Unlock Your Ankle Mobility
Flexibility for Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion
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nkle mobility is essential for squatting, getting up and down from the floor, and
especially for your walking and running gait. If you lack ankle mobility, your poor
foundational alignment often moves upstream to your knees, hips, and even your
lower back.
Tight ankles are caused by our sedentary lives, and from decades wearing restrictive,
elevated-heel shoes that create muscle imbalances. Like most joints, ankle mobility is mostly
affected by the muscles that articulate the joint, in this case the 11 muscles of your lower leg.
Like all muscles, your lower leg muscles can be stretched, but they require intensity and
patience to change.
The exercises in this guide will activate muscles in your lower leg to help increase
range of motion in your ankles. Remember, your feet and ankles form the foundations of your
body’s posture, so take a measured and consistent approach to training – don’t rush.
SAFETY DISCLAIMER – always practice deep stretches like these after, never before, other
forms of training. If you have a serious ankle injury, please see a doctor before starting any
self-care routine. This guide is for educational purposes only.
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Lower Leg Muscle Activation
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Stand facing of a high stool/chair or countertop and place a block between your thighs
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Bend your right knee over your big toe, so your ankle goes into dorsiflexion and use
the stool/countertop for balance if needed
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Take your back foot behind you into plantar flexion – the top of your foot touches the
floor
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Lift up onto the ball of your right foot, drive the weight through your big toe, and
squeeze the block between your legs
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Steeple your hands at your heart and use your stool for support as needed
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Balance for 1 minute
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Runner’s Lunge
This pose is split into two parts. First, you’ll stretch with a straight leg to target your
gastrocnemius, then you’ll switch to a bent leg to target your soleus.
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Stand facing a stool, step your right foot forward and your left foot back behind you
in a pyramid stance, both legs straight
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Keep your back leg straight, driving the weight into your heel
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Bend your front leg a little and hold for one minute, breathing in through your nose to
the count of four and out through your mouth to the count of eight
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If your back foot has turned to the outside, straighten it to face forward
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Your back leg is doing the work here, so if it’s more comfortable to drop down onto
your elbows or to come up onto the ball of your front foot, that’s fine
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For the second minute, bend your back knee
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Aim for at least 7 out of 10 intensity
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Relax, shake out your legs, switch sides
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Lightning Bolt Pose
Your objective here is to relax and stretch the muscles along the front side of your lower leg.
As an added benefit, you’ll also stretch your quadriceps muscles too.
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Sit on the floor with your knees together and feet apart
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Use a block(s) under your bum as needed
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Inhale through your nose for 1-2-3-4, exhale through your mouth for 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
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Hold for 2 minutes
Tip: you could practice this pose on top of a bed, mattress, or a soft carpet to ease the
pressure on your ankles.
©YOGABODY LLC
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