Squat Mobility Exercises

Wakes up the smallest stabilisers of the ankle joint — the bits that quietly carry every step you take.

Good first thing in the morning, or any time before a run after a long sit.

Move slowly and try to find the edges of the circle — most people make tiny lazy circles. The point is to find the corners.

The foot should move, not the whole shin. Keep the lower leg quiet.

If the ankle clicks or crackles, that's normal as long as it doesn't hurt.

• Easierdo them seated and reduce circle size.
• Harderdo them standing on one leg as a balance challenge, or draw the alphabet with the toes instead.

Builds ankle dorsiflexion, a range that affects squats, landings and stride mechanics.

Two quiet minutes can help you understand and improve your current ankle range.

The mobility comes from the ankle — the front knee should travel forward while the heel stays planted.

If the heel lifts before the knee touches the wall, you've found your ankle's current limit. Move the foot closer until the heel stays down.

The stretch should be felt in the front of the ankle and the calf. If only the calf is talking, the foot is too far from the wall.

• Easierstart with the foot closer to the wall. Reduce reps if the ankle fatigues.
• Hardermove the foot further from the wall over time. Add a small pause at the end range.

A deep frontal-plane drill that hits adductors, ankle mobility and hip range all at once.

Useful for runners, climbers, lifters — anyone whose default plane of motion is straight ahead.

Heel of the bent leg stays planted. If it lifts, you've reached your ankle mobility limit — that's the depth to work from.

The straight-leg side should feel a stretch through the inner thigh. Foot can rotate so the toes point up if needed.

Chest stays tall. Hinge at the hip rather than rounding forward.

• Easierhold a doorframe or kettlebell as a counterbalance and don't go as deep. Stop above any heel lift.
• Harderhold a light weight at the chest, slow the tempo, or pause at the bottom of each side.

The single best stretch for chronic hip flexor tightness from sitting and running.

Daily, two minutes total, and most desk-bound humans would feel a difference within a week.

The squeeze of the back glute is the whole exercise. Without it, you're just resting in a lunge — with it, the hip flexor lengthens honestly.

The stretch should sit deep in the front of the hip, not in the lower back. If the lower back is talking, you've stopped squeezing the glute.

Don't lunge too far forward. A small shift is enough once the pelvis is tucked.

• Easierpad the back knee with a folded towel. Reduce the forward shift to where you can hold the glute squeeze.
• Harderreach the same-side arm overhead and lean slightly away, or progress to the Couch Stretch.

Earns its name. Hits hips, groin, hamstrings, t-spine and shoulders in one flowing rep.

A two-minute warm-up for a full body session, or your single non-negotiable mobility piece on a busy day.

Three movements layered: hip flexor stretch on the back leg, adductor opening on the front leg, thoracic rotation through the chest. Hit them in order.

The rotation should come from the upper back. Eyes follow the hand to the ceiling — that pulls the rotation up where it belongs.

Back knee off the floor and back leg long throughout. If your back hip is sagging, the back leg is too bent.

• Easierdrop the back knee down for support and skip the rotation. Just hold the lunge for a breath instead.
• Harderadd a hamstring sweep, straightening the front leg between the hand-down and rotation phases.

Opens the hips, ankles and t-spine simultaneously while loading the squat pattern — the cleanest squat mobility drill on the list.

A few minutes at the bottom is worth more than a hundred half-range squats.

The weight at the chest acts as a counterbalance, letting you sit deeper than you could without it.

The stretch should be felt in the hips, groin, ankles and t-spine — a whole-lower-body opener.

Keep the spine tall. If the back is rounding heavily, reduce the depth or hold a lighter weight.

• Easieruse a lighter weight or skip the weight and just squat to a chair. Hold a doorframe for support.
• Hardersit deeper, hold longer, or add small rocks side to side at the bottom.

Mobilises the upper back rotation and opens the back of the shoulder — two ranges that disappear under desk work.

Quick, low-intensity and useful any time of day.

The stretch sits between the shoulder blades and across the back of the shoulder — both should feel it.

Hips stay high. If they sink toward the heels, you've turned this into a child's pose with extras and lost the thoracic rotation.

Breathe into the upper back. Each exhale, see if the shoulder will settle a little closer to the floor.

• Easierplace a folded blanket or pillow under the shoulder and cheek for support. Shorten the reach.
• Harderreach the top arm up toward the ceiling, then thread it through, adding active rotation on each rep.