01/02/2026
3 Drills to help unlock your squat!
If you have goals to go to the gym and stay healthy in 2026, odds are you’re going to be doing a lot of squats.
And if you can’t drop it like it’s hot, you’ll be in pain and won’t make any gains.
Why you can’t squat?
Many people have difficulty, squatting low, and most of the time the ankles are to blame.
When your ankles are tight, it messes up the whole squat.
You feel off-balance, you feel weak, and you might even feel pain in the front of the ankles.
How to fix tight ankles?
Here are three of my favorite fixes to address tight ankles:
1) Heel Wedges
Heel wedges are the easiest fix because it decreases the amount of motion in the ankle.
This allows, the knees and hips to bend fully analyze your torso to stay upright.
Heel wedges are cheap and can easily be DIY’ed.
2) Ankle Mobilizations
Ankle mobilizations improve the motion of the ankle. These are best done before your squats and are an excellent long-term solution to tight ankles.
These can be done on their own with the band, but if you have difficulty with getting enough force, you can always work with a therapist.
3) Move the weight in front
Front squats and goblet squats are excellent exercises for people with tight ankles that don’t want to skip leg day.
By moving the weight in front of the body, this counterbalances the tightness in the ankles and prevents you from falling backwards.
