10: if you’re not working ankle mobility, you probably should be
from my experience, unlocking your ankles is a game changer for decreasing low back pain, increasing power capacity, and improving strength through workable range of motion. everything starts from the ground up; if your ankles are stiff, you’re decreasing the capacity for your tendons and ligaments to stretch, store, and release power for both strength and explosive movements. Plus, many people I’ve worked with —from professional athletes to everyday professionals— were able to dramatically increase their squat and lunge depth from simply increasing the range of motion in their ankles. further, this increased range of motion allowed them to get into better positions which took strain off their low backs and helped them move better, and more explosively, with less pain.
now, this is not a cure all but the fact that the 3 exercises below will take you less than a minute to complete before you workout makes a pretty good case to do them and see what happens for you. truly can’t hurt and can only help.
ankle rocks
find a wall and take a half kneeling position facing it. keep your entire foot on the ground (especially your heel) and drive your knee toward the wall and as far over your toes as you can. if your knee hits the wall and your heel is still on the ground, slide back a little and repeat until you can barley touch the wall with your knee keeping your heel on the ground. this is your end range, mark the distance and overtime see this increase.
1-3 sets, 8-12 reps each side
passive weighted ankle flexion
find a comfortable position and a light-ish weight (kettlebell or dumbbell). push your knee over your toes as far as you can without letting your heel lift, stay here and gently place the weight on your knee. try to relax into this position and let the weight gently rest on your knee.
1-2 sets, 10-30s hold each leg
seated ankle extension
start in a full kneeling position with the tops of your feet on the ground and knees hips distance apart. gently sit your hips back to your heels and rest into this position. if this is uncomfortable for your ankles, knees or quads grab a yoga block (or 2) and place under your hips to decrease the stretch.
1-2 sets, 60-180s
