Squatober! Week 1: Ankles

Are you ankles interfering with your squat? Find out here AND learn what to do about it.

Assess your ankle mobility with the “Knee to Wall” test.

Keeping your heel on the ground, your knee should shift a minimum of 4 inches beyond your toes. Some research indicates that 6 or more inches is ideal for athletes.

Need more Ankle mobility? Try this:

1) Strengthen your toes!

The muscles that control your toes are actually in your leg. The tendons cross the ankle joint and travel down your foot. Weak and stiff toe muscles lead to stiff ankles.

A theraband is used in these exercises; a non-theraband version is provided. Don’t have a theraband? Try the movements anyway. Moving your toes is often challenging even without resistance.

2) Strengthen your arches

Just like your toes, the muscles that support your arch are in your leg. You’ll feel challenged during these exercises and amazing afterwards.

Same as the toe exercises, you’ll need a theraband and a theraband loop. However, these movements are often still challenging without a theraband. Give ‘em a try!

3) Mobilize your ankle

Do you find that ankle stretches aren’t providing lasting results? Give these variations a try.