Is Your Ankle Mobility Holding You Back?
By Coach Elise Perez
You probably don’t think about your ankles very much. Especially when you step into the gym. But stiff and restricted ankles can be a detriment to your training.
There are two main movements that take place at the ankle: Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. Dorsiflexion is any movement where your toes move towards your shin, like taking your foot off the gas pedal. Plantarflexion is the opposite, where your toes move away from your shin; pressing your foot down on the gas pedal.
Limited dorsiflexion is the most common mobility deficit we see in the gym. It affects your ability to get to the bottom of your squat and possess optimal movement quality with other exercises (squat cleans, thrusters, step ups, lunges, even walking and running).
When you don’t have good ankle mobility, you may avoid certain movements altogether. Or you may not be able to perform them well, which can lead to compromising form, especially in the hips and low back, increasing your risk of injury.
But poor ankle mobility doesn’t need to be an issue in your training forever! Here are three great exercises to help you out!
Calf Foam Roll
Coach’s Notes: Lack of ankle mobility can be partly caused by lack of flexibility in the muscles in the calf and lower leg. Myofascial release can help you work through knots/trigger points in the soft tissue as well as lactic acid build up and stiffness.
Programming: Perform as the first part of your warm-up, after your training, on off days or all of the above. Place a lacrosse ball or foam roller under your calf. Place your hands behind you for support. Elevate yourself slightly, if it’s comfortable on the wrists and take slow and controlled rolls forward and back. If you find a trigger point (tender spot), pause and hold it or take small rolls over it until you feel it relax. Be sure to get the sides of your calves as well. Perform for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Banded Ankle Mobilization
Coach’s Notes: With this exercise we are getting motion in the joint itself (mobilizing), which has shown to be more effective at increasing range of motion through the joint in comparison to static stretching.
Programming: Can be a great addition to your warm-ups, to perform on off days or even in between your lifts. Loop a thick resistance band around a rig or any stable object. Elevate your foot onto a box or bench. Place the band directly on the joint, where the tongue of your sneaker would be. Keeping your foot completely flat on the box/bench, rock forward and back, changing the angles to try to find whichever points are stickiest. Pause for 5-10 seconds on each sticky point. Perform for 60 seconds on each side or until satisfied.
Tempo/Paused Squats
Coach’s Notes: With these exercises we are spending time under tension at the end range of motion of the ankle, as well as strengthening through the lower extremities. And getting the heart rate up, because that’s what tempo and pauses do!
Programming: You can perform these with or without weight. Try a 3-1-0 tempo (3 seconds down, one second in the hole, explode up). A fun way to progress these is by changing up the tempo; 4-1-0, or make it into both a tempo and paused squat: 3-3-0. For targeting ankle mobility, perform 2x a week for 2 sets of 8-10 reps.
