Name: Playbook - TrickStrong RX - Ankle: Phase 3 RXHAB (2-3x/wk)
Uploaded: 2024-04-17T06:19:28.431Z
Duration: 60 min
Description: Ankle: Phase 3 RXHAB (2-3x/wk)

Welcome to Ankle RXHAB Phase 3 💪

It may be weeks until you can do every exercise in this workout. That is OK! Watch the intro video for tips and take your time with everything. You are building strong foundation 🦶

The goal of our phase 3 intro video is to let you know how best to use this program as well as how to avoid common pitfalls.

In the intro video, we go over how to progress into phase 3 safely and effectively. We will be introducing more advanced strengthening and stability drills, as well as high-intensity plyometrics to get you past your previous 100%. 

Phase 3 Tips
•	Our pain and swelling should be under control by this point. If not, scale it back a phase for a couple weeks. Sometimes it’s the combination of everything, or capacity, that the ankle simply does not have yet. It takes time to make adaptations. 
•	Pain levels: 3/10 or under always
•	24 hour rule: nothing should hurt more than your baseline 24 hrs ago
•	Balanced Transition: Use a blend of 50% Phase 2 (P2) and 50% Phase 3 (P3) exercises during the initial 1-2 sessions.
•	Do this phase for at least 4 weeks to reap the benefits.
•	The recommended dosage will depend on your capacity and goals, but I recommend an average of 3 sessions a week, 2 if you're finding it hard to recover. Due to the increased intensity, I would recommend against 4 full days/week, and instead just performing the warmup on an addition off day if needed. 
•	On days off, walk, bike, hike and otherwise workout whatever you can do pain free (even lower body training).


Let's get it 🦶

We are using foam rolling to encourage circulation and lymphatic drainage from the extremities back towards the center. This helps to speed up the recovery process.

If you have access to compression boots and arm attachments, this can do the same thing. 

It depends on how long you have and the resources available to you. The aim is to gloss over the large muscle groups and improve drainage, not murder each knot you find.

Try to relax into this by using deep breathing. Spend as much time as you have, but aim for a minimum of 3-5 minutes.

Below are foam rolling techniques you can use during this time. Aim for the big muscle groups for the biggest effect.

Foam Rolling: Calves

Foam Rolling: Anterior Tibialis

Foam Rolling: Hamstrings

Foam Rolling: Quads

Foam Rolling: Glutes

This is an amazing self-massage technique to improve foot and ankle mobility and soft-tissue quality.

We are often tight, restricted and have poor blood flow in our feet due to constricting foot wear. Most shoes don't allow for natural foot movement. This fits perfectly before and after getting out of shoes. 

You'll likely feel improved ankle mobility after this technique as the tight muscles and fascia on the bottom of our feet become unrestricted. Be sure to get all the edges of your foot and to allow your foot to "melt" around the ball.

Foot Rolling

Optional: Lower Body Foam Rolling (3-5 minutes)

Moving each joint of the lower body through it's full range of motion can do wonders for maintaining and improving your mobility during recovery. 
Watch our CARs Tutorials in the Mobility RX section for a full list of benefits.

CARS stands for Controlled Articular Rotations. This refers to actively creating mobility within our joints. 

The hip is a ball and socket joint. We really want to move it in a 3 dimensional way, rather than stretching only in linear planes. 

The easiest way for you visual learners is to probably follow along and feel free to replay this video to understand the motions involved here. 

Steps: 

1.	Hip Flexion – Knee towards chest

2.	Hip abduction – hip out to the side

3.	Hip Internal Rotation – Turn hip inwards (ankle faces outwards)

4.	Hip Extension – Bring hip behind you, while maintaining hip internal rotation from Step 3 until you tap your knee on the ground

5.	Hip Extension – Bring hip back up behind you

6.	Hip External Rotation/Abduction – Turn hip outwards (ankle facing inwards) while keeping it as high as you can

7.	Return to starting position

Hip CARs - Quadruped

Be sure to watch our follow-along CARs tutorials in ‘Mobility RX’ for an in-depth explanation on how to perform Knee CARs. 

This is a clip from the tutorial that explains how to perform the seated knee CAR.

These are best done daily to maintain and improve joint health.

Seated Knee CARs

Be sure to watch our follow-along CARs tutorials in ‘Mobility RX’ for a in-depth explanation on how to perform ankle CARs. These are best done daily to maintain and improve joint health. 

Here's how to do it.

[Step 1: Starting Position]
Start by standing up straight with your feet hip-width apart. Place your hands on something stable like a chair or wall for balance. Stand tall and engage your core as if you are about to lift something heavy.

