It’s leg day and you can’t wait to hit squats. But when you get up to the barbell and begin your warm-up set, you can’t squat down very far. Your ankles feel stiff, preventing you from going down all the way and hitting your normal full range of motion. (Oof.) It may be time to introduce some ankle mobility exercises into your routine.
“Ankle mobility is the ability to move your joints properly, not stiffly, and to have full range of motion,” says certified personal trainer Ari Cobb, CPT. This means you’re able to rotate your ankles in a circular motion, and flex and extend them fully, adds Ashley Nicole, CPT, a certified personal trainer.
Meet the experts:Ari Cobb, CPT, is a trainer and MMA athlete based in Houston, Texas. Ashley Nicole, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and the founder and coach behind RA Warrior Fitness.
Having mobile ankles is important because you use your ankles for nearly every type of movement, from running, to walking, to lifting. So, being immobile in the ankles “can limit you from getting the most out of your exercise,” Cobb notes. For instance, if you can’t squat down all the way because of your ankles, your quad muscles won’t work as hard as they could be. Ankle immobility can also interfere with your ability to do daily functional movements, like balancing on your tip-toes to grab a book off of the top of your bookshelf.
So, motivated to get your ankles in tip-top shape? Ahead, read up on the importance of ankle mobility exercises and the best ones to add into your routine.
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12 Best Ankle Mobility Exercises
Time: 10-17 minutes | Equipment: resistance band
Instructions: Before and after workouts, do ankle mobility exercises between three to five times per week. During your warm-up, do two to three dynamic (moving) exercises (like the Elevated Dorsiflexion Stretch, Banded Ankle Dorsiflexion, and Toe Walks) to improve your range of motion, and during the cool-down, do one to two static (still) mobility or soft tissue drills (like Foam Rolling Calves and Seated Ankle Stretch).
If you’ve previously had ankle injuries like sprains or fractures, or your muscles are weak or underactive, Cobb recommends dedicating 10-15 minutes of ankle mobility work into your routine three to five times a week.
1. Banded Ankle Dorsiflexion
How to:
Attach a resistance band around a sturdy object, like a pole.
Loop the other end of the band around your ankle and step back to create tension.
While standing, flex the ankle forward, then return to start. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 12 reps per ankle.
2. Toe Walks
How to:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and rise up on the balls of the feet.
Take a step forward.
Complete 2 sets of 20 steps in each direction.
3. Heel Walks
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width apart and put your weight into your heels.
Take one step forward.
Complete 2 sets of 20 steps in each direction.
4. Ankle Circles
How to:
Sit with back straight and one foot lifted off the floor.
Rotate ankle in a circular motion. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps per foot, then reverse the direction and perform another 3 sets of 10 reps per foot.
5. Standing Dynamic Calf Stretch
How to:
Stand facing a wall with hands against the wall.
Place one foot back into a lunge position, keeping the back heel down.
Gently bend the knee to stretch the calf and ankle. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
6. Elevated Dorsiflexion Stretch (Step Rockers)
How to:
Place toes on an elevated surface, like a weight plate, with leg straight.
Rock front knee forward while keeping heel down to stretch the calf. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps per side.
7. Seated Ankle Stretch
How to:
Sit on the edge of a chair with one leg bent so the top of the ankle is touching the ground and the toes are pointing back.
Gently press ankles down to stretch the front of the ankle for 30 to 60 seconds per foot.
Complete 2-3 sets per side.
8. Foam Rolling Calves And Achilles
How to:
Sit on the floor with a foam roller under calf.
Roll up and down the calf for 30 to 60 seconds until you reach achilles, pausing on tight spots.
Complete 2 sets per side.
9. Tibialis Raises
How to:
Stand with back against a wall, feet about a foot from the wall.
Lift your toes up toward shins, keeping heels on the floor. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 15 reps.
10. Resisted Ankle Plantar Flexion
How to:
Sit with legs extended and wrap a resistance band around one foot.
Point toes forward against the resistance, then return to start. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 3 sets of 12 reps per foot.
11. Standing Soleus Stretch
How to:
Do a standing lunge, bending the back knee, keeping the heel down.
Hold the calf stretch for 30-45 seconds.
Complete 2-3 sets on each side.
12. Single-Leg Balance with Ankle Control
How to:
Stand on one leg.
Shift weight slightly forward and back to engage the ankle stabilizers for 20 seconds.
Complete 3 sets on each side.
