ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Integrative Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicMechanical Forces in Health and Disease: A Mechanobiological PerspectiveView all 18 articles
Mechanobiological and Neuromuscular Responses to Foot-Position Variations During Front and Back Squat Exercises
Provisionally accepted
- 1Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus
- 2Uluslarasi Final Universitesi, Girne, Cyprus
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This study aimed to investigate the effects of three different foot-position techniques—flat heel (FH), heel-elevated (HE), and forefoot-elevated (FE)—on muscle activation, kinematic, kinetic, and postural parameters during front and back squat exercises. Twelve resistance-trained male athletes (mean age: 23.4 ± 3.8 years; training experience: 8.1 ± 2.7 years) performed squats at 70% of their one-repetition maximum (1RM) under each condition. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to assess lower-limb muscle activation, while joint angles and ground reaction forces were simultaneously recorded through synchronized motion and force analyses. The quadriceps muscles (Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis, Rectus Femoris) exhibited significantly greater activation in the FH and HE conditions compared to FE (p < .001), particularly during the ascent phase. Heel elevation increased ankle dorsiflexion and squat depth, whereas the FE position reduced vertical ground reaction forces and shifted loading toward the posterior chain. No significant differences were found in postural stability (COPx, COPy). From a mechanobiological perspective, these results demonstrate that variations in foot positioning modulate mechanical load distribution and neuromuscular activation patterns, illustrating human-scale mechanotransduction. Technique selection should therefore consider individual mobility, joint mechanics, and training objectives to optimize performance and reduce injury risk.
Keywords: biomechanics6, electromyography4, foot position2, kinematics5, mechanobiology7, muscle activation3, neuromuscular adaptation8, squat1
Received: 17 Oct 2025; Accepted: 29 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bozkurt, Erdağ, Tinazci, Burgul and Bekiroğulları. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ömer Bozkurt
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