If strength training is an essential recipe for health and fitness, the squats are surely the key ingredient!
Squats have been shown to improve joint health, muscle density, bone density, increase life expectancy, reduce age related change, regenerate the disc in the spine, improve cartilage health in the knees, hips and ankles, boost healthy hormone production, relieve stress, reduce pain…. The list goes on and on.
If they don’t make up a staple part of your fitness regime then it may be time to start incorporating them. Perfecting your technique can take a little time but there is one place that industry experts would agree is crucial to nailing your squat technique. Ankle mobility.
The act of being able to bring your knees over your toes is called Dorsiflexion. It is crucial for squats because it helps to keep the centre of gravity of the weight central. If you have reduced ankle joint mobility, you often have to compensate further up the chain. This can place more stress on your knees, hips and lower back, as well as reducing the overall benefit of the movement because you’ll likely struggle to get full depth on the movement.
*Insert pictures of ankle ROM changes and angles through the rest of the body*
As you can see, when the ankles don’t allow the knees to travel over your toes, the angle of the lower back becomes significantly more horizontal. This places a significant amount more stress on the base of the spine, and reduces the ability for the muscles of the leg to generate the majority of force.
If this continues, the lower back can become overloaded (a much better movement for strengthening this area is the deadlift), but the main benefit of the squat is lost. Your legs simply won’t receive as much stimulus and many of the benefits mentioned above can be lost.
Furthermore, your legs are designed to be the powerhouse muscles of the lower body, so if we don’t load them to their full potential, hypertrophy (muscle building) and strength potential is lost. In short, you’ll see less progress, and ultimately your squats will be weaker for it.
There are other factors that can change squat depth. The length of your spine, and thigh bones in relation to the rest of your body can change the levers involved on the squat (someone with very long thigh bones and a short torso may struggle to achieve the same depth as someone whose features are the opposite. However, we can’t change our anatomical biology.
BUT… we can improve ankle mobility. The A-Flex is a patented device made by James and Matthew, two British brothers. It has yielded consistently brilliant results in helping people to improve their ankle range. Based on a technique called a Mobilisation with Movement which has been used by physiotherapists for years to improve ankle range, previously this treatment was only accessible if you paid for multiple sessions with a qualified professional, with multiple sessions quickly accumulating into the hundred of pounds. Plus, ongoing maintenance proved to be just as expensive in the long run.
But the A-Flex reduces all of this. ___% of users report improvements in ankle range from the first use, and ___% report good improvements in ankle range after 2-4 weeks of usage. Ongoing maintenance is quick, easy and performing a 30-60 second ankle mobility routine before your lower body workouts can help to maximise benefits, improve lifting mechanics and keep you stressing the desired areas, reducing injury risk.
Comments