Unlock Your Squat: How to Improve Depth with Better Ankle, Hip, and Thoracic Mobility
A perfect squat isn’t just for powerlifters — it’s the foundation of strength and performance in hybrid racing, obstacle course events, and everyday athleticism. Whether you’re tackling heavy barbell lifts, wall balls in HYROX, or weighted carries in OCR training, the squat is everywhere. Even getting your ass off the toilet.
But here’s the problem: most athletes don’t squat as well as they think. And poor squat mechanics aren’t just an aesthetic issue — they can rob you of strength, overload your joints, and eventually cause injury.
What Poor Squat Form Looks Like
If you film yourself squatting and spot any of these, you’ve got work to do:
Heels lifting off the ground at the bottom.
Knees caving inward (valgus collapse) on the way down or up.
Excessive forward lean where your chest drops toward your thighs.
Butt wink — pelvis tucking under at the bottom of the squat.
Shallow depth — thighs never reaching parallel (or just barely).
The thing is that by themselves, these things are not bad. There's no evidence that knees caving inwards are bad for squatting, as well as butt wink, not bad on it's own. But when pain is involved, then this is something we have to look at.
Why Bad Squats Happen
The squat is a full-body movement that demands mobility and stability from multiple joints:
Ankle dorsiflexion (shin moving forward over foot) allows knees to track forward so your torso can stay upright.
Hip internal rotation and flexion allow deep, centered movement without knees collapsing.
Thoracic extension (mid-back straightening) keeps the barbell over your midfoot and prevents a forward fold.
If even one of these areas is tight, the entire movement compensates — and the weakest link (usually the knees or lower back) pays the price. It's not the movement itself that is painful, but doing the same movement pattern without changing it may cause some problems if these limitations are not addressed.
The Risks of Leaving Squat Mechanics Unfixed
See above. You might get away with poor form for months or even years, but the bill eventually comes due:
Knee pain from repeated valgus stress or forward shear forces.
Low back strain from excessive forward lean and spinal flexion.
Hip impingement if your pelvis tucks too early.
Achilles and calf overload from compensating for stiff ankles.
Plateaued strength gains because you can’t load the movement safely.
Step 1: Improve Ankle Dorsiflexion
Why it matters: Without enough dorsiflexion (usually 35–40° for deep squats), your knees can’t travel forward, forcing your torso to lean excessively.
Mobility Drills:
Knee-to-Wall Dorsiflexion Drill – Stand with toes 2–4 inches from a wall, drive knee forward without lifting heel.
Banded Ankle Mobilization – Loop a band low around the ankle joint, step forward into a lunge, let the band pull the joint backward as the knee moves forward. Then hang out at that spot and get your ankle get used to this position.
Weighted Stretch – Hold a kettlebell on your thigh as you push knee forward over toes in a lunge. Or use the kettlebell with the above exercises as well.
Training Tip: Incorporate calf raises and tibialis raises to build ankle strength alongside mobility.
Step 2: Open Up Hip Internal Rotation
Why it matters: Tight hips prevent your knees from tracking over toes, causing collapse or forcing your feet wider than needed.
Mobility Drills:
Controlled step ups – hold onto something, step up and very, very slowly, step down. This control ensures the outside of the hip stretches and contracts.
Seated internal rotations – stick a pillow or yoga block in between your knees and a band around your feet. Lift your foot out to the side. Feel the burn.
Banded IR Stretch – Lie on your back with a band pulling your knee inward while keeping foot stationary.
Training Tip: Add Cossack squats and single-leg work (Bulgarian split squats) to improve hip control under load.
Step 3: Improve Thoracic Extension
Why it matters: A rigid mid-back forces your chest forward and bar path away from your center, overloading your lower back.
Mobility Drills:
Foam Roller Extensions – Lie with roller under mid-back, extend over it while keeping abs braced.
Quadruped T-Spine Rotations – On all fours, hand behind head, rotate elbow up to the ceiling.
Barbell Front Rack Stretch – Hold empty bar in front rack, elbows high, and gently push upper back tall.
Training Tip: Strengthen your mid-back with barbell rows, face pulls, and reverse flys to hold position under load.
Step 4: Integrate It Into the Squat
Mobility work is great, but it’s useless if you don’t apply it to the lift.
Heels Elevated Squats – Use small plates or squat wedges to reduce ankle demand while you improve mobility.
Pause Squats – Hold 2–3 seconds at the bottom to reinforce good positions.
Tempo Squats – 3–4 seconds down to control movement and find your best depth.
Bottom Line for Hybrid Athletes
Your squat is a reflection of your overall mobility, stability, and movement efficiency. Fixing ankle dorsiflexion, hip internal rotation, and thoracic extension doesn’t just improve depth — it protects your knees, hips, and back so you can train and race without breakdowns.
If you ignore it, you’re not just leaving kilos on the bar — you’re leaving yourself wide open for injury.
And in a hybrid race, the last thing you want is to crush the sled push only to limp through the next 1K run because your squat mechanics blew up your knees.
If you have any concerns or additional questions, and need that extra help to improve your squat or next race performance, book your call here.
