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Improve your squat form with a heel lift or by holding weight in front of you. If you have knee, back, or hip pain while you are squatting, it could be due to having tight ankles. In a majority of squats that we evaluate, there is usually a lack of dorsiflexion (ankle bending), flat feet, or a collapsed ankle. Tight ankles will prevent someone from being able to squat past parallel (if that is your goal) with a neutral spine. Also, people with tight ankles have a tendency to shift weight onto their toes, putting stress on the knees.
So, is it necessary to have a wild heel lift like @JuliaGlanz is using in the video? No, start small! Put a ¼ inch lift under your heel to start and see how your squat looks. You could put some small weights, books, paper, etc under your heels… you don’t need anything fancy. Then try a ½ inch lift, a ¾, etc. With each lift, video yourself from the side, front, and back. What do you want to look for?
Are you able to keep your weight in your heels and your lower back neutral (very slight arch in the lower back) as you drop below parallel in your squat? Choose the smallest lift possible where you are able to maintain a neutral spine and weight in your heels. To improve your ankle mobility, one of my favorite drills is to sit in the bottom of a squat for 1-2 minutes (with whichever heel lift you need) to activate the muscles in the front of the shin. This will improve your active dorsiflexion. Make sure to grip your feet and grab the floor with your arches.
Notice that I am not using a heel lift any longer. It took me a long time to be able to squat this low while barefoot. Be patient and work at it.
Written by Andrew Dettelbach @MoveUShirtlessDude
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