You use a lot as the same techniques as a lot of other people, but the simplicity and delivery of your videos are second to none. Keep up the good work mate.
I had an ankle fracture 7 months ago and my ankle mobility is not 100% there yet, but I saw immediate results in just one session thank you so much for this video!
5 years later and your video is still saving lives! LOL I just became a Certified Personal Trainer and learned, through the course, that the reason I can't get low in my squats is not solely because of my hips flexors, it's my dorsiflexion!!! 🤯🤯 So this video was amazing. Found less pain in only one session. Will definitely continue!
I've been suffering from knee pain FOREVER, and the epiphany hit me like a lightning bolt on my morning walk that my ankles aren't working properly, did some research and came up with dorsiflexion. Did this routine and have been incorporating it into my daily ballistic stretching routine.. and bam! No more knee pain, and much more springiness and stability in my walking and running. Amazing.
I've googled a LOT of videos on ankle dorsiflexion / squat stretches and this is by far the best. Excellent work Mr Merrick. Great explanation, exercises that make sense, excellent footage and a host who's wearing a microphone! A+ Love your work.
Hi, just wanted to say I have been trying these techniques for several days now and already feel a difference in my range of motion resulting in a lot less pain while running and although my squat still sucks, I feel like my heels are settling a bit lower every time I am in the full squat position, so thank you very much, really appreciate your advice for something that I have pretty much ignored for a long time as something I have just had to live with.
I picked up horseback riding again recently and I found that I was having a lot of difficulty sinking down into my heels and experiencing pain and tightness when doing so. I can’t wait to try these exercises out!
Thank you so much for this video! I sprained my ankle over a year ago and it hasn’t been the same. In fact, it led to a torn meniscus on the same leg. I’m trying to basically PT it all now.
I broke my ankle and injury was pretty bad it was the same as Gordon Haywards (go on yt and type gordon hayward injury) and its been 8 months since it and my ankle is still limited!! One workout and i can already see improvement! Definitely the best workout on yt by far!
For the longest time I've never been able to do a squat and I wasn't sure why. I found out it's because my dorsiflexion is terrible. I literally can't bring my knee past my foot but I'm working on it now
@@gursimransingh4111 the pain in front, i tries using my fingers to rock my knee forward and goes kinda better but I don't feel an improvement in the long run... maybe i shoud try using a band
@@Lisogarcia yep u have to use a band for that pinching sensation at the front. I tired these stretches but they won't work if the problem is with the joint at the front not working properly. I've tried using bands to push the front of the foot back and I'm seeing results now.
@@BodyweightWarrior Am using your content to help improve dorsiflexion post acl surgery but struggling with pain/infringement with this exercise? Any ideas why or how to stop this? Making great progress with the other ankle but this one doesn't want to budge... Great content btw. Straight to the point, no bs and no holding anything back. Keep it up
im so glad i found your channel - i just spent the entirety of this video with a lacrosse ball under my calf... boy did i need it lol. Hoping to improve my mobility for surfing :) thanks!
thanks tom, sprained my ankle back in jan playing football hasn't been the same since. been doing these stretches and my ankle feels like its slowly improving
thanks big dog been having this ankle/high ankle/foot issue for allmost. a year now and finally ready to break trhough im gonna give those a go the bounes!
Thank you so much for sharing, Tom. Been working on my ankles owing to repeatedly twisting them - which isn't pleasant : ) Love your channel, and wish you all the very best! 😃💪❤️
That last exercise was soo good. Right now im doing the bounces but im initiating the bounce with the calf muscle, so basically liftting a little bit and dropping. That works the best for getting rid of my impingement it seems. I have been experimenting A LOT with gaining ankle mobility. Standing in stairways eccentrics, squat locomotion patterns, bottom of pistol bouncing, normal static stretches, squatting and more, but this one is clearly the best. The standing dorsiflexion stretches just havent cut it for me. They have usually been too intense. They also caused some knee problems for me since i very slightly pull out of alignment or something, they just havent felt natural for me. On the contrary this stretch being on the forefoot and in a split squat position just creates a very natural good aligment for my knee and ankle. I can vary the intensity perfectly, and switch between static and dynamic. Feel some great gains immediatly and my ankles are stubborn as fuck to almost all stretches. Hopefully this will break through my ankle mobility plateau, and if so I'll kiss your virtual feet. I could write a lot more about this subject, but imma keep it (relatively) short so ill stop here.
