“Feel your whole foot” is a simple, yet powerful cue I picked up from renowned strength coach, Mike Robertson. It is useful when performing squats, deadlifts, and many other movements.
Let’s use the deadlift as an example.
Feeling your heel is important to avoid getting pulled forward in the deadlift. Many lifters tend to overcorrect and shift too much of their weight back onto their heels, sometimes even lifting their toes off the floor. This results in a sub-optimal transfer of force and an overall less efficient lift.