technique matters
Elevating Toes in Goblet Squat
The squat is a primary, fundamental movement pattern that everyone should be regularly training. But lets talk about one movement specifically, the goblet squat. Which is already a powerhouse movement for building lower body strength, improving posture, and reinforcing solid squat mechanics. But if you want to take it one step further, elevating your toes (yes—your toes, not your heels) is a simple but powerful tweak that changes the game.
Here’s what happens when you elevate your toes and why you might want to experiment with it.
1. It Shifts the Load Back Where It Belongs
Many people squat with a forward weight shift, putting pressure on the knees and the balls of the feet. Elevating the toes helps reinforce a “hips back” pattern by shifting your weight toward your heels. This allows for better hip loading and more balanced squat mechanics.
The result?
Less knee stress
Better glute activation
A more stable base of support
2. It Increases Posterior Chain Engagement
By pulling your toes off the ground (or placing them on a small wedge/plate), you're asking your body to fire up the muscles on the backside of your body: the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors.
That’s huge—especially if:
You sit most of the day and have sleepy glutes
You tend to be quad-dominant in your training
You want to develop more power from the hips
This variation encourages better recruitment of the posterior chain, which is essential for strength, balance, and injury prevention.
3. It Creates Awareness and Re-patterns Movement
Elevating your toes is more than a strength hack—it’s a neuromuscular reset. It teaches your brain and body to coordinate movement in a more aligned, effective way. This is especially helpful if:
You collapse forward in your squat
Your heels come up off the ground
You’re unsure how to “sit back” or engage your hips
By putting the toes on a plate or slightly lifting them off the floor, you're cueing your nervous system to prioritize heel and midfoot pressure—a foundational squat principle.
4. It Can Improve Ankle and Hip Mobility (Indirectly)
While elevating your heels directly helps with ankle mobility, elevating your toes improves your awareness of how limited ankle and hip mobility may be affecting your squat. It encourages better pelvic control and spinal position, helping you stay more upright and reducing lumbar compensation.
Over time, consistent practice can help reinforce better depth and alignment, even when you return to flat-footed squatting.
How to Do It:
Step 1: Grab a pair of small weight plates or wedges
Step 2: Place the balls of your feet (under your toes) on the elevated surface, with your heels on the floor.
Step 3: Hold a dumbbell in goblet position and begin your squat, focusing on sitting back and staying tall through your torso.
Who Benefits From This?
Desk-bound professionals
New lifters learning proper mechanics
Lifters rehabbing knee or back issues
Athletes looking to build hip power
Anyone wanting more mind-muscle connection with their glutes
Final Takeaway
Elevating your toes during a goblet squat is a simple yet highly effective way to shift your weight back, engage your posterior chain, and improve your squat mechanics. It may feel awkward at first—but give it a few sets, and you’ll likely feel the glutes firing in a whole new way.