Interesting dude and 100% agree on the standing stretches, I've found with clients that focusing on movements in knee flexion help best. Cool to see you're experimenting as it is definitely a tough area to break through, just being aware of day to day habits can help a lot. best of luck :)
Perfect timing! I was thinking doing some squats over the weekend my ankles come off the floor. So I'll be adding these in. Tom, you should also get an Amazon Affiliate link or something for those shoes, I've ordered some over weekend and someone on every video asks about them, then pop it in the description.
My ankles are stiff from a lifetime of walking on my toes. I am 20 years old. I have some godly calves, without even working them out, but its frustrating not being able to walk normally. Going to use this and see how far I come in a month.
Your Achilles is the strongest tendon in your body, it takes a lot of force every single day and is conditioned for it, if something is going wrong you will feel it so dont worry
For me, the bounces exercise puts a ton of strain on that area on the inside of your foot where that bone sticks out, and it feels like my foot is about to explode.
I had a double partial ligament tear on my right ankle 3 months ago. It is pretty much healed now, however, there's still pain in dorsiflexion and tenderness medially so Orthopaedic has suggested me Ankle ROM exercises, can I also do the exercises shown in this video ?
Hi. Could you give a rough idea as to how much progress you can realistically make for ankle dorsiflexion for a person with very poor ankle mobility at the moment? And a timeline please :)
As I am suffering from FOOTDROP in my left lower limb, Kindly, tell me or share excersises to remove it as it is really embarrassing to carry out my daily chores. Regards
Squat academy (or is it Squat University?) has a good video on this, or check out Martin Licis recent video on his 5 rehab movements, of which one is a detailed banded ankle mobilisation =)
Me personally, I wouldn't continue doing something that makes you feel pain. So, it depends.. are you in pain, or is it just a tightness? Hope you feel better!
I love these videos! I started my mobility journey yesterday! Any suggestions for loosening up the tightness on the bottom of the foot? I hurt my big toe and pushing off has been difficult.
It seems that while you work on the dorsiflexion, you stretch your hamstring at the same time. Is that an issue? is it a sign that I am doing something wrong?
this is the only reason i can do a pistol squat. i have the strength, and can easily do it wearing shoes, but barefoot i just fall down since i can lean my knee forward far enough
I've got a question for you. I've watched all of your ankle flexibility videos I can find. Many trainers emphasize dorsiflexibility a lot due to its importance in squatting. However, there is not as much emphasis on plantar flexibility. Do you already have any videos focusing on plantar flexibility / would you be willing to make one? I cannot sit on the ground with my butt on my heels mostly because my plantar flexibility is so poor and the top of my foot remains quite far above the ground. This limitation forces me to modify many of your other stretches, but I would love to methodically and safely improve this.
Can you do dorsiflexion lunge bounces if you're recovering from an ankle fracture and trying to regain range of motion or better not? (Nearly a year post surgery).
First, glad I found you channel. You seem like a really knowledgeable person. As one whose overall flexibility is awful, my squats suffer quite abit due to my ankle ROM. Tried your drills but encountered a potential issue. While doing the bounching stretch, the area above my quads, along the line of my hips tire quite fast. is it because I'm not used to that position? And also, how do you initiate the bounce? Your legs? Hands? Thanks in advance and keep up your content!
Very useful advice, but why oh why accompanied by the annoying audio track? I guess that this is THE THING of 'today'. Cramming as much digital material into a video clip as possible, in the hope that it might just enrich the vlog (which it does not).
@@waomaye Try doing the heel drop..... now Try keep you heel as low as possible while pushing you knee foward, go slowly foward, and slowly back, do this 15-30 times/reps and then hold it in the stretch position for 90 seconds. do it 3 times a day daily.
@@hehey8596 not great, I think my case is unsolvable. When I do the heel drop my ankle just hurts and thats it. It almost feels as if I have some kind of blockage, thats preventing me from having a full range of motion
How to keep your knee in line with your foot? I have a strong internal knee rotation when I go into the dorsi flexion position, a little bit more on my right side, the weaker side.
