Many movement problems occur from the ground up. Many times relearning proper movement patterns can help us get into the right potions but more often than not inflexibility may contribute to poor mechanics. Foot and calf tightness play a major role in movement/pain problems throughout the body. Address these deficiencies and find yourself with a bigger squat/overhead squat, a faster “Karen time”, better overall mechanics and less nagging injuries. Take a look at the first picture above, classic flattening on the feet in such an excessive toed out stance that it could get you admitted into clown school. As you can see this stance leads to “knocking” of the knees which will cause us to “cave in” resulting in a primarily anterior weight bearing (poor position) and difficulty to reach depth. This position pulls us forward, dis-enabling us to demonstrate our true strength while also contributing to wear and tear on the knees and the spine, especially under load.
This second picture above shows an athlete demonstrating adequate flexibility through the lower leg and proper mechanics for the squat. The athlete is able to stay on the outside of her feet, which enables her to push the knees out over the toes and keep that nice upright torso while hitting that proper depth. Efficient mechanics = better use of appropriate musculature= better wod times = bigger numbers = better knees!
Time for a mash party to loosen up the heel cords and then try these great stretches to get some new found length!
Strength
Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3
WOD
15 minute AMRAP
20 Wallballs
40 Double Unders
Level 2 (15 Wallballs, 20 double unders)
Level 1 (15 wallballs, 10 attempts)