No, I’m not going to talk about anything related to relationships with your significant other. What I am going to discuss is the relationship needed with the ground, itself. This is extremely important in any ground-based movement, as this relationship is what propels the body into movement.
Newton’s Third Law becomes the gold standard to follow in this situation. As you gain secure contact with the ground that you can push against (to create force), you will be rewarded with an equal force in the opposite direction. So, why is this THAT important?
Returning Force
Have you ever had those days where you step onto the platform and the first few warm-up movements just aren’t “there?” Your feet feel slick on the platform and you just don’t have that usual “grip.” Those days are the worst! You need that secure “grip” or interaction with the ground in order to generate the force required for bigger and bigger lifts. Look at it this way; the more traction your shoes have with a surface, the more stable that relationship is going to be. If there is more stability involved, less force will be lost to inefficiency between that relationship. Still with me?
Caveat
Of course, there is always going to be an exception to any rule. With the Weightlifting movements, you will find that there can be a point where too much traction with a surface is not good. Especially when it comes to transitioning underneath the bar from the unsupported squat under phase to the supported squat under phase. This is where the body is pulled under the bar and the feet are moved out quickly to regain contact with the platform. If the platform is too sticky the feet will not be able to move appropriately and may get stuck. This can lead to improper positions and, in some cases, irritations to joints like the knees that may end up with too much torque being placed on them. In this case the feet “wanted” to keep moving, but they got stuck and the knees kept moving.
Get Out There!
Get out there and lift, now! Be sure that you have a good feel with the platform the next time you train. If it’s slick, sometimes applying some moisture to your shoes helps. Don’t be that guy that painted or primed your platform and is complaining about the feel. That’s another post in itself, but suffice it to say that you don’t want to be doing that to a platform, ever.
Keep the force going!