More valgus or knocked knees means you are compensating for a weakness. Either due to ankle instability or instability When you perform these exercises, ensure you focus on hip alignment with knee, ankle and even your upper body :)
Would it be helpful to sit down on the floor, with legs outstretched (the "sit-up" position), and then bend the feet in the dorsiflexion position, and then gently bend forward to increase the stretch as much as possible?
I am saying-- if a person was to touch their toes (in an old fashioned sit-up position) with their feet flexed, it would be less demanding then if they were to try to touch their toes with their feet dorsiflexed. Try it both ways and see the difference. So, I'm thinking if one were to sit down and touch the toes with feet dorsilflexed as much as possible, one could increase the stretch by leaning forward with a straight back, trying to touch chest to the knees.
You use a lot as the same techniques as a lot of other people, but the simplicity and delivery of your videos are second to none. Keep up the good work mate.
I had an ankle fracture 7 months ago and my ankle mobility is not 100% there yet, but I saw immediate results in just one session thank you so much for this video!
Im the same broke my ankle 6 months ago. How are you now
Hows your ankle now?
@@ryanwilson8178 hows your ankle and dorsiflexion?
5 years later and your video is still saving lives! LOL I just became a Certified Personal Trainer and learned, through the course, that the reason I can't get low in my squats is not solely because of my hips flexors, it's my dorsiflexion!!! 🤯🤯 So this video was amazing. Found less pain in only one session. Will definitely continue!
I've been suffering from knee pain FOREVER, and the epiphany hit me like a lightning bolt on my morning walk that my ankles aren't working properly, did some research and came up with dorsiflexion.
Did this routine and have been incorporating it into my daily ballistic stretching routine.. and bam!
No more knee pain, and much more springiness and stability in my walking and running. Amazing.
I've googled a LOT of videos on ankle dorsiflexion / squat stretches and this is by far the best. Excellent work Mr Merrick. Great explanation, exercises that make sense, excellent footage and a host who's wearing a microphone! A+ Love your work.
I am so stiff in my ankles, and I am only 21 years old lol. I tried the knee to wall test, and my dad at age 55+ comes almost twice the length:O
Hi, just wanted to say I have been trying these techniques for several days now and already feel a difference in my range of motion resulting in a lot less pain while running and although my squat still sucks, I feel like my heels are settling a bit lower every time I am in the full squat position, so thank you very much, really appreciate your advice for something that I have pretty much ignored for a long time as something I have just had to live with.
Are you doing this before you workout or after ?
I picked up horseback riding again recently and I found that I was having a lot of difficulty sinking down into my heels and experiencing pain and tightness when doing so. I can’t wait to try these exercises out!
Thank you so much for this video! I sprained my ankle over a year ago and it hasn’t been the same. In fact, it led to a torn meniscus on the same leg. I’m trying to basically PT it all now.
I’m trying this because of a mcl strain which I believe is a result of very tight ankle mobility thanks for your help
I broke my ankle and injury was pretty bad it was the same as Gordon Haywards (go on yt and type gordon hayward injury) and its been 8 months since it and my ankle is still limited!! One workout and i can already see improvement! Definitely the best workout on yt by far!
I hit a wall on my ankle flexibility progression. Tried the ankle bounces and my ankles instantly felt looser. Thank you for the tips.
For the longest time I've never been able to do a squat and I wasn't sure why. I found out it's because my dorsiflexion is terrible. I literally can't bring my knee past my foot but I'm working on it now
Ive got the same Problem.
Same dude, I've been doing 5min squat everyday and streches but nothing seems to help that much...
@@Lisogarcia when u try and go forward with Ur knee what stops u, a strech feeling at the back of the foot or pain at the front on Ur foot.
@@gursimransingh4111 the pain in front, i tries using my fingers to rock my knee forward and goes kinda better but I don't feel an improvement in the long run... maybe i shoud try using a band
@@Lisogarcia yep u have to use a band for that pinching sensation at the front. I tired these stretches but they won't work if the problem is with the joint at the front not working properly. I've tried using bands to push the front of the foot back and I'm seeing results now.
