Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Help us pass our Leopard Test (ankles ROM is terrible, wondering what else needs work)

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    • 02/12/2014 at 7:01 pm #70793
      Maja GrayMaja Gray
      Participant

      Hey Supple Legion – 

      My buddy and I are trying to pass the Leopard Test, so we filmed this morning’s attempt in hopes of seeing the holes. 
      First of all, we both recognize how limited our dorsiflexion is (especially me – the bearded one). It’s like my knees run into a wall. I’ve already been attacking everything south of my knees for a week or so (banded distraction in both directions, heel smashing, calf and shin smashing – the whole deal). I’m optimistic that a few months of work will open up the ankles. 
      That leaves the question: what am I missing? Hoping you guys will take a look at these (~9 second each) vids and let me know if you see any other big issues:
      (Apologies for using portrait camera angle. Such a rookie move.)




      Thanks in advance!
    • 02/12/2014 at 7:19 pm #74118
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      hey there nice work and keep up the videoing- it’s the best way to examine yourself after doing some kind of move like this.

      some comments:
      1. i would start without having KBs overhead like that.  it makes the move a LOT harder to get down to the bottom when your arms are straight overhead. i would start with an air squat, and then use a pole with arms pretty wide to ensure form, then slowly progress to moving your hands closer together along the pole until you can touch your hands and still descend to deep squat with proper form.
      2. there are some problems with your squat and so this is another reason why not to load your pattern with weights when you’re not ready for it.  here are some of my observations:
      a. you are both extended in your lower back. i would work on torso bracing, and also check your ability to get your arms overhead while maintaining torso bracing.  right now it seems that you are arching in order to get your arms overhead when standing, never mind when you descend.  you may need to work on your shoulders, and t-spine mobility to simply get your arms overhead without losing torso posture.
      b. in addition to torso bracing, don’t forget to have some tension in the glutes too before you descend. this will position your pelvis optimally for the movement. right now you both have severe anterior tilt to your pelvises and need to bring that back to neutral.
      c. you both have a pelvis lumbar fault right before you hit bottom.  you should stop the descent to right before this happens when you practice, and work on hip mobility as well as upper/lower leg issues and get yourself to able to go all the way down to deep squat without butt winking.  torso bracing is also key in not having butt winking.  think also about driving torque through your legs as you descend.
      working on ankle DF and lower leg is definitely worthwhile. but limit the squat form to what you can maintain perfectly and use the deep (air) squat to test/retest a mob or smash for its effect on your form. note areas which are tender and which are not.  try the other mobs and smashes as tests themselves to find other areas of restrictions that you may not be aware of. good luck!
    • 02/13/2014 at 12:40 pm #74130
      Maja GrayMaja Gray
      Participant

      Hey David – 

      Thanks for such a thoughtful response. It’s funny, up until watching these vids I thought my shoulders were plenty mobile – but now I see my rib cage shooting out there. I’ll start hitting t-spine, lateral seam, and first rib areas to see if I can fix those shoulders. 
      I guess I was assuming the butt wink was all about the lack of ankle dorsiflexion. I’ve been working on my splits since Jan 1. Guess I need to keep hitting adductors and hip flexion too. 
      I’ll update with new vids in a couple weeks! Thanks again.
    • 02/13/2014 at 2:44 pm #74134
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      to test the shoulders, remember to stand tall. brace the core strongly, anchor the ribcage down to the pubic bone, and also flex the glutes, both core and glutes 20% flex. then, keep the bracing in core and glutes, and slowly raise your arms as high as they can go, palms turned inward. how high can you raise them before you break (in your spine)? OR, you may find that you can raise them easier if you are braced. that is a neurological solution to shoulder mobility. use this test/retest in working on shoulder mobility.

      butt wink usually happens when the hams tighten reflexively and yank the bottom of your pelvis forward. however, it may not be the hams that are the problem. something is making them tighten reflexively, which could be problems elsewhere, including the ankles but also in upper and lower leg, and hips.  hunt around with smashes and mobs and find what has the greatest effect on you.
    • 03/08/2014 at 2:24 pm #74259
      Maja GrayMaja Gray
      Participant
      Hey David – 

      Thanks for your thoughts. I’ve been hitting the ankles and calves hard and seen some gains. My t-spine and shoulders are still limiting me. Thought I’d post another vid, this one of the OHS on the day of 14.2. Even through the baggy sweatshirt you can see my ribs popping out. At least the butt wink isn’t quite as bad as in previous vids.

      One that’s helped the butt wink is learning to brace hard through the core and glutes before initiating the squat.


      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBPhnA6JP8

    • 03/08/2014 at 7:28 pm #74261
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      yes looks better!

      butt wink is better – it is just starting there at the end.  you should stop before your butt wink begins.

      now that i have an angle on your feet width, i think you should go wider. your heels are right under your shoulders – give yourself more room between your legs for your hips to drop between. try your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. drive the knees outward and keep the shins vertical – this will create more space between your legs for your hips.

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