Why You Should Add Ankle Mobility Exercises To Your Routine
Help You Stay Stronger For Longer
Later in life, “we start losing muscle mass and tendons can start to become inflamed” due to aging, says Cobb. Plus, women reach peak bone mass around age 30, and are prone to developing osteoporosis as they age. Ankle mobility exercises can help you hit your full range of motion while working out—and stay pain-free while doing so. This ability will help you gain (and keep) more muscle mass and strengthen and preserve your bones throughout your life, which is key for moving well and staying healthy for as long as possible throughout your 40s, 50s, 60s, and so on.
Prevent Injuries
Mini anatomy lesson: The kinetic chain is “your body from the ground up,” specifically the group of the feet, knees, hips, shoulders, and head, says Cobb. All of these body parts are connected and move together. So, if you have an ankle injury, it can start affecting your hips and shoulders because “your body will start to overcompensate to try and fix those imbalances,” she says. Ankle mobility exercises can help you form a good, strong foundation, which will protect your whole body.
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Make Daily Functional Movements Easier
You don’t just use your ankles for running and weight lifting—you use them every time you take a step forward, squat down to play with your child, and bend over to pick something up off the ground, Cobb says. “Incorporating more ankle mobility exercises is certainly helpful because if you don’t use it, you lose it,” Nicole says, meaning that without practice, you’ll lose the mobility in your ankles. These moves are helpful to also “have a good quality of life” and be able to move well for a long time, she adds.
Improve Workouts
Aside from strength workouts, ankle mobility exercises can also assist with plyometric workouts (box jumps, jumping rope, etc.) and running because these motions require your ankles to strike and push off of the ground in flexion and extension positions as you move.
As you run, “you’re hitting triple extension, meaning you’re extended at your hips, shoulders, and knee,” Cobb says. “So if one of those things is even slightly off, you’re not going to run as fast and you’re not going to move as well.” Going back to the kinetic chain: Your ankles and knees have to be aligned properly for the rest of your body to move better and easier. Plus, “if you have poorly mobile ankles, you’re not going to run fast,” she adds.
Addison Aloian is the associate health & fitness editor at Women’s Health, where she writes and edits across the health, weight loss, and fitness verticals. She’s also a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In her free time, you can find her lifting weights at the gym, running on the West Side Highway in New York City—she recently completed her first half-marathon—and watching (and critiquing!) the latest movies that have garnered Oscars buzz. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has also appeared in Allure, StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, VMAN, and more.
Newswise — As fitness resolutions meet reality, every late January and early February orthopaedic surgeons across the country are seeing a wave of injuries from people who started ambitious workout programs at the beginning of the year. The culprit? Doing too much, too fast and not recognizing the warning signs of a possible injury. As millions of Americans kick off the new year with fresh fitness goals, returning to the gym, starting new workouts, or increasing physical activity, orthopaedic surgeons can offer guidance on how to prevent common injuries linked to increased activity.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is making orthopaedic experts available to discuss how people can safely maintain their health and wellness resolutions without sidelining themselves with injury.
Board-certified orthopaedic surgeons can speak to:
Why “doing too much, too fast” is one of the biggest risks
How to safely start (or restart) exercise after time off
Injury prevention tips for popular resolutions like running, strength training, pickleball, and HIIT
When pain is normal soreness, and when it’s a red flag
Orthopaedic surgeons can also offer practical, evidence-based guidance for adults of all ages, from first-time exercisers to weekend gym-goers and older adults prioritizing mobility and longevity.
If you’re working on a story about fitness injuries, workout safety or sustainable health habits beyond the resolution rush, we’d be happy to connect you with an AAOS expert for an interview.
RHINELADER (WJFW) – Everyone knows exercising is good for you, but it can be intimidating to know where to start. A Rhinelander gym recently celebrated one year of motivating people of all shapes and sizes.
Resident Melissa Bayne-Allison wanted a workout space that was safe and fun, so that exercising was not something to dread but to look forward to.
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“I wanted to create a space that was fun and that was exciting and would create,” said Bayne-Allison, “it would create consistency for people and make sure that they continued to show up for themselves.”
She started Club Vybz just over a year ago out of her home in Rhinelander, but it wasn’t quite meeting her goal.
“My husband and I drove past here and there was a for rent sign in the window and I had kind of been contemplating opening a space like this,” she said, “but I just didn’t know how to get that going.”
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Despite that initial hesitancy, the new space has welcomed in many more people.
Bayne-Allison said, “people really come together, they joke around, they share things with people, you know people come in here and because this is a vulnerable position to be in, working out people do tend to share more about their lives in that and with that comes community and that’s really what this place is about.”
Club Vybz has 40 active members. Since opening, Bayne-Allison has seen how it helps people outside of the club.