Big fan of your work Tom keep up the great work. I've been using a lot of your exercises with my clients.
Thanks dude, glad to be of service :)
@@BodyweightWarrior Am using your content to help improve dorsiflexion post acl surgery but struggling with pain/infringement with this exercise? Any ideas why or how to stop this? Making great progress with the other ankle but this one doesn't want to budge...
Great content btw. Straight to the point, no bs and no holding anything back. Keep it up
This is the first routine that have actually helped me. Thank you very much, friend!
awesome, glad to help :)
im so glad i found your channel - i just spent the entirety of this video with a lacrosse ball under my calf... boy did i need it lol. Hoping to improve my mobility for surfing :) thanks!
carley junelle how did it go?
Is there a substitute for the lacrosse ball?
thanks tom, sprained my ankle back in jan playing football hasn't been the same since. been doing these stretches and my ankle feels like its slowly improving
better mate?
Excellent, mate! After 1 session, my ankles feel warm and loose. I like it.
thanks big dog been having this ankle/high ankle/foot issue for allmost. a year now and finally ready to break trhough im gonna give those a go the bounes!
New year resolutions is to do a proper squat!! Can't wait to do these everyday and limber up
Thank you so much for sharing, Tom. Been working on my ankles owing to repeatedly twisting them - which isn't pleasant : ) Love your channel, and wish you all the very best! 😃💪❤️
That last exercise was soo good. Right now im doing the bounces but im initiating the bounce with the calf muscle, so basically liftting a little bit and dropping. That works the best for getting rid of my impingement it seems. I have been experimenting A LOT with gaining ankle mobility. Standing in stairways eccentrics, squat locomotion patterns, bottom of pistol bouncing, normal static stretches, squatting and more, but this one is clearly the best.
The standing dorsiflexion stretches just havent cut it for me. They have usually been too intense. They also caused some knee problems for me since i very slightly pull out of alignment or something, they just havent felt natural for me. On the contrary this stretch being on the forefoot and in a split squat position just creates a very natural good aligment for my knee and ankle. I can vary the intensity perfectly, and switch between static and dynamic. Feel some great gains immediatly and my ankles are stubborn as fuck to almost all stretches. Hopefully this will break through my ankle mobility plateau, and if so I'll kiss your virtual feet.
I could write a lot more about this subject, but imma keep it (relatively) short so ill stop here.
Interesting dude and 100% agree on the standing stretches, I've found with clients that focusing on movements in knee flexion help best. Cool to see you're experimenting as it is definitely a tough area to break through, just being aware of day to day habits can help a lot. best of luck :)
Hi Tom, What is you recommendation for ankle impingement? Do you just push through the discomfort?
How far has your ankle mobility gotten? I'm just starting as of today
Great tips and explanation as always. Thanks!
Very good and description video
finaly someone who understands
pretty cool, nice routine.
thanks
Excellent. Very helpful. Thanks. God bless.
Lufbra represent yeah buooouy
Just found this; a focused, sensible tutorial and workout routine for exactly my problem. Thank you.
Did it work out for you?
my ankle are so stiff i can't get past 90° with knee in the last exercice so i have nothing to bounce thowards 🤣🤣
gountaa watch my cant squat series. The ankle routine is better in that :)
Perfect timing! I was thinking doing some squats over the weekend my ankles come off the floor. So I'll be adding these in. Tom, you should also get an Amazon Affiliate link or something for those shoes, I've ordered some over weekend and someone on every video asks about them, then pop it in the description.
The dorsi bounces work great for a warm up mobilisation! Good luck squatting. Haha I really should everyone is always asking! How you liking yours?
Your a beast, subbed
exactly what I was looking for! you gained a new subscriber!
And Great content as always!
Am gona try it out and post results
Trying to get my ankle mobility back after breaking it some months back so I can start running again. I hope this will help do the trick :)
My ankles are stiff from a lifetime of walking on my toes. I am 20 years old. I have some godly calves, without even working them out, but its frustrating not being able to walk normally. Going to use this and see how far I come in a month.
How did it go? I have a younger brother that is in the exact same age bracket and dilemma as you, I would love to recommend him this routine!