[Step 2: Ankle Dorsiflexion (DF)]
First, maximally pull the toes of your foot up towards your shin, this is called dorsiflexion. 

[Step 3: Ankle DF + Eversion (EV)]
From a dorsiflexed position, initiate the rotation by turning your foot outward, making sure the rotation is coming from your ankle and not from your hip or knee.

[Step 4: Ankle Plantarflexion (PF) + EV]
Point your toes maximally while maintaining a turned out, or everted ankle. 

[Step 5: Ankle PF + Inversion (INV)]
While continuing to point your toes, move from a turned out, or everted foot position to an inverted, or turned in foot position. Maintain control throughout all motion. 

[Step 6: Ankle DF + INV]
Complete the circle by bringing your toes up towards your shin again, this time with the foot inward. Again, ensure the movement is happening at the ankle joint. Imagine drawing a big circle with your toes, encompassing all the directions of ankle movement.

[Step 7: Repeat & Switch]
Do 2-3 slow and deliberate rotations in each direction. Focus on moving through your full range of motion without any pain. Once you’ve done both sides, switch directions. 

The goal is to move through your full range but without any pain. If you feel any discomfort, reduce the ROM. Quality over quantity. With time & practice, your ankle mobility will improve.

Ankle CARs

Be sure to watch our follow-along CARs tutorials in ‘Mobility RX’ for a in-depth explanation on how to perform ankle CARs. These are best done daily to maintain and improve joint health. 

These are not technically CARs, but rather foot control exercises that will provide similar benefits to traditional CARs. There are 5 levels shown here. Attempt all levels to the best of your ability, provided that they are pain-free. 

Level 1: Raising all toes

Level 2: Raising last 4 toes only

Level 3: Raising big toe only

Level 4: From raised position, lowering big toe

Level 5: From raised position, lowering last 4 toes

The goal is to move through your full range but without any pain. If you feel any discomfort, reduce the ROM. Quality over quantity. With time & practice, your foot mobility will improve.

Foot "CARs"

Lower Body CARs Warmup - 5 reps each

This sequence is a mobility + stability warmup for the lower leg region. 

With mobility, we train our body to get into and control ranges of motion related to our activity. 
With stability, we prepare the body to stabilize our joints during activity in order to prevent injury and improve performance.

This exercise has excellent for functional carryover to athletics as we are often pushing off on one leg from various angles. Perform both sides.

This is great for injury prevention because it begins to mimic controlling landings and decelerating from cuts and pivots. 

Notice the angle of the body. This stresses full ROM and mimics takeoff angles. The same can be done with a slant board or step. 

Research shows eccentric exercises (slow & controlled lowering phase) are extremely beneficial for tendon issues. This can be a great exercise for those with achilles tendon pain provided it is progressed appropriately.

Modifications: slant board, off of a step, weighted, double leg

Single Leg Calf Raise, Wall

This exercise has excellent for functional carryover to athletics as we are often pushing off on one leg from various angles. Perform both sides.

This is great for injury prevention because it begins to mimic controlling landings and decelerating from cuts and pivots. 

Notice the angle of the body. This stresses full ROM and mimics takeoff angles. The same can be done with a slant board or step. By performing this with a bent leg, we stress the soleus muscle of the calf.

Research shows eccentric exercises (slow & controlled lowering phase) are extremely beneficial for tendon issues. This can be a great exercise for those with achilles tendon pain provided it is progressed appropriately.

Modifications: slant board, off of a step, weighted, double leg

Single Leg Soleus Raise, Wall

This exercise has excellent for functional carryover to athletics as we are often pushing off on one leg from various angles. This is a great one to improve triple extension (hip, knee and ankle) mechanics which we often use in jumping and running. Perform both sides.

This is great for injury prevention because it mimics controlling landings and decelerating from cuts and pivots. 

Notice the angle of the body. This stresses full ROM and mimics takeoff angles. The same can be done with a slant board or step. 

Research shows eccentric exercises (slow & controlled lowering phase) are extremely beneficial for tendon issues. This can be a great exercise for those with achilles tendon pain provided it is progressed appropriately.

Modifications: slant board, off of a step, weighted, double leg

Triple Extension Raise, Single Leg

The anterior tibialis muscle is important for foot and ankle stability. It has a massive role in decelerating us so we can convert our momentum from a horizontal run to a jump. We do this a lot in tricking during pivots. 

When contacting heel first, the anterior tibialis must slow the foot down so it can hit the floor with control. If its weak, we have "no brakes" and tend to get excess stress on the knees and hips to control that momentum.

