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From Pain to Performance: The SquatWedgiez Story
“Pain has a way of changing everything. I know, because it changed my life.”
If you're here, you're probably looking to get stronger, move better, or finally break free from pain.
I get it—because I’ve been exactly where you are.
At 18, football was my life. I was training relentlessly for my shot at playing in college. But one heavy barbell squat changed everything. I felt a sharp, searing pain in my lower back.
The verdict?
A bulging disc in my L4-L5. The nerve pain shot down my leg for a year, making even simple movements unbearable.
Running? Out of the question. And just like that, my dream of college football was gone.
At my lowest point, I had two choices: accept my limitations… or fight for a way forward.
I chose the latter.
Life As A Trainer
By 19, I had rehabbed my back and became a certified personal trainer—driven to help others avoid the pain I endured.
Over the next decade, I studied under some of the top coaches in the fitness industry.unbearable. Running was out of the question. My dream of playing college football was over.
At my lowest point, I had two choices: accept my limitations or fight for a way forward. I chose the latter.
By 19, I had rehabbed my back and became a certified personal trainer, determined to help others avoid the pain I had endured.
Over the next decade, I studied under some of the best minds in the fitness industry. One thing stood out—every great coach was using some type of heel elevation to improve squat mechanics.
When I started incorporating it with my own clients, the results were undeniable. They moved better, felt stronger, and, most importantly, their lower backs finally felt relief.
If only I had known this years earlier, I could have saved myself from so much pain. So I went looking for the perfect squat wedge—something that was wide enough to support the whole foot, durable enough for serious training, but still lightweight enough to take anywhere. It didn’t exist.
Then, one day, a client jokingly said, “You should give everyone a Wedgie.”
That was it. That was the moment.
The name stuck with me, but more importantly, so did the mission. I knew I had to turn Wedgiez into something bigger—a brand that would not only help people move pain-free but actually motivate and inspire them to train harder and smarter.
That’s when I took matters into my own hands… and gave my clients a Wedgie.
Kickstarter Launch
I launched SquatWedgiez on Kickstarter and raised just over $14,000. It wasn’t a huge campaign, but it proved people believed in the mission: to train pain-free and move with confidence.
The First Wedgiez Ship
After months of refining the design and fulfilling every backer order by hand, I shipped the very first SquatWedgiez. Holding that first finished product was the moment it all became real.
25,000+ Wedgiez Strong
From a single squat wedge to a full line of pain-free training tools. SquatWedgiez has grown into a community of over 25,000 athletes, lifters, and everyday people around the world.
It wasn’t an overnight success.
We launched a Kickstarter in May 2021, and by January 2022, the very first Wedgie was born.
What started as a simple idea is now a global movement—over 20,000 Wedgiez are being used worldwide by athletes, lifters, and everyday people taking control of their health.
At SquatWedgiez, our mission is simple:
Create high-quality training tools that help you conquer pain, move better, and unlock your full potential.
No matter where you're starting from, just know this:
You're not alone. Your comeback story starts now.
So go ahead—give yourself a Wedgie… and let’s get to work.
— Erik Rokisky
Founder, SquatWedgiez