Hey, Tom. Do those deep lunge bounces stretch achiles tendon more than the muscle attached to it? If so, how safe is it then?
Your Achilles is the strongest tendon in your body, it takes a lot of force every single day and is conditioned for it, if something is going wrong you will feel it so dont worry
Should I do this before or after I workout everyday ?
For me, the bounces exercise puts a ton of strain on that area on the inside of your foot where that bone sticks out, and it feels like my foot is about to explode.
Tom, thanks for this.
Thank you for posting this routine
3:23 dorsiflexion bounces for ankle flexibility (note to self)
I came here to get help out with doing pistol squats. Trying this out now.
Ty
I had a double partial ligament tear on my right ankle 3 months ago. It is pretty much healed now, however, there's still pain in dorsiflexion and tenderness medially so Orthopaedic has suggested me Ankle ROM exercises, can I also do the exercises shown in this video ?
Hi. Could you give a rough idea as to how much progress you can realistically make for ankle dorsiflexion for a person with very poor ankle mobility at the moment? And a timeline please :)
Cheers Tom, gonna give these a bash tomorrow. Ps those cold showers really suck!
Groovy Rob. You'll learn to love them, give it time :)
Loughborough hoodie? Good man
Thanks I'll definately try them out.
Good luck!
This is exactly what I needed! Thanks for this great stuff!
Thanks
I think consistency of doing your excersise will remove less strength in my left lower limb and vanish my FOOTDROP.
Great video !
Thanks bro :)
As I am suffering from FOOTDROP in my left lower limb, Kindly, tell me or share excersises to remove it as it is really embarrassing to carry out my daily chores.
Regards
Could you do a banded ankle mobilization tutorial? I feel that I've gotten some good ROM but now running into that "pinching feeling."
Squat academy (or is it Squat University?) has a good video on this, or check out Martin Licis recent video on his 5 rehab movements, of which one is a detailed banded ankle mobilisation =)
Thanks this helped a lot with rowing :)
Great video man! Could this be included in my mobility routine?
Absolutely my man this would be a great addition :)
Is there an Excercise for foot drop
Well done
If I feel tension on my Achilles should I still continue the ballistic bouncing or what do you or people recommend?
Me personally, I wouldn't continue doing something that makes you feel pain. So, it depends.. are you in pain, or is it just a tightness? Hope you feel better!
@@njs300800 Thanks, I am regressing in exercises just taking some steps back.
Make sure you're profusely warm before doing this. Look up KneesOverToesGuy
@@DondiWhiteRIP Already on his program :)
Yes!Just what I needed!I struggle doing pistol squats with my left foot.Thanks you! Tom Merrick :)
Awesome bro. Let me know when you get it! :)
Amazing video
Hope it helps
I love these videos! I started my mobility journey yesterday! Any suggestions for loosening up the tightness on the bottom of the foot? I hurt my big toe and pushing off has been difficult.
Strength into the anterior tibialis is the other half of this video! Needs to be strong to act as a proper antagonist muscle
Great video man. 👊👊👊
It seems that while you work on the dorsiflexion, you stretch your hamstring at the same time. Is that an issue? is it a sign that I am doing something wrong?
Isn't bouncing while stretching bad for you though?
Depends how it's done, but as long as it's within your range of motion it's fine :)
No
Lawton C this is a mobility not a stretch routine
this is the only reason i can do a pistol squat. i have the strength, and can easily do it wearing shoes, but barefoot i just fall down since i can lean my knee forward far enough
What movements do you recommend for ankle and wrist strength? After all both are essential when it comes to many body weight moves, thanks!
In the test my left ankle I can almost get my knee to the wall but my right ankle doesn’t even budge
I've got a question for you. I've watched all of your ankle flexibility videos I can find. Many trainers emphasize dorsiflexibility a lot due to its importance in squatting. However, there is not as much emphasis on plantar flexibility. Do you already have any videos focusing on plantar flexibility / would you be willing to make one? I cannot sit on the ground with my butt on my heels mostly because my plantar flexibility is so poor and the top of my foot remains quite far above the ground. This limitation forces me to modify many of your other stretches, but I would love to methodically and safely improve this.
Thanks for the video! What about routine for the other way? Plantar flexion?
