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Why We Turn The Feet Out In The Pull
 Greg Everett
February 1 2018



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Not a lot of people want to fight the turning out of the feet in the pull like they do in the squat, but just in case, here is a quick run down of why we want the feet turned out about 10-20 degrees relative to the centerline.
  1. The knees need to be pushed out in the starting position and first pull, and turning the feet out keeps the knees more aligned, although it's not necessary this alignment be perfect. The knees-out position allows the hips to move closer to the bar (creating a more upright posture).
  2. It's stronger. Glyadkovsky & Rodionov found that forcing lifters to pull with the feet straight forward reduced snatch and clean weights by 2.5-5kg.
  3. It allows the hips to move more naturally, meaning a better back arch and smoother pull from the floor.
Generally I have lifters turn their feet out to whatever degree they feel is natural and only intervene if it's less than about 10 or more than about 20 degrees, or their chosen stance is in some way causing a problem in another aspect of the lift. Some lifters will have the exact anatomical peculiarities than make a toes-forward stance appropriate—but they are few and far between, and it will be apparent in these cases that turning the feet out is creating problems.
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Greg Everett is the owner of Catalyst Athletics, coach of the USA Weightlifting National Champion team Catalyst Athletics, author of the books Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches and Olympic Weightlifting for Sports, director/writer/producer/editor/everything of the documentary American Weightlifting, co-host of the Weightlifting Life Podcast, and publisher of The Performance Menu journal. In his 15 years of coaching, he has coached multiple national champions and national record holders, Pan Am and European Championships competitors and medalists, and World Championships competitors from multiple countries. He’s coach of the Catalyst Athletics national championship team, a USA Weightlifting International Coach, and was named 2021 Danish Coach of the Year—the first non-Danish coach to be awarded the honor. As an athlete, he is a fifth-place finisher at the USAW National Championships, masters national champion, masters American Open champion, and masters American record holder in the clean & jerk. Follow him on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.

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