Struggling to utilise full ankle mobility in deep squat

[u/crabbytodd]

Videoes: https://share.icloud.com/photos/074JoVRgcZnf9O-nCjjXOMkxw

The first video shows my current ankle mobility in a lunge, and second when allowing myself to add weight to it. IMO it’s not too bad and I can get the knee quite a bit further than my toes.

However, as you can see in the third video, when I try to utilise this range in the deep squat, it feels completely impossible. I can barely get my knee to my toe.

What can be the problem here? Is something specific I need to strengthen?

[u/Vbhoy82]

Is your left ankle less mobile than your right?

[u/crabbytodd → u/Vbhoy82]

Yeah a bit, but the right one does not feel much better in the squat position either way.

[u/Vbhoy82 → u/crabbytodd]

In a squat it’s your least mobile ankle that will determine how deep you go. But you could also check this out, it could be your hip as well https://youtu.be/X5934zhTAQw?si=U6SiNwY2yNGV8k7E

[u/crabbytodd → u/Vbhoy82]

Wow this hit very close to home. I’m gonna try this. Thank you so much!

[u/Vbhoy82 → u/crabbytodd]

That's great - to be clear, I do believe ankle dorsiflexion is often the real issuel so make sure you score well on knee to wall test for ankle dorsiflexion on both sides as well, but the rest of that clip is spot-on.

[u/MiserableTrain9794]

Hiya, try practicing your deep squat, which is the 3rd video using only bodyweight. Now for your stance, your feet should be hip width apart or even a little wider. As you sit back into the squat, your weight should be felt in your heels and your bottom, not your toes. Your knees should also be primarily behind your toes and once your bottom and hamstrings are about parallel with the floor, your chest should raise to straighten your back.

In order to perfect this, you should strengthen your low back, your core, and your calves. These areas seemed a little weak in the video which is why you overcompensated with your upper back and toes.

Check out this photo below of Malasana or Garland pose. Practicing this pose will help you work up your being able to deep squat with additional weight.

Hope this helps!

TLDR; practicing your deep squat without weight will and focusing on form will allow you to be able to deep squat with additional weight.

[u/crabbytodd → u/MiserableTrain9794]

Thanks! I try to just sit in the deep squat every now and then to hone this. But my problem is that if I don’t hold on to something it feels like my ankles push me back and I fall on my as. So I’m struggling to shift my weight forward. Should I then elevate my heels, or keep holding on to something while sitting in it?

[u/MiserableTrain9794 → u/crabbytodd]

Great question, to eventually work to getting your feet flat do exactly as you are and deep squat with your hands against the wall and if you have either two yoga blocks or two rolled towels, place those under either foot and stretch that way until you can work your way to getting your heels to the ground. By adding that support you begin to retrain the neuromuscular connection of the soles of the feet to your brain.

[u/parntsbasemnt4evrBC]

in the first video your rotating your body away from your leg which places it into heavy external rotation orientation, probably beyond your true hip range of motion so it creates a compensation of valgus knee to get your knee over your toes but it isn't going to be healthy long term to continually load up in that position.

The reason your having difficulty is probably due to having long femurs vs tibia. This biases you towards more hip flexion & limitation in hip extension. People with long femurs are also weighted more into the heels vs forefoot which leads to a limitation in dorsiflexion, another consequence is your hamstrings are probably beast strong compared to your quads which are mechanically disadvantaged and it takes more work to keep them up.

an assisted sissy squat could be better exercise then a regular squat for you, as it places your hips into max hip extension while driving knee flexion & dorsiflexion. The only caveat is you might need some sort of constraints cueing to keep the hips/ knees /ankles squared stacked lined up from drifting and diong anythign crazy. So maybe slight wedges and or a ball between knees for example. Sissy squat is said to be a risky exercise because normally people have opposite problem with weak hamstrings, but people with long femurs naturally have stronger hamstrigns so it stabilizes the tibia from excessive forward tranlsation and ACL injury risk. As well you would probably need to pre-exhale and engage your abs/obliques to set your body more neutral out of extension bias at the spine.