Hi Debra!
I'm so glad you are enjoying MIS.
We have actually had many posts regarding quarter dead lifts in the past. I will give you a few pointers but in addition I think you might also benefit from the questions asked in the past. I would suggest doing a search on our forums(click on the flashlight icon and then follow further directions)using "quarter dead lifts" as your key word. You may also want use our "form pointers" page as a reference from time to time. You can access this from our homepage. Simply skim down the left side column of our home page and click on the "form pointers" headliner.
You also mention that you are not feeling it in your back at all. Quarter deadlifts DO work your lower back as well, so maybe this is where part of the problem could be.
Some Pointers:
Start position: Stand with the barbell in your hands(palms facing you), and keep the bar close to your body. Your legs are hip distance apart with your knees soft and your pelvic area neutral.
1) Slowly lower the bar while bending forward from the hip, almost looks like your tipping forward. Many people start to bend their knees and lower down more like a squat. THIS IS INCORRECT. You should think of tipping your body forward.
2) As you are lowering forward, keep your shoulders back(avoid letting them drop and round forward)and slide the bar down as you keep the bar close to your body.
3) Keep lowering down, down, down(stopping at the knees if you are not flexible and continuing on a bit further down if you are more flexible). The key here is to stop when you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
4) As you are lowering this bar down further and further,(meanwhile your body is "tipping" more and more forward) it is important that you start to transfer your body weight into your heels for balance.
5) Once you feel a good stretch in your hamstring at the bottom of the stretch, squeeze your glute and hamstring muscles tightly, and maintain that squeeze as you return to your starting position.
Hope this helps. It is important to mention that it is difficult to challenge the hamstrings and glutes if your barbell weight is too light. However, you can also strain your back if it is heavier then what you can handle. Therefore, be very careful with this exercise and select a barbell weight that you know that you can handle while mastering your technique. After you have that down, SLOWLY, SLOWLY, add weights to increase your challenge.
Now, on to your question regarding squats....
Elevating your heels during squats is a technique used by some to change the way the muscles are challenged in the exercise. I do not recommend lifting the heels during squats for beginners at all. I actually do not even prefer this technique for the advanced. While placing a board, or any other object, beneath your heels while doing squats is acceptable and does change the emphasis to work the quads a bit more, it does also put more stress on the knees. A risk that is not worth it for many.