For this exercise, try to raise your toes as high as possible and actively squeeze your shin muscles while walking. You should feel these muscles working towards the end of your set.

Heel Walking

Primer A: Lower Leg Circuit - 1x 10

Hops are amazing for building leg strength, stability and explosiveness. Perform both sides

The goal is to land centered over your foot with good landing mechanics. Absorb landing by compressing and springing through the hip, knee and ankle with core tension. 

With this single leg variation, it is even more important (and difficult) to maintain proper alignment. If you find yourself landing with poor form, reduce the side hop height or distance until you're in control.

This helps solidify good landing technique and deceleration ability. This is critical for improving performance and longevity.

Modifications: Double leg, less/more distance, less/more height

Primer B: SL Side Hops

The skier and it’s variations are amazing for building single leg strength, stability, explosiveness and change of direction ability in a safer, controlled environment.

Skiers are a valuable exercise in preparing us to cut, pivot, take off and land in a 3 dimensional way as we often do in tricking and other athletics.

Distance Skiers: For distance skiers, we are simply trying to cover as much lateral distance as possible in each rep while still maintaining form control. We want to rebound in each skier jump. Think "load and explode", using your arms, trunk and legs in sequence to push off of the ground effectively.

Weighted Skiers: Use a light weight to up the demands of a skier while still being able to be explosive. I am holding 10 lbs here. 

Hop Down Skiers: This variation enhances our agility and coordination in addition to building single leg power in multiple planes of motion.

Skier Progression (Advanced)

This is an advanced progression for vertical jumps. 

Progression 1: Vertical Jumps are amazing for building leg strength, stability and explosiveness. The goal is to jump straight up as if reaching for a basketball hoop. Getting extension through your hips, knees & ankles (triple extension) as well as your arms (shoulder flexion) helps to maximize height and control. Land in an athletic position as shown with good landing mechanics: 

Land by bending at the hips, knees and ankles with core tensioned to absorb impact.

Stick landing for 3 seconds before standing. This solidifies good landing technique and deceleration ability. 

Progression 2: Alternating split jumps are excellent for improving leg strength, power and coordination. 

Alt. split jumps teach us how to properly land in a deep knee bend position, which is useful in improving capacity when landing from height or upon finishing a sequence of jumps (as in a combo). The single leg bias further addresses this goal.  Play with your weight distribution, using the front leg for power and back leg for balance. Use your upper body in sequence for rhythm, balance and power. 

Depth should be determined by your form. Go as low as possible with great form to improve strength and stability in your full ROM.

Progression 3: SL Jumps

The goal is to perform a vertical jump from one leg and land centered over your foot.

Absorb landing by bending at the hip, knee and ankle with core braced. With this single leg variation, it is even more important (and difficult) to keep the trunk level.

Stick landing for 3 seconds before standing. This solidifies good landing technique and deceleration ability.

Vertical Jump Progression (Adv.)

Jumps for distance are amazing for building leg strength, stability and explosiveness in a forward plane. We need to control and utilize these forces often, especially when pivoting or translating our forward momentum into a vertical leap (blocking).

Progression 1: For the broad jump, jump as far as possible using two legs. The goal is distance, not height. Prep by performing a quick squat with a swinging arm motion. Extend through your hips, knees and ankles as you explosively swing your arms back in front you. 

Progression 2: For the single leg broad jump, jump as far as possible using one leg. The other leg can be used for additional momentum. Land on one or two legs depending on level. 

Progression 3: Crossover Triple Hop 

1) Put a piece of tape about 6 inches thick down on the floor. Spring floor tape is about 4 inches and works well if you jump over the line.

2) Perform 3 hops in succession crossing over the line each jump as shown. 

3) Stick the landing for 2-3 seconds before rising on one leg.

Our goal here is horizontal translation, so try to keep your height low and distance long. Keep eyes, trunk, hip, knees and ankles ahead and stress good triple extension mechanics (hips, knees and ankles) to get the most out of this exercise.

Practice to even out imbalances between sides. 

Progression 4: SL High Lows

 1) Perform a single leg hop for distance. You can and should use your arms and swing leg to generate more force. As soon as you land on that same leg, immediately perform a single leg vertical jump with focus on going straight up (versus out or to the side). Remember, the floor is "hot lava".

3) Stick the landing for 2-3 sec before rising on one leg.

Our goal here is a horizontal translation to a vertical jump, so try to keep your height low and long on the first jump, and then explode to a high single leg jump. Keep eyes, trunk, hip, knees and ankles ahead and stress good triple extension mechanics (hips, knees and ankles).

