In these trying times, it’s nice to know that some problems still have simple answers. So if you have trouble hitting depth in your squats, sometimes you just need a little ankle flexibility. Here are some of the best ways to work on that.
Your ankles determine how deep you can squat
Ankle mobility is important for squats because as your hips and knees bend, your ankles need to bend too. The taller and longer-limbed you are, the more you’ll probably notice this. Long thighbones require flexible ankles.
This differs a bit depending on what kind of squat you’re doing. If your ankles are stiff, you’ll probably have the most issues with front squats and high bar squats, and do a bit better with low-bar squats (where the bar sits just below the top of your shoulders). That’s because each of these squats has a slightly different requirement for where your various body parts need to be to support the weight. Front squats require an upright torso, and everything else has to compensate; low bar back squats allow more torso lean, which means your ankles don’t need to bend as much.
Regardless of the type of squat, better ankle mobility helps. Specifically, you want to have good dorsiflexion, which means the ability to bring the top of your foot toward your shin. With good ankle mobility, you’ll have an easy time squatting deep enough, and keeping your feet stable throughout. Without much dorsiflexion, you might not be able to get your hips as far down as you’d like with your heels still on the floor.
So how can you fix this issue? There are a few easy fixes, some quick and some that require a bit of time. While you may be looking forward to rocking your heavy barbell squats next time you’re in the gym, all of the following tips apply to bodyweight squats as well. Try them and see if your air squats feel better.
How to improve your ankle mobility without stretching
In a minute I’ll give you some stretches to improve your ankle mobility in the longer term, but first let’s talk about what you can do today to make up for your ankle mobility not being perfect. What you can do is elevate your heels, so that your ankles don’t need to bend as far to get your legs into the right position.
Stand on small plates
This is a quick-and-dirty trick you can do in any gym, without any special equipment.
Get a pair of small plates, like 5-pound plates, and put them on the floor in the middle of the squat rack, in the place where your heels would normally go.
Unrack the bar, and carefully step back until you can put your heels, but not your toes, on the plates.
Now, squat.
This isn’t my favorite way to address ankle mobility, just because stepping onto a very specific spot when you have a lot of weight on the bar is a somewhat treacherous task.
Buy weightlifting shoes
The better way to elevate your heels is by wearing a pair of weightlifting shoes. This means the specialty footwear made for Olympic weightlifters. (Powerlifters will sometimes call them “squat shoes,” but they’re the same shoes). These are not flat shoes like Converse, nor are they shoes with a squishy elevated heel like running shoes.
Proper weightlifting shoes have a hard plastic or wooden heel, typically 3/4″ high. Their sole is completely flat, and makes you feel like you are glued to the floor. They are not comfortable for running or agility work, although hybrid shoes like Metcons aim to split the difference.
Buying weightlifting shoes is annoying, but simple. You probably won’t be able to try them on before you buy (they’re too “specialty” to show up in most sporting goods stores, even though they’re made by big-name brands) so do your best with online research, and then buy from a place with a good return policy. I’d recommend:
Nike Romaleos if you have narrow-to-medium feet
TYR or Do-Wins if you have medium-to-wide feet or want a wider toebox
Any brand you like if you’re somewhere in the middle
Stretch your ankle in a squat position
Ankles, like anything else, respond to foam rolling and stretching. You can do these exercises before you squat and they’ll help a bit immediately, but they may also help you improve your flexibility over time.
One of the best and easiest stretches is simply to sit into a squat position. If this is already tough for you, grab onto a support like the leg of a squat rack (so you don’t fall over backwards), and pull yourself forward until you feel a stretch along the back of your ankle or calf.
Make this stretch more challenging by adding weight. As Greg Everett demonstrates in this video, you can wear your weightlifting shoes and squat down, leaning on your forearms to push one knee as far forward as possible, then do the same for the other.
All the best squat warmup stretches are a variation on this exercise. You can use a weight, like a kettlebell on the knee or an empty barbell held across both knees, to apply that pressure. You can put your foot on a bench and loop a resistance band around your ankle while you do the same stretch. I especially love this routine that includes some hip stretches and involves holding a weight plate to counterbalance your own weight so you can stay more upright.
Try the different versions of this stretch, and do them before your next squat session. Even if you don’t usually stretch before your workouts, targeted stretches like these (for body parts that really need that mobility in the workout) can help you to have a better workout. Do more ankle stretches after your workout or on your non-lifting days to give your ankles even more chances to learn their new, improved range of motion.
