Name: Playbook - Rob Riches - Stretch & Mobility Ep 9.1: Legs, Calves, Ankles, & Feet
Uploaded: 2023-11-03T21:52:28.527Z
Duration: 30 min
Description: Stretch & Mobility Ep 9.1: Legs, Calves, Ankles, & Feet

Welcome to week 9 of my Stretch & Mobility Program. Within this routine today you will be focusing on the Legs, Calves, Ankles, & Feet.

Each movement is performed for two sets, with an increase in time on the second set. The first set should be to allow you to warm up to the movement, and really feel the joints, muscles, and tendons that are involved. The second set allows you to increase the stretch or range of motion further.

For all movements, it's important you ease into it and find the level of stretch in which you feel comfortable with. Focus on taking several long, slow, and deep breaths in and out, inhaling through the nose, and as you breathe out - slowly start to increase the stretch slightly.

Visualize the muscles you are working on and see them lengthen, stretch, and increase in their range of motion during each set.

I also recommend performing 5-10 minutes of light cardio before starting, so as to improve blood flow around the body, and warm up the muscles and joints.

Lay face down on the floor with your upper body lifted off and supported by your elbows and forearms underneath you. Bring your left knee slightly out to your side and on to a roller or massage ball. It should be positioned just to the inner region of your leg, just above the knee. 

Position your leg around the ball in small movements until you find a trigger point. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and take deep breathes in through your nose and exhale through you mouth. 

You can also perform this in a seated, split-lunge position (your left leg behind you, and the right leg in front of you), which would also allow you to add further resistance on top of the leg with a Medicine Ball, Smash Ball, or Kettlebell. Slowly return to starting position and repeat with the right leg. 

(ADVANCED TECHNIQUE): This can be performed with the leg wrapped (using a floss/compression band), just above the knee.

Foam Roller Adductor

Sit on the floor with your right leg positioned in front of you (as though you were crossing your legs), and your left leg mirroring the position behind you. Place a small/medium sized massage ball (or lacrosse ball) under your right thigh (just above the knee). 

With your hands on the floor either side of your waist, you can control the pressure of the leg over the ball by leaning forwards. Position the weight over the leg around the ball in small movements until you find a trigger point. 

Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and take deep breathes in through your nose and exhale through you mouth. You can also place a Medicine Ball, Smash Ball, or Kettlebell over the leg to further increase pressure on the trigger points in the muscle. Slowly return to starting position and repeat with the left leg. 

(ADVANCED TECHNIQUE): This can be performed with the leg wrapped (using a floss/compression band), just above the knee.

Split Leg Weighted Adductor Foam Roller

Lay on your back with your feet up against a wall, legs in a wide squat/frog position. Your glutes should be as close to the wall as your flexibility allows. Place a small/medium massage ball under your back, just to the right above your glute muscle. 

Position your body over the ball until you find a trigger spot, and hold for 15-20 seconds and take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through you mouth. 

You can move your legs and feet around on the all to change how pressure is applied on the ball, most notably by dropping your right to the floor and pushing against the wall on your left foot. Slowly return back to the start position and repeat on the left side. 

(ADVANCED TECHNIQUE): You can place a medicine ball or smash ball onto your hips to increase pressure over the trigger points. You can also place one end of resistance band below each knee, with the middle section of the band pulled behind your waist (like a catapult band pulled back).

Lying Sumo Wall Squat

1. Start by extending your right leg all the way back & place your left hand over your left foot (arm still remaining on the inside of the leg). Push your hips forwards until you feel a deep stretch around your groin & hips.  

2. Place your left hand on your left knee. Rotate your upper body to the left, pushing down on the floor with your right hand. 

3. Take your left hand off your knee & place it where you right hand is on the floor, moving your right hand back to your stretched out leg (your right hand should be further out than out than your left hand). Pushing into the floor with your hands, rotate your body to the right, so that you're once again looking behind you.

4. Keeping your left foot forwards, drop your back knee to the floor & pivot your bodyweight over that bent knee (your left leg is now stretched out). To further increase this stretch, pivot on to your back heel with the knee raised of the floor so that your left leg is straight.

Repeat on other side.

4-Part Hip Stretch

Place your right foot on top of a bench (or jump box) and push your hips as closely into your heel as you can, dropping the back knee down towards the floor, but not letting it touch the floor. (Think of it like a lunge where the front foot is raised on a bench and there's no gap between your heel and hips). 

