Tip Fix Your Ankle Mobility For Deeper Squats Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Fix Your Ankle Mobility For Deeper Squats The inability to go deep with squats is often caused by ankle issues not hip issues Here' s how to fix that right up by Tom Morrison August 8, 2017June 6, 2022 Tags It Hurts Fix It, Mobility, Squat, Tips, Training The Facts If one joint is limited it will steal mobility from another. Ankle flexibility can play a huge part in your ability to squat deeply. Soft tissue techniques and passive stretches don't give lasting results fast enough. A mobility drill is only useful if it's integrated into the movement you're trying to improve in the same session. Most people that can't squat deeply will stretch their hips into oblivion. Problem is, their hips are often actually okay to begin with. Their limitation is coming from their ankles. Your base of support should be one of the first things you check. Just watch how taking away one range of motion can cause a dramatic upstream effect into the entire squat: There are a million different techniques out there that claim to increase ankle dorsiflexion and I've spent time with a lot of them. The famous "banded distraction" ankle technique and smashing your calves with a foam roller are not the best, and for many people an absolute waste of time. Do this instead: 1 Movement This slow Prowler or sled stretch almost looks like you don't know how to push a Prowler... or you're incredibly weak. On closer inspection though, you'll notice that the focus isn't on the pushing but on foot placement and stretching the calf. To make the magic happen, aim to feel the stretch and engage the front of your shin (tibialis anterior) as if you're trying to pull your toes up towards your shin. Drive the weight forward while maintaining the stretch feeling, then transfer the weight to the other leg. Any time you lengthen one side (like one calf) think "activate" on the other side (the shin). This will teach the body how to create range of motion through its own strength. You can also play around with the direction of your feet. 2 Integration Since we're trying to improve our squat, a drill that resembles the squat is a good idea. The kickstand squat is a great place to work from because you can focus on getting one side correct at a time. The raised foot is there for assistance so you can start to work your knee further in front of the toe of the planted foot. 3 Strengthen Any time you make changes to your own flexibility, pick a good exercise to build volume up and strengthen the new and improved range of motion. It doesn't have to be overly heavy. Control throughout the movement is the main objective. The calf raise is perfect for pairing with dorsi flexion work. If you don't have access to a seated calf raise machine then you can get creative with plates. Rotate through these stations for 20 minutes: 4 slow Prowler stretch lengths 10 kickstand squats, each leg 15 seated calf raises, each leg 10 squats or goblet squats Take photos before and after to see improvements. Do this as either a warm up or cool down at least twice a week when dorsi flexion is your main goal. Once you start to notice a change in your squat, you'll require less frequency. But it's a good idea to still hit this workout once per week. If you're coming from a pure powerlifting squat background, then strip your numbers down a bit and get accustomed to your new deeper squat before testing yourself again. Taking the extra time now will mean greater progress long term. Remember, no matter how strong you are, if you've never been to a certain depth before it'll take time to control it and own it. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Make the Bulgarian Split Squat Even Tougher Use this exercise and you'll squat more weight for more reps. Here's how to do it. Tips, Training Bret Contreras December 7 Training Ancillary Circuits Admit it. A lot of times you plan your workouts around your major muscle groups and just "throw in" a few sets at the end for your ancillary muscles – calves, abs, and forearms. Training T Nation July 13 Training Top 10 Deadlifting Mistakes and How to Fix Them When a guy who can pull 800 pounds in his sleep talks deadlifting, you'd better listen up and take notes. Deadlift, Most Popular Deadlift Articles, Training Dave Tate February 1 Training Heavy Weights and Skin-Splitting Pumps If you combine heavy weights and a pump, your muscles have no choice but to get bigger and stronger. Here are 5 proven ways to do it. Bodybuilding, Training Eric Bach October 1