Foot position changes the strategy.

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💡 Foot position is often treated as preference or style. In reality, it is a constraint that reshapes how the system manages rotation, pressure, and force.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus examine ramps, heel elevation, flat foot positions, and toe-only loading. They explain how each option biases propulsion, what each choice gives you, and what it quietly takes away when used without intention.

This is not about labeling movements as good or bad. It is about understanding trade-offs, sequencing, and secondary consequences across the entire system.

You'll learn:

🔸 Why ramps make squatting feel easier

🔸 How heel elevation shifts projection and force direction

🔸 What foot position reveals about rotation access

🔸 Why compensations appear at the knee, spine, and foot

🔸 When toe-only training might apply and when it backfires

🔸 How to sequence foot positions across training phases

⚠️ Foot position is never neutral. Every choice biases outcomes.

🧠 If this changes how you think about ramps, lifting shoes, or training on your toes, that is the intention.

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🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course and Decision-Making Course

📂 Access free articles, case studies, and recorded calls

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 Why Foot Position Matters

How ramps, heel elevation, and stance choices change strategy.

2:00 Why Ramps Increase Squat Depth

Early external rotation and access to space.

5:00 Heel Elevation and Projection

How lifting shoes bias forward force and reduce absorption.

7:30 Flat Foot and Force Production

Why maximal force usually occurs with the foot flat.

10:00 Overusing Ramps

How knee and spine compensations emerge over time.

13:00 Foot and Toe Consequences

Bunions, heel pain, and midfoot compensation explained.

16:45 Ramps as an Early Strategy

Using ramps temporarily to restore relative motion.

18:45 Heel Elevation Use Cases

When stiffness and projection may be appropriate.

22:30 Training on the Toes

Why forefoot-only strategies limit deceleration.

26:00 Injury Risk and Lost Absorption

How ankle, knee, and hip issues develop.

29:45 Programming and Sequencing

Using ramps, flat foot, and heel elevation across phases.

33:30 When Toe-Only Work Might Apply

Rare cases with clear intent and constraints.

36:30 Final Takeaway

Every foot position solves one problem and creates another.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday @ 12 PM ET

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🔔 YouTube: / @billhartmanpt

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#UHPC #FootPosition #SquatTraining #BillHartman #Coaching #Rehab #Performance #Biomechanics

Should You Get Certified? How to Choose the Right Education for You

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💡 Not all certifications are created equal. And more letters after your name won't guarantee better outcomes.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus discuss what it really means to become a skilled practitioner — and why many educational paths lead to confusion instead of clarity. This episode introduces the new UHPC Practitioner Certification Pathway, but it's more than an announcement. It's a guide to rethinking your development as a professional.

Whether you're early in your career or trying to untangle years of accumulated techniques, this conversation will help you reflect on what kind of learning process actually produces skill — and how to assess whether your current education model is serving you.

You'll learn:

🔸 The difference between being tool-rich vs. skill-poor

🔸 Why a decision-making framework matters more than memorizing techniques

🔸 How the UHPC Curriculum builds practitioner-level reasoning across health and performance

🔸 What certification should actually prove — and why that includes in-person assessment

🔸 Why the "fragment problem" makes learning harder, not easier

🔸 How to build depth, coherence, and repeatability in your client outcomes

🧠 This isn't about collecting more acronyms. It's about becoming someone who knows what to do, when, and why — across any client presentation.

🚀 Join the UHP Network FREE

🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course and Decision-Making Course

📂 Access free articles, Q&A calls, and training content

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — Certifications, Tools, and What Actually Makes You Better

1:00 — Why Decision-Making Is the Real Foundation

4:35 — The UHPC Certification Pathway Overview

6:45 — From Novice to Practitioner: What the Curriculum Builds

9:25 — Structuring the Learning Path for Depth, Not Just Info

12:33 — The Role of Community and Support in Learning

18:38 — What Makes Certification Hard — and Why That Matters

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday at 12 PM ET

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🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillHartmanPT

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#uhpc #BillHartman #PractitionerEducation #Coaching #HealthAndPerformance #Biomechanics #Certifications #Rehab #ContinuingEducation #UHPNetwork

Balanced training isn't about push vs pull. It's about pressure, shape, and strategy.

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💡 Most training imbalances aren't muscle problems. They're compressive strategies that limit movement options.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus challenge the traditional idea of "balanced training" and explain why pushing and pulling are not opposites at all. They explore how all loaded exercise increases compression, how force production shapes the body, and why chasing symmetry in the gym often creates the very problems people are trying to fix.

You'll learn:

🔸 Why push and pull exercises create similar compressive outcomes

🔸 How anterior to posterior thorax compression drives common posture myths

🔸 Why rows, presses, squats, and deadlifts all bias internal rotation under load

🔸 The real difference between training for health vs training for aesthetics

🔸 What "balance" actually means if your goal is to feel good and move well

🔸 How to reduce compression without giving up strength or performance

⚠️ Doing more pulling to "fix" pushing doesn't restore movement. It often increases the same pressure in a different way.

🧠 If this reframes how you think about exercise balance, it's because you're hearing it from the source of the UHPC Model.

🚀 Join the UHP Network FREE

🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course and Decision-Making Course

📂 Access free articles and case studies on health and performance

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — What Is Balanced Training, Really?

Bill and Chris break down why push vs pull is a false dichotomy and where the idea came from.

10:50 — Compression Is the Common Denominator

All loaded exercise increases pressure. The stronger you get, the more compression you can create.

16:57 — Health Goals vs Aesthetic Goals

Why looking strong often reflects a highly compressed strategy that does not always feel good long term.

25:30 — What Balance Actually Means

True balance is the ability to access movement options and reduce compression when needed.

33:00 — Longevity, Consistency, and Feeling Good

Why restoring relative movement matters more than chasing symmetry or volume.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday at 12 PM ET

🎧 Subscribe for reasoning-based education built on the UHPC Model

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillHartmanPT

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bill_hartman_pt/

🌐 Website: https://billhartmanpt.com

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillHartmanPT

💪 Train with Bill

Looking for the only training system built fully on the UHPC Model?

Join the RECON community:

🏋️ https://www.reconu.co

#UHPC #BalancedTraining #BillHartman #StrengthTraining #HealthAndPerformance #Biomechanics #Coaching #Rehab