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Hello all, **UPDATE**. I added a new combination ankle-hamstring-sciatic nerve-fascia stretch taught to me by Mike Goldfield (we did some work today with Matthew Darling, in Michigan, and adding this here seemed very timely). See revised exercise 9 for details, below. At the request of my US Super-Host, Robin Truxel of tru Pilates fame, has asked me to document a routine that is guaranteed to free up tight calves and ankles. As well, tight calves could even be the cause of your back pain. But first, the test. Can you squat down, in bare feet, with the knees together, and keep your heels on the ground? If you can't, then your ankles are too tight—that's all there is to it. The heels have to come off the ground, to keep your centre of gravity in front of your balance point, and if the ankles cannot allow this, either you fall backwards, or your heels come off the ground. Let's change this. **Note: all images can be enlarged by clicking on them*** 1. The first stretch is the straight-leg wall calf stretch; you all know this one, but make sure that the knees are over the forefoot (middle of the second toe) and the full arch height is preserved (press weight on the little toe side to ensure this), and press the knee straight. Make sure you have remembered the new cue of externally rotating the whole leg in both the ankle and hip joints (this is what actually creates the arch as well as winding up the fascia). See which leg is the tightest. 2. Then the classic Downward Dog, but our 'one-legged' dog version. All the same alignment cues as the standing wall calf stretch, above, but with the addition of flexion at the hips—this increases the neural and fascial dimensions incredibly. And if you can't reach the floor easily, lean your hands on stairs, or a box/chair against the wall. Work the tighter side one more time. Note how I am applying a downward force on the ankle as well as a gentle back-straightening pressure at the same time. As you loosen, move the heel further back from the support. The way Robyn is supported, there is less hamstring effect and maximum ankle/fascia/soleus and gastrocnemius effect. 3. Then back to the wall calf stretch, but this time, apply the 'rod of correction': this is a piece of dowel; the smaller the diameter, the more intense the sensation, so start with one of at least 25mm (one inch) diameter. Make sure your partner is wearing material of some sort on her legs, to facilitate the sliding of the rod. Apply pressure onto both sides of the rod and work the outer, middle, and inner borders of the lower calf, from just below the knee to all the way down soleus. Apply gentle pressure the first few times to get the person used to it, then increase the pressure (applied at 90 degrees to the surface you are working on). Once the pressure is applied, slide the stick down the leg while holding the pressure on. This is intense (for your subject!), so be gentle the first few times. Then, once that's done, do the usual contractions and re-stretch. You will see noticeable improvement between the first iteration (#1 above) and the final position following the fascial work and the contraction–re-stretch. The first image above shows a central pressure/stretch application position, and the second the outer border. As well, please note how I am bracing the leg I am working on with the outer part of my thigh; this is essential. Do not move the rod too quickly over the skin; the fascia has to be coaxed into releasing. 4. Now the new one (I will make a video of this soon). Get into a gentle wall calf stretch once more, and ask your partner to press on the calf muscle, just below the knee. Don't move the lower leg—but 'sit' the hip away from the wall (this bends the knee more if you have the right position). As well, with your hip back further than usual, you can add your own weight more easily to the stretch. Now ask your partner to use his other hand to grip the ankle just above the heel, and help you press the heel onto the floor firmly. Use the first hand to press the back of the knee further forward (to increase the angle at the ankle). Do not lose the arch shape. Once you can go no further, try to relax: this will be an intense feeling in soleus, as well as at the front of the ankle joint (we are levering off the tibia and the talus bone of the foot). (If you dip down to exercise 7, below, you will see the hand position for this variation; the exercise will look similar, except the heel will be on the floor.) Now repeat the toe-pointing (pressing the ball of the foot into the floor) contraction; this time, because the knee is bent, the sensation will be felt mainly in soleus; it is a much deeper sensation than stretching gastrocnemius. And when the contraction is done, ask your partner to help you bring the knee further forwards in good form (the 'stretchee' can definitely help here, too, of course), and bring the knee as far forwards of the toes as you can. This, too, will be intense. A note on breathing for the re-stretch: even if you are really experienced, once a stretch becomes intense, you will forget the basics (blame it on the body's self-preservation mechanisms!). Before you try any