I have just started doing weighted squats at gym after having a program review at the start of the week. I've been doing unweighted squats in a class since the start of the year, once or twice a week.
I have been told quite a few times by different trainers to "Sit up more" when I am at the bottom of a squat. I always try to squat as low as I can, below parallel. But my form ends up poor, because I end up bending at the hip and lowering my chest when I get to the bottom, although I keep my back set. If I don't do this I feel like I'm going to fall over backwards.
This week I've tried to think more about why. It's actually my ankles. I discussed it with my trainer today. Once I get to a certain point while lowering into the squat, my ankles just say "I'm not going any further". Because my knees then can't go further forward, I think my butt ends up further back than it would be, and it's either stop squatting down, or lower my chest, or fall over backwards.
Can anyone give me any suggestions on stretching or exercises that can improve the flexibility of my ankles? I asked my trainer how I can improve the flexibility and he said by stretching and I said "How? My calves?" and he didn't really seem to know. He told me just to do partial squats and it should gradually improve. He said I could thank my parents for it.
I'm wondering if my ankle flexibility has actually been decreased by what I've been doing at gym, for example warm-up skipping three sets of two minutes, once or twice a week, or maybe my running style on the treadmill...I don't know. Since my new program I am walking for cardio on a bit of an incline instead.
I do stretch my calves every day I go to gym.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Ankle flexibility affecting squats
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