Training legs with little no no ankle Dorsiflection

[reprah]

Sup guys,

At the moment I'm trying to improve my ankle Dorsiflection as it's actually shockingly bad that I can't get anywhere near a full depth squat.

Couple of questions:

1) how can I still train and build some muscle on my legs, given my dorsiflection limits me to performing certain movements like the squat and lunge incorrectly? Even lifting my heels on some plates doesn't help much

2) can someone share or point me into the direction on the best routine to increase my ankle range?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

[GreekPowerOf300]

Hey fam, the plate to elevate the heels (or olympic shoes) is a good idea to help you get to parallel.You should start doing stretching and ankle mobility excersises (like the lunge test and rolling the foot on a lacrosse ball to untighten the fascia) to improve the mobility and to make sure you don't get any tighter.

[RestoringTally]

Bodyweight squats. I do some every morning when I get up.

As noted above, you may want to place a board or a small plate under your heel. Better yet, read Knee Valgus (Valgus Collapse), Glute Medius Strengthening, Band Hip Abduction Exercises, And Ankle Dorsiflexion Drills by Bret Contreras. He has great info on body mechanics.

[StillbornSoul]

Ankle dorsiflexion isnt even really needed in proper squat shoes.

[tdod101]

I had some bad ankle mobility. Your calves may be tight, try some static stretching before bed and on rest days, 3 sets of 30 second reps for each leg, no rest in between. Take it easy at first though,.

What I did was jam my foot up against the wall with heel on the ground, opposite leg behind me, look up at the ceiling and bring your hands up the wall past your head. I found after 2 weeks, my mobility improved greatly.

[sooby]

not that it isn't important to improve upon, but I had very bad dorsiflexion in my ankles yet I was still able to squat properly, even without squat shoes. It may be a form or stance issue or maybe you just need more practice with the movement so your body gets comfortable with it.

I'd try goblet squats just to get the hang of it first.

[redmchalo]

Does your gym have a hammer strength (or other) tibialis anterior reverse calf raise machine? That helped with my ankle dorsi-flexion a lot.