re-stretch, breathe in fully, relax the part you are working as much as you can, and only while you are actually breathing out do you do the stretch into new territory. If you need more time than one breath out, stop, breathe in again, and only go into new ROM while actually breathing out. 5. Find a set of stairs, and do the classic single leg, ball of foot on stair, heel drop stretch. Apply all your weight to one leg, and ask your partner to once more hold the stretching leg's heel, and ask them to help you stretch deeper by leaning some of their weight onto the gripping hand—thereby intensifying the stretch. Note that my 'top' arm is helping Robin straighten her knee. Do a few slightly bouncy contractions in the bottom position (may as well get some fascial involvement here too) and then some slower standard contractions, and re-stretch. And a close-up of the grip position: 6. Find something to hang on to, and with feel parallel, spread the knees, and lower hips into a full squat (this is also an ankle stretch, as well as one of the best lower back stretches). Try to bring the body as far as possible through the thighs to deepen both stretches. As well, once you have the wide knee version, try again with the knees together: this intensifies the ankle part (and limits the lower back movement for the same reason). 7. If you are up to it, repeat the stair stretch (#5 above) but ask yor partner to bend the knee on the leg you are stretching; as before, this action focuses the effect on the ankle. 8. I added this today (because I forgot it in the sequence when writing yesterday); but if you have partner assistance, this one and the bent-leg one above will have the strongest effect on improving ankle flexibility of all of them (and this strongly and preferentially affects soleus, too). Kneel as shown, holding something firm, and press as much of your body's weight as you can through the forearm of the other arm. This is the start position (and you can do contractions and re-stretches this way too). On the other hand, if you have a partner, the big guns can be brought to bear. See how I am leaning my weight straight down on the knee? This both holds the heel on the ground and pushes the ankle further forward. Very strong contractions can be effected, and you can control the amount of the re-stretch, by adding your own forces to the same knee through your forearm. Look at this picture of the setup: As well, here's an image that shows additional supports: my hand on her back, and my thigh is assisting, too. New exercise 9. You will need a sturdy Yoga chair for this; turn over as shown, and place a sticky mat inside the now-upside down seat. Place your feet as wide as possible on the base, and press the edges outward. Now, keeping your back as straight as you can, lean forwards to the maximum calf stretch point, then bend forwards at the hips. Whew: intense. I am pulling myself further forwards by holding on to the legs. Contractions can be added to enhance the effect. See the setup: And the close-up that shows just how much flexion the ankles are enjoying! 10. Then the big test: on flat ground (or slightly sloping downhill for a bit of assistance—or even a thin support under the heels, or a small weight held at arms' length!), try to squat down, keeping your heels in the ground. If this sequence has worked for you, you will find you can lower your hips deeper before feeling like you are going to overbalance and—one day—you will get all the way down. Now you are ready for the SLS (Single Leg Squat) progressions; see HERE. Good luck and please report back. KL

Hello all, I will let our editor tell the tale of 'behind the scenes'; all I will say is that it has been a heroic effort on the eve of his departure from Turkey to the US, including power outages... I want to do some last-minute checking, but all the episodes (16) of Master the squat and hip mobility are all up on Vimeo on Demand, but not yet visible to the world. After checking a few details tomorrow, we will go live on Wednesday morning. The Vimeo on Demand ("VOD") language, following TV, talks about a series (for us, this is the program "Master the squat and hip mobility"); and individual "episodes" (exercises or groups of exercises). The full program will be $5 for the first 24 hours: please note that this price is for Forum members only, and my way of thanking you all for your suggestions—please tell your friends about the program after Thursday! From Thursday, the price will be $10 for the full program (MH convinced me to abandon the "$9.99 means it feels less than $10!" strategy, BTW). After Thursday, I will very much appreciate you telling the whole world about this program, assuming you like it, of course. About half the episodes are single exercises; the rest comprise two or more exercises, grouped by function. So if someone is looking for ankle/calf exercises, they can just buy this group (there are four exercises in this episode). There are 29 exercises in all in the program. And on another thread (hidden at present), you will find the PDF we will use for referencing and talking about this program. That thread is where I want all discussion of programming and execution (form, intensity, etc.) to happen, please.