Distance Jump Progression

Depth Jumps are an advanced plyometric exercise that requires a lot of strength and stability to do safely. You need a box or sturdy surface (i.e. stairs) of about 6-18 inches to start. The goal is to step off and rebound from the ground as quickly as possible, thinking of the floor as “hot lava”. 

This drill trains our reactive balance, explosiveness, agility and adaptability. This is important in developing change of direction ability and in cleaning up our takeoff and landing mechanics.

Stick landing for 3 seconds before standing. This solidifies good landing technique and deceleration ability.

Once this is comfortable, go through the progressions as shown. The hurdle could be a physical object or just an imaginary line. The point is that we are using the depth jump to rebound higher. 

Lastly, progress by doing this on a single leg. Start low and progress. If you are getting less height from your jump than you could standing, lower the box height.

Depth Jump Progression

Shuttle Runs is an awesome exercise to work on explosiveness and change of direction ability. 

With available space, run or sprint to each cone twice per rep. Note that the cutting leg is different each time. We also tap the cone with the hand closest to the cone

Start slow to feel the drill out before going 100%. Ramp up in intensity slowly, reaching your maximum pain-free sprint speed over the course of several workouts.


Modifications: Imaginary (no cones), slower or faster speeds, different routes or formations

Shuttle Runs

Wall Ball Agility is an awesome drill to work on explosiveness, change of direction ability and coordination. 

To perform this, throw a tennis ball against the wall and catch it off of the bounce. Start slow to feel the drill out before going all out. Challenge yourself by making difficult passes. To make it even more challenging, use floor bounces to make the ball bounce from the wall less predictable. 

Try to get as many successful tosses in as possible within the time frame. If this gets easy, bump up the time to 45-60 sec or find a friend to throw for you. 

Modifications: Imaginary (no cones), slower or faster speeds, different routes or formations

Wall Ball Agility

The Bulgarian split squat is an excellent exercise for improving single leg strength, power and control. The raised (heel elevated) variation adds tons of difficulty at the foot and ankle. 

Think of this exercise as a single leg squat variation. 90% of your weight should be placed on the front leg. 

Depth should be determined by your form. Go as low as possible (with great form) to improve strength and stability in your full ROM.

For the back leg, a few stacked plates or a step/stair is an appropriate height for most people.

Bulgarian Split Squat Progression

The calf raise is an essential exercise for lower leg, foot and ankle strength and mobility. This exercise has excellent for functional carryover to athletics and life as we are often pushing off on one leg from various angles (ex. walking, stairs, jumping, running, etc.) 

This is great for injury prevention and recovery because it helps us to build resilience for controlling landings and decelerating from cuts and pivots. 

Research shows eccentric exercises are extremely beneficial for tendon issues. This can be a great exercise for those with Achilles tendon pain provided it is progressed appropriately.

SL Calf Raise Progression (Adv.)

The anterior tibialis muscle is important for foot and ankle stability. It has a massive role in decelerating us so we can convert our momentum from a horizontal run to a jump. We do this a lot in tricking during pivots. 

When contacting heel first, the anterior tibialis must slow the foot down so it can hit the floor with control. If its weak, we have "no brakes" and tend to get excess stress on the knees and hips to control that momentum.

For this exercise, try to raise your toes as high as possible and actively squeeze your shin muscles at the top of each rep. Lower with control.

If kettlebells aren't an option, do them standing against a wall. You can also try to (safely!) tie a dumbbell or plate to the bottom of your foot.

To increase the challenge, try doing a slow negative (3-5 sec) each rep.

Anterior Tibialis Raise Progression

This is a great mobility drill to improve ankle plantarflexion (toe point) range of motion as well as glute activation.

Simply sit back on your heels from a kneeling position for reps. Use your feet to help you up by pushing the tops of them into the ground. Your glutes should help your thrust your hips forward to a tall kneeling position. 

You should feel a stretch on the top of your foot when doing this. 

To progress, add weight as shown. Once you can do a bit of weight pain-free, try the seiza jumps. The lift comes from driving your hips upwards and quickly tucking your legs in.

Seiza Raise Progression (Adv.)

Jogging helps train our cardiovascular system as well as our muscular endurance and coordination. Jogging is great for recovery as it improves blood flow. Lastly, it's great conditioning especially if returning from a lower body injury.  

Progress in both pace and duration. Remember that you can do walk-jog intervals as needed to progress into longer distances. For example, reps of Walk 5 min Jog 5 min can eventually become Walk 1 Jog 5 and then jogging continuously for 10-20+ minutes.

Ankle: Phase 3 RXHAB (2-3x/wk)

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