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She said, “some people come in here and their confidence might be low and coming in here and accomplishing a workout that they maybe didn’t think that they could do is really rewarding for them and that is a confidence booster and it does really help them go out into the community and do more for themselves.”
There’s one more thing she wants the community to know about Club Vybz.
“The hardest part of the workout is walking through the door, just show up for yourself, if you’re scared, come in, check it out, if the green light is on and the blue door is open, I’m here.”
Club Vybz Fitness is located in Rhinelander on Courtney Street. Hours for exercise classes are posted on the Club Vybz Facebook page.
A model was left red-faced after almost nearly climaxing in her Pilates class while engaging her core.
Fitness model Sarah Lloyd is no stranger to intense training, having competed in ultramarathons and being an avid gymgoer.
The 25-year-old, who hits the gym every day without fail, normally loves working out — but during a recent group session, she “panicked” after a specific ab exercise saw her oxytocin levels rise as she fought back an orgasm.
Sarah Lloyd says she learned she can’t do a specific ab exercise in public after nearly having a “coregasm.” Jam Press/@sarahxlloyd
Lloyd was so “freaked out” by the experience that she is now too afraid to try the same exercise again.
“I found out about my magic orgasm technique by accident,” said the influencer, who has 131,000 Instagram followers.
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“I work out every day; normally, I’ll just hit the gym, but occasionally I’ll take a group class.”
It was at a group class that things started to go a bit different.
“We were doing leg raises and after doing about 10 of them, I started to feel a tingle in my body,” she said. “I thought, ‘Surely that’s not how it’s meant to feel?’
“I was sweating and could feel a similar sensation to what I’d normally experience in bed. As I noticed the climax building, I panicked and had to stop. I don’t know if my heavy breathing gave me away.
“Obviously it felt good — but not right for ab exercises in a gym!”
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“I found out about my magic orgasm technique by accident,” said the influencer, 25. Jam Press/@sarahxlloyd
Coregasms
Nicknamed “coregasms,” exercise-induced orgasms are fairly rare — but certainly not unheard of. Debby Herbenick, a sex researcher and author of “The Coregasm Workout,” estimates that roughly 10% of people have them.
“They generally feel similar to orgasms from vaginal intercourse, but they tend to be more dull, less intense and more tingly,” she told Self.
“They seem to last about the same length of time as orgasms during sex. They occur from exercises that heavily engage the core abdominal muscles.”
Exercise-induced orgasms are fairly rare — about 10% of people have them. Jam Press/@sarahxlloyd
People don’t usually have one on the “third or fourth crunch,” she said, but rather when they fatigue their core muscles.
According to Healthline, the most common exercises to cause them are crunches, leg lifts, knee lifts, hip thrusts, squats and hanging straight leg raises. Situps, weightlifting, climbing, pullups and chinups may also work for men.
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Passing on Pilates
Lloyd, from the Gold Coast, Australia, now has to avoid certain classes to ensure she doesn’t accidentally enjoy herself a little too much during a workout.
“The worst is if I’m in a Pilates class,” she said. “They’ll say to do leg raises but I just have to refuse. I can’t do them or I will literally orgasm.
“None of the instructors have questioned me on it yet and I really hope they don’t.”
Lloyd confided about what happened to a friend who was “baffled” by the confession.
“I’ve never seen her look so shocked,” she said. “My friend had never heard of anything like it and neither had I before I discovered the skill myself.
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“The worst is if I’m in a Pilates class,” said Lloyd. “They’ll say to do leg raises but I just have to refuse. I can’t do them or I will literally orgasm.” Jam Press/@sarahxlloyd
“We don’t know anyone else that can do it — or maybe they’re just too afraid to tell us.”
As for her new challenge — avoiding orgasm — Lloyd can “laugh” about what happened in the class but now carefully structures her workouts to avoid triggering the reaction.
“I’m very structured with my training now, so I know exactly what I’m doing each session. I stick to a routine that works for me and avoids any awkward situations,” she said.
“I always do cardio, followed by two leg days and one arm day. Plus, I’m really in tune with my body after years of intense training. It’s just one of those strange things that you discover about your body.
“You don’t expect surprises like that from ab exercises, but here we are. I can laugh about it now.”
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Lloyd has taken part in six ultramarathons, but she was forced to stop doing them due to a stress fracture in her back.
“I’ve always been into fitness and it is a huge passion of mine,” she said. “Ultramarathons are super hard, hilly and you have to be quite fit to handle them. A lot of them are also on trails, so that makes it harder.”
