Learn the key element that may be impacting your squat and how to improve it!
“Life has its ups and downs. We call them squats.”
What’s Going On?
Do you ever cringe at the sight of how some people squat? I’m sure you know what I’m talking about; knees collapsing inward, chest bowed down or knees a mile over the toes. Perhaps this is you? There is a reason as to why your squat is doing this: ankle mobility. How someone squats is a tell-tale of which muscles are weak and why you may be experiencing things like back or knee pain. Overall, your squat tells you what to pay attention to in your body.
Ankle mobility (#anklemobility) refers to the flexibility of the ankle joint and surrounding muscles to allow for range of motion when you are active. Your ankles play a crucial role in holding up your entire body and participates in how your body moves. When we don’t pay attention to improving the range of motion and strength in our ankles, they may negatively impact our squat technique.
Tune In: 3 Signs That Indicate Your Ankle Mobility Needs Improvement:
“Become aware of what's going on in your body and see .”
Tight calves - When the muscles surrounding your ankle are chronically tight or sore, it will restrict your range of motion which compromise good form. Tightness in your muscles not only causes a transference of pain to other parts of your body because of misalignment it can later cause injury.
Toes point outward when you walk or squat - I call this the ballerina turn out. Depending on the type of squat you are aiming for, a basic squat should have neutral alignment. This is also true for when you are walking. That is, knees in line with the second toe and your heel behind your toes.
Knees collapse inward - no matter how hard you try to keep your knees in line with your toes, they buckle inward. While ankle mobility plays a large role in the stabilization of your squat, your hip rotation and glute activation also play a large role in this. If your glutes are not firing as they should, your knees will have a tendency to fall inward applying pressure onto your other joints.
Get Inspired: 2 Exercises in Yoga That Improve Ankle Mobility
Chair Pose (Uttkatasana) - Chair pose will strengthen your ankle mobility in dorsiflexion (bringing your toes toward your shin). Bring your hand to your chest in prayer position at your heart if you need to, but remember to pull your shoulders back.
TO START: Bring your legs together and stand tall, hands by your sides. Initiate the squat by hinging from your hips, sending them behind you like you are going to sit into a chair. Only hinge as far as you can before you lose balance or compromise on alignment. Keep your body weight into your heels and keep your knees behind your toes. You should be able to lift up all 10 of your toes. Your toes and ankles and knees squeezing inward. Pull your lower belly in without compromising the natural curve of your spine. As you pull your shoulders back be sure to keep your rib cage from flaring open. Bring your gaze upward.
VARIATION: This chair pose variation will strengthen your ankle mobility in flexion (toes moving downward toward your heel). Shift your weight from your heels into your first two toes (big toe and second toe pad of the foot), and balance. Your ankles will want to roll outward. Continue to squeeze your toes, ankles, inner thighs and hips together. Remember to continue to keep your toes, ankles and knees together as you balance on your big toes. The higher you lift your heels the more flexion you are working toward. Slowly bring your heels down and readjust the weight distribution back into your heels with as much control as possible. Press the heels back down into the floor.
“Conscious movement will lead to strong action.”
2. Warrior 2 (Virabradrasana 2) - Warrior two is a very strong stance that also works your ankle mobility in dorsiflexion (raising the foot toward your shin), and activating your glutes to stabilize your hip and knee movement. With all of that going on I want you to specifically focus on your hips and glute activation in your front leg.
TO START: Begin with a wide stance between your legs. The front toe points forward and your back foot pinky toe edge is parallel to the back of your mat. You should have a front heel and back foot arch alignment. Bend the front knee only, keeping your back leg straight. Direct your hip bones to the front diagonal at the top of your mat. Be sure the back foot arch is lifted by pressing the pinky toe edge of the foot into the mat. Firm up your inner thighs by subtly bringing your front heel and back foot arch toward one another. As the front knee bends, keep the knee in line with the ankle (you may need to walk the front foot forward). Don’t allow the front knee to fall inward. Be sure you can see your front big toe. Keep your arms stretched out like a T, palms facing down and keep your chest open to the side wall. Your chest points in the same direction as your back foot. Your chest is stacked over your hips. Pull up in the lower belly and keep your gaze forward over the front fingertips. Be mindful that the lower back doesn’t arch and that your ribcage doesn't flare open.
VARIATION: Warrior 2 opens the hips a lot. To focus on the proper alignment take the same stance except bring the back knee down the ground. The back knee will still point in the direction of the side wall and your calf will be parallel with the back of your mat. Work on bending deeper into the front knee. As you bend your front knee, keep your chest stacked over your hips and maintain knee and ankle alignment.
Please consult with a doctor before adhering to any InCasa Yoga post recommendations.
Happy Squating!
InCasa Yoga
Back pain is always tough to manage. I love that you are taking initiative and doing what your body needs. Thanks for the comment!
Squats are always tough! I suffer from severe hip and lower back pain. I know from first hand experience how crucial it is to have good alignment. Building strength through chair pose and doing the right stretches reduces my pain A LOT.