Hey guys, I just found T-Nation last week. This is my first post. I am 38 years old with a wife and 3 kids. I started lifting again last fall. I am liking all of the things that I am hearing regarding compound lifts. My question to you all is how do I improve mobility in my ankles and hips so I can go “deeper” when performing squats. I might not even be going parralel. If anyone can give me some ideas to help with this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome mudpro69, unless you have suffered an injury that has caused your immobility I would suggest stretching. Calf stretches for the ankles and hamstring and quad stretches for the legs.
Here are some stretching tips, do not force, relaxed muscles stretch quicker than tight muscles. So try and relax the muscles you are stretching. It takes time like everything else. Warm up the muscles before you stretch to prevent pulling muscles.
Don’t be in a hurry, you can still lift while you work on your flexibility. Always remember we don’t heal as fast as we used to. Good luck!
Try this:
Also take note of the link to the Squat Rx Video Playlist on the right.
Stu
You may find helpful the following article:
The Third-World Squat, by Craig Weller,
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1856085
and the corresponding discussion:
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1856131&pageNo=0
Good luck with your training.
Howdy and welcome.
I would really consider getting hold of Mike Robertsons Magnificent Mobility and Inside Out DVDs. They are great for doing mobility work and warmups prior to training.
Also, check these articles out.
Harcore Stretching I
http://www.T-Nation.com/article/performance_training/hardcore_stretching_part_i&cr=
Harcore Stretching II
http://www.T-Nation.com/article/performance_training/hardcore_stretching_part_ii&cr=
Some good videos here
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1652321
The asian squat video is brilliant.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6529481301858251744&q=fitcast&ei=mG12SOn6FJGIrQKwtdWlDQ
This helped me alot. Its Dan John giving a seminar on squatting deep.
You can also improve your squat depth by simply attempting to squat deeper. With frequent practice your flexibility improves. We’re not talking max weights here, mind you, just enough to get you down where you want to be.