Bro new to your channel how long did it take to have this ankle mobility ?
Can you do dorsiflexion lunge bounces if you're recovering from an ankle fracture and trying to regain range of motion or better not? (Nearly a year post surgery).
My heels went numb after doing this.
First, glad I found you channel.
You seem like a really knowledgeable person.
As one whose overall flexibility is awful, my squats suffer quite abit due to my ankle ROM.
Tried your drills but encountered a potential issue.
While doing the bounching stretch, the area above my quads, along the line of my hips tire quite fast. is it because I'm not used to that position? And also, how do you initiate the bounce? Your legs? Hands? Thanks in advance and keep up your content!
Very useful advice, but why oh why accompanied by the annoying audio track? I guess that this is THE THING of 'today'. Cramming as much digital material into a video clip as possible, in the hope that it might just enrich the vlog (which it does not).
Can i do this routine 3 times a day? really fucked up ankles so i need some exp booster
Is there some one that has fixed the ankle tightness with these exercises? I see no progress by me.
Same...
@@waomaye Try doing the heel drop..... now Try keep you heel as low as possible while pushing you knee foward, go slowly foward, and slowly back, do this 15-30 times/reps and then hold it in the stretch position for 90 seconds. do it 3 times a day daily.
@@YeNZeC I'll try, thanks a lot!
@@waomaye How did it go
@@hehey8596 not great, I think my case is unsolvable. When I do the heel drop my ankle just hurts and thats it. It almost feels as if I have some kind of blockage, thats preventing me from having a full range of motion
Awesome!
:)
*Knees Knees Over Toes Guy* has entered the chat 👀👀
I want this more than anything. I know what I am doing for the next month :D
How to keep your knee in line with your foot? I have a strong internal knee rotation when I go into the dorsi flexion position, a little bit more on my right side, the weaker side.
More valgus or knocked knees means you are compensating for a weakness.
Either due to ankle instability or instability
When you perform these exercises, ensure you focus on hip alignment with knee, ankle and even your upper body :)
@@mohamedorayith4626 thanks man!
i cant do a full squat with my feets close to each other.. how can i do that in 3 days
I got dented in cartilage on my left ankle but it still have dorsie. Just as good as my right. Buuut once I put my foot behind me it loses is
Hey Tom! Does it matter whether I have straight or slightly bent legs when I do the stretching? Love your videos man!
Slight bend isnt an issue :)
Hey Tom.. I think there is a mistake at the end of your video. There is no previous video to be clicked :)
Thanks for the reminder! All sorted :)
I got cramps in my ankle after this, am i doing it wrong? Btw i have never stretched before.
I have lost some of my mobility on my right ankle due to a bad sprained ankle :(
do you think I can ever get the same range of movements back ?
You can, my father sprained his ankle awfully too but he's currently still doing his road cycling and hasn't struggled with it for years :)
This helps with doing squats? coz that’s where my ankles tend to tighten up and my upper body leans foward
Sale C yes
When will i begin seeing results?
Hey Tom! Can you do a bodyweight squat progression video? Kind of ties in with this video too.
Calisthenics movements have a great video on the perfect squat :)
Hey Tom, I tried the dosiflexion 50 pumps exercise, I feel more pressure on my thigh than on my ankle, am I doing it right?
They might be tight aswell, there are stretch exercices for them aswell
Anyone here successfully fixed the tight ankle? I have been doing it for a one week… not much improvement
What is a tight spot?
Wushu Shoes !! Jiayoo
Would it be helpful to sit down on the floor, with legs outstretched (the "sit-up" position), and then bend the feet in the dorsiflexion position, and then gently bend forward to increase the stretch as much as possible?
Not entirely sure what you mean here :)
I am saying-- if a person was to touch their toes (in an old fashioned sit-up position) with their feet flexed, it would be less demanding then if they were to try to touch their toes with their feet dorsiflexed. Try it both ways and see the difference. So, I'm thinking if one were to sit down and touch the toes with feet dorsilflexed as much as possible, one could increase the stretch by leaning forward with a straight back, trying to touch chest to the knees.
Seems a little odd but I guess it could work. Give it a try and find out :)
How Many Sets Are Required??
Fuck yeah!!..thank you!