You can use your hands on the bench to support yourself, or if your flexibility is good, bring them up and rest them on your bent knee. 

Keep your back straight, with the shoulders pulled back and chest lifted up. Repeat with other leg.

High Knee Bench Lunge

Place yourself about 2 feet in font of a bench, with your right leg extended out in front of you, heel on the bench, and your left knee bent under your hips (think of lunge position, except where the front let is fully extended and raised up on a bench). 

Place your hands either side of your right leg on the bench, and keeping a straight back, lean forwards at the waist until you feel a deep stretch down the back of your right leg (hamstring). Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds and take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through you mouth. 

You can increase the stretch in your hamstring by leaning further into the stretch, or by elevating the right foot higher on the bench (such as a yoga block). Slowly return your right leg to the floor and repeat with your left leg.

Hurdlers Bench Stretch

Sit on the end of a bench of jump box (where your hips are at least the same height as your knee, or a little higher). 

Lift your left leg up and place a small massage ball under the right gluteal muscle and lower your foot back to the ground. 

Using your hands to anchor yourself to the bench, slowly move your body over the massage ball, working through all the fibers or until your find a trigger point. 

Hold this position for 15-20 seconds while you take several deep breaths. Repeat this movement with the ball under your right gluteal muscle.

Seated Glute Scrub

Wrap your left lower leg, (using a floss/compression band), from just above the ankle (but not the heel), up to the middle of your calf. 

Kneel on the floor so your shin and foot is behind you, and lean forwards with your arms straight in front of you supporting some of your weight. Place your right foot (the top of the ankle), facing down on your wrapped heel and sit back on to the leg. 

You can shift your bodyweight as well as move your left foot (rotating it left and right), working through all the fibers in the lower calf and wrapped ankle or until your find a trigger point. 

Hold this position for 15-20 seconds while you take several deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Repeat with the right leg.

Massage Ball Calf Hacksaw

Place a peanut-massage ball on the floor (if you don't have one, you can use two-small massage balls/lacrosse balls in a sock, and secure the end tightly so that both balls are firmly snug next to each other), and kneel onto it with your left leg (just below the knee at the top of your shin). 

Sitting back on to your heel, with your arms out straight, hands on the floor just in front of you to steady and support yourself, and your right leg bent but shifted out to the right of you from under your hip, start to gently rock up and down the peanut massage ball. 

Move from the the top of your shin all the way down to the top of your ankle, in small back-and-forth movements. continue working through all the fibers in the front of the shin (Tibialis Anterior), or until your find a trigger point. 

Hold this position for 15-20 seconds while you take several deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Repeat on the right leg.

Tibialis Massage Ball Rollout

Sit upright with your right leg extended straight in front of you with the ankle resting upon a barbell (you may need to place small weights on the barbell to raise it up from the ground).

With your hands on the floor behind you to steady yourself, and your right knee bent, gently roll yourself forwards and back over the barbell while keeping pressure down on your right foot. (You can also place your right leg over your left leg to increase pressure).

Rotate your right foot from left to right as well as you work through all the tendons in the ankle. Repeat with the right foot over the barbell.

(ADVANCED TECHNIQUE) You can wrap the right ankle with a compression wrap to be able to increase pressure on the ankle.

Barbell Ankle Roll Out

Sit on the floor with your left leg stretched out in front of you and the ankle resting on top of a small kettlebell handle. Using a resistance band looped around your foot, start to pull it towards you as your foot stretches back towards you. 

You should feel a deep stretch within your calf muscle, and also any trigger points you may find within your ankle as you rotate the foot over the handle from left to right. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through you mouth. 

You can also use your right foot and place it on top of the left leg just above the ankle to apply more pressure downwards. Remove the left foot and repeat with the right leg. 

(ADVANCED TECHNIQUE): This can be performed with the ankle wrapped (using a floss/compression band).

Banded Foot Kettlebell Pull

Stretch & Mobility Ep 9.1: Legs, Calves, Ankles, & Feet

Mason

Oh I ache after a few new wrestling exercises. This really helped. Stretch onwards and upwards!

Toby WAWA

It was challenging at first but I feel I’m getting used to it and I’m ready to move forward slowly.

Stretch & Mobility Ep 9.1: Legs, Calves, Ankles, & Feet

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