Day 2: Squat Mobility and Prep

Need more hip and low back mobility? Start with Day 1 of our Hip/Low Back Mobility Program for free:

Welcome to Day 2 of the 30 Days of Warm Ups and Movement Prep.

Today we will be working on squatting mobility and prep.

If you haven't already, download our 30 Day Challenge Guide.

The 30 Warm Ups and Routines in this guide are meant to be used before or after a training session.

Each day was originally designed to be done for 30 minutes, however, with much testing and feedback, 15 minutes is now recommended.

These sequences are designed to be done for the allotted time (15 minutes) working through the reps at a low to moderate pace.

Today is day 2 of the challenge and we begin with shoulder and hip mobility and prep.

Movements

• Tissue Prep Shin; 30" per side
• Ankle Joint Mobilization; 20 reps per side
• Straight Leg Raise; 15 per side
• Goblet Squat Hold; 60"

Tissue Prep Shin

Roll out the front, outside, meaty part of your shin. You can use a foam roller, a stick, etc. to do this. The muscle here, the tibialis anterior, can be a limitation to ankle range of motion when it is overactive.

We want to decrease the tone of this muscle to allow the ankle to move more easily. We are NOT trying to “break apart” the shin muscle or tissue in this application. We are trying to get the tone of the muscle to decrease. This requires much less pressure. Do this lightly and with ease.

Ankle Joint Mobilization

This popular ankle mobilization is very useful. Use whatever band you have available. Make sure that you put the band over the tongue of the shoe and not higher. If you put it too high, you are missing the joint that you are trying to mobilize.

Straight Leg Raise

Lie next to a squat rack or pull up rig and put one leg up on the pole with the knee straight. Be as close to the pole as is comfortable. Keep the toes pulled up toward the shins on both legs as you go through this movement.

Goblet Squat Hold

Use a moderately light kettlebell for this hold. Make sure you hold the goblet squat in a good squat position. Don’t let your upper or lower back round forward. You may have to sacrifice depth to maintain neutral spinal positioning and that is ok. If you mobilize a squat in a less than ideal position, it won’t translate into an ideal position. If you are unsure if your back is neutral, revisit day l’s lateral lunge using the 3 points of contact on the dowel.