
Should You Squat with Plates Under Your Heels?
Should You Squat with Plates Under Your Heels. Performing squats with plates under your heels is a common strategy to improve squat depth. But why does it work, and should you do it?
By Coach Hunter Bennett
Squats are one of the most effective exercises on the planet. Not only are they great at building lower body strength, but they also increase the size of the quads, glutes, and entire posterior chain.
However, not everyone can squat with pristine technique from day one. Moreover, you can also adapt the squat in a variety of ways to change the stimulus of the exercise.
With that in mind, one variation that has gained a lot of popularity is squatting with plates under your heels (AKA a heel elevated squat)
This article aims to explore the effects, benefits, and potential drawbacks of incorporating this technique into your routine.
What Does Squatting with a Plate Under Your Heels Do?

Squatting with a plate under your heels alters the biomechanics of the exercise by changing the angle of your foot relative to the ground. This is often said to improve ankle mobility, allowing you to squat deeper and with a more upright torso.
However, squatting with a plate under your heel can have the same effect even if you do not have restrictions in ankle mobility.
In conjunction with changing the angle of your foot, elevating your heels also shifts your center of mass back. This places your pelvis in a slight posterior tilt, giving the hip joint more room to move, which also improves squat depth and technique.
As a result performing squats with plates under your heels can be a useful variation for everyone (not just those with ankle mobility concerns).
Benefits of Squatting with Plates Under Your Heels
There are a number of benefits that come with performing squats with plates under your heels.
- Increased Ankle Mobility: As we have already said, elevating the heels makes it easier for individuals with limited mobility to achieve a deeper squat.
- Developing Technique: Most people struggle to squat with good depth when they first start. Squatting with your heels elevated puts your pelvis in a position that makes achieving a deep squat with a stable torso easier. Squatting with a plate under your heels is a great option for beginners to help them learn what good technique feels like.
- Improved Squat Depth and More Muscle Growth: The change in foot and pelvis position associated with squatting on plates allows for greater range of motion at the hips and better squat depth. This is important, as greater ranges of motion will (particularly in a stretched position, like at the bottom of a squat) are superior for muscle growth.
- Enhanced Quadriceps Engagement: Elevating the heels also allows you to keep a more upright torso, shifting load towards the quadriceps. This makes it a great variation to develop quad strength and size, particularly for people with longer legs and lean forward a lot when they squat normally.
- Improved Squat Strength: Lastly, the thing that limits most people’s squat strength is their quad strength. As a result, implementing heels elevated squats as an accessory exercise can help increase your normal squat strength in a big way.
Negatives of Squatting with Plates Under Your Heels

Now, while there are some obvious benefits of heel elevated squats, there are also some potential downsides you should be aware of.
- Reduced Posterior Chain Engagement: Because squatting with a plate under your heel shifts load to the quads, it also reduces the involvement of the posterior chain, including the hamstrings and spinal erectors. This makes them less effective at building posterior chain strength.
- Potential Knee Stress: Elevating the heels alters the knee position during the squat, which may increase stress on the knee joint. Individuals with pre-existing knee issues or discomfort may need to introduce these slowly to ensure they adapt to the new stress.
- Reduced Stability Under Heavy Loads: While this last one is not a huge negative, it does need to be acknowledged. Squatting with plates under your heels does reduce how much contact your foot has with the floor. This can make it slightly less stable, especially under heavy loads – which means you need to focus on maintaining solid technique more than you would under normal conditions.
Should you squat with plates under your heels: Final Thoughts
Incorporating squats with plates under your heels can be a valuable way to improve technique, increase quad strength and size, and work around potential mobility limitations. We like to use heel elevated squats as an accessory exercise for 3-5 sets of 5-12 reps on our secondary lower body.
Give them a go and watch your squat explode!
Want to read more? Check out our article on minimalist strength training