole point is to work within what your body finds to be natural and stable!
Happy Lifting! Tune in next week for our next training tip!
Until then, give these fan favorites a try: Protein Packed! How To Eat More Protein Daily, Training Tip Tuesday: Knee Hovers for Core Strengthening, Exceed Your Own Expectations: How to Use the Principle of Progression to Overcome Plateaus
