What you need to do for a Pain Free Deep squat: Part 1 of 4

Did you know that it is in our human design to be able to squat? And I mean DEEP SQUAT- butt all the way down. The deep squat was our functional position for rest and work before the modernization and creation of the CHAIR. The deep squat was our CHAIR!

Nowadays- so many people can not squat. Either from back pain, knee pain or hip pain. And the old lie of “knees shouldn’t go over toes” to avoid injury has stopped many people from squatting past 90 degrees and into their truest deepest squat.

I am here to share with you my squat training secrets with you. 

Training from the ground up. We go from the feet, to the ankles, knees, hip and eventually low back. Sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it. Once you get all your parts moving well - you can literally do almost anything.

You can have all the strength in the world, but if your ankles are tight and can not bend your knee past your toes - squats will ALWAYS feel restricted. This restriction will make you compensate into your knees and hips. It can be a collapse in the knees in, or having to squat with hip turned out more than necessary, or having to drop your chest down quickly as you squat.

While theses aren't independently BAD compensations - they can lead to more pain in the joint somewhere along the chain of the leg or into the back.

Allowing your joints the ability to move in full range will continue to build them up as you get older. And I am all for joint longevity. As a Physical Therapist, I have treatment many people with joint replacements, and I will do everything in my power to avoid that route. You too??

Where do we Start?

The ankle.

Below is a video to educate you about your joints, and teach you ways to improve your ankle mobility. You will need a moderate thera-band if you want to try a self mobilization trick!

What’s in the video:

Self Assess: Squat with neutral hip position and heel lift

1st Movement:

Ankle PAILs/ RAILs into Dorsi/plantar flexion.

Split kneel ankle stretch with 10 second toes press and 10 second toes lift off- at 80-90% effort- for at least 5 rounds. Gradually deepening into muscle tissue lengthening.

2nd Movement:

Self joint mobilization of the ankle. Especially for those that feel discomfort at the front of your ankle.

Using medium to heavy resistance band to translate the talus (ankle bone) posteriorly to mechanically improve the joint to bend further. Pull band back while driving knee forward 5-10 times within a comfortable range. It should feel like a deeper internal stretch within the joint- and avoid any sharp discomfort.

Practice this today and become more mindful of how much of your ankle mobility you are using in the day.

Stick around as I release part 2 -4 in following blogs.

xx-Christa Ordonez, PT, DPT

Your PT and Pilates Bestie

ps- This video is apart of my 5 day squat training- and truly a gem.

If you want the whole 5 days series NOW, you can get it from my Free Resources- snag it here!