ANKLE MOBILITY
STANDING DORSIFLEXION STRETCH
Simple and very effective, similar to a classic standing calf stretch except the back leg is slightly bent. You need to emphasise the movement of the knee over the toes and really feel the Achilles tendon as well as the base of the tibia (front of the ankle). Regular stretching in this area will help you to achieve a deeper squat as the knees will track over the toes more easily, achieving a greater range of motion.
SETS: hold stretch for 30s each side
KNEELING DORSIFLEXION MOBILITY
This is a nice development, or progression of the stretch above. Getting onto your knees means you can push your chest into your thigh and hold onto your foot as you rock back and forth. Keeping your foot on the ground whilst pushing back and forth will help to increase your ankle mobility. Always be sure to push your knee out with your elbow whilst the foot remains in place to mimic a good squat.
REPS: Rock back and forth 2 x 20 each side
REVERSE BUTTERFLY
The emphasis so far has been to keep the hips open and the feet firmly on the ground, whilst increasing the ability for the knees to push over the toes. This is all brilliant but the ankles don’t just move in this way! It’s important to balance this work out with some of this sort of stuff - internal hip rotation and outer ankle stretching.
SETS: 30s holds both feet then individual x 2
WEIGHTED FLEXION
Both ankles are receiving focused flexion mobility drilling in this exercise. The back foot is receiving the main dose of bodyweight resistance, with special emphasis on the plantar fascia. Slowly develop your ability here to sit your bum down on the heel. The front leg is getting some good old knee over toes action! Go freestyle on this one, rock back and forth, play with different angles, see what feels tight and work on it.
SETS: 2min of work each side
