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I’m a personal trainer — improve your squats and runs with this 5-move ankle mobility routine
If your squats and runs have been feeling a little harder than usual, your ankles could be the culprit. Lack of mobility in this crucial joint can cause problems throughout your kinetic chain, resulting in reduced full-body range of motion, increased pain, and even debilitating injuries.
Before hitting the squat rack or the treadmill, you’ll want to warm up your ankles properly. I always give these five ankle mobility exercises to my personal training clients before any lower body strength training or high-impact cardio sessions.
If you’ve got a yoga mat and a resistance band, you can do this five-move ankle mobility routine too. Not only is it a great way to prepare your body for exercise, but it can also help improve your balance and reduce overall stiffness.
How to do the 5-move ankle mobility routine
In addition to the yoga mat and resistance band, you’ll also need a moderately heavy weight and a rolled-up towel.
These exercises are appropriate for all fitness levels, but I’ll always recommend checking in with your medical team before starting anything new. Meeting with a personal trainer to learn proper exercise form is also a plus.
The exercises are:
1. Ankle circles
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- Sit upright on a mat with your legs extended.
- Place your left heel on top of a rolled-up towel.
- Rotate your left foot in a counterclockwise direction for 10 reps.
- Switch directions and rotate your left foot in a clockwise direction for 10 reps.
- Place the towel underneath your right heel and repeat.
2. Banded joint mobilization
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- Loop one end of a resistance band around a railing or solid structure
- Step away from the anchor point so the band is taut.
- Come to a half-kneeling position, with your left knee and right foot on the floor.
- Loop the other end of the resistance band on top of your right foot.
- Keeping the right foot on the ground, shift your bodyweight forward.
- Hold in this position for 5 seconds.
- Continue for 10 reps, then repeat on the left side.
3. Goblet squat stretch
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- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hold a moderately heavy weight at your chest.
- Engage your core and keep your spine neutral.
- Set your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your tailbone to the floor.
- Place your forearms on the tops of your thighs.
- Shift your body weight to the left, moving your left knee over your left toes.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Shift your body weight to the right, moving your right knee over your right toes.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Continue alternating for 10 reps on each side.
4. Banded plantarflexion and dorsiflexion
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You can view a video on how to do banded ankle dorsiflexion here
- Sit upright on a mat with your legs extended.
- Loop a resistance band around your left foot, grabbing the loose end with your hands.
- Point your left toes towards the wall in front of you.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Relax and return your left foot to the starting position.
- Continue for 10 reps, then repeat on the right side.
- Loop the resistance band around a railing or solid structure.
- Loop the other end of the resistance band on top of your left foot.
- Flex your left toes towards your chest.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Relax and return your left foot to the starting position.
- Continue for 10 reps, then repeat on the right side.
5. Heel-toe walks
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- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core and keep your spine neutral.
- Step forward with your right foot, placing the heel into the ground.
- Roll from your right heel onto your right toes.
- Step forward with your left foot, placing the heel into the ground.
- Roll from your left heel onto your left toes.
- Continue for 10 steps on each side.
What are the benefits of this 5-move ankle mobility routine?
The exercises in this routine address full ankle joint range of motion, promote proper joint mechanics, and strengthen surrounding muscles and tissues.
Banded mobilization exercises work by using a “distracting” force provided by the resistance band. This pulls bone surfaces away from each other, which can open up impingements within the joint and improve alignment.
The better your ankle mobility, the more efficiently your body can move. Improved ankle mobility can lead to better form when walking, running, or performing lower-body exercises.
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