Yoga Mat Trap

I got rid of the yoga mats at the stations at the gym because people we letting the mat dictate their stance width when performing movements. If someone were standing on the mat while squatting for instance, they would line their feet up with the edge of the mat. This would sometimes cause an awkward looking squat with too much forward lean.

Of course for some, this stance width provided a comfortable, well-executed squat. And that's exactly my point. There's a sweet spot as to where you should stand, and everyone is a little different. Over the years I've pushed people's feet further apart more often than bring them closer together. Stance should be dictated by feel though, not imaginary boundaries created by a yoga mat on the floor.

It should be noted that our philosophy at the gym isn't to find the right squatting stance width and only use that. Instead, we want you to know where your sweet spot is. The stance that provides the most stability and therefore the best output (i.e., opportunity for strength and power and decreased risk of injury). But also we want to create opportunities to expose the body to different stances so it can handle a wide variety of inputs.

Put another way, know where your best stance for squats and deadlifts and presses, but occasionally, do it with a wider stance or a narrower stance depending on the context. There is no perfect stance, but there are principles of movement that can be applied to a wide variety of positions.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain