Exercise Highlight 4: Kneeling to Tall Kneeling "Increase your Knee, Foot & Ankle Mobility"
This is a great exercise for anyone to include in their training, whether an athlete or someone looking for general health. It can be used to aid in recovery from a long run, hike or ride, or as a rehabilitative exercise for someone who may be battling Plantar Fasciitis and recurrent ankle sprains. Oh, and if you wear high heels often, this is a must for you!
Be sure to take caution when beginning with Kneeling to Tall Kneeling, it can be pretty intense. Don't force the stretch, and gently move in and out of the positions. Remember to take relaxed breath's throughout the movement and do not hold your breath or tense up. It is important to begin with foam rolling to give you the best chance at success with this exercise.
Foam rolling and massaging will be essential to include for the areas that Kneeling to Tall Kneeling targets. (Check out our articles on Foam Rolling) This includes massaging the arch of your foot with a lacrosse ball and foam rolling your calves, quadriceps and hips. Your range of motion can increase pretty substantially when this is done correctly.
Addressing Knee Mobility
If you feel limited range of motion in your knees, tightness in your thigh muscles or experience any knee pain moving in and out of the movement, begin with foam rolling of your quadriceps, before, during and after the exercise. An example workout can be as such:
Foam Roll each Quadricep for 2 - 5 minutes
Actively Stretch Quadriceps 6 - 10 reps each leg (3 sec holds ea rep)
Actively Stretch Hip Flexors 6 - 10 reps each leg (3 sec holds ea rep)
Kneeling to Tall Kneeling 3 - 6 full reps, pausing at your end range of motion for 10 - 60 seconds.
Repeat this circuit 2 - 4 times for each session
Addressing Foot & Ankle Mobility
Begin with foam rolling your calves and then massage the bottom of your foot with a lacrosse ball from a standing position. Do these slowly, pausing on the most tender areas for 30-90 seconds. Incorporate some light active stretching, before, during and afterwards. An example workout can be as such:
Foam Roll each Calve for 2 - 5 minutes
Massage arch of foot with Lacrosse Ball for 1 - 3 minutes each foot
Actively Stretch Calves for 6 - 10 reps each leg (3 sec holds ea rep)
Kneeling to Tall Kneeling 3 - 6 full reps, pausing at your end range of motion for 10 - 60 seconds.
Repeat this circuit 2 - 4 times for each session
* If everything feels tight or you experience discomfort, combine the 2 workouts above and be sure to begin a proper corrective flexibility and exercise plan, that leads into a strength and conditioning component.
Build this into your training, doing a little each day or every other day. This can be done as a stand alone recovery workout, incorporated into a specific training session or part of your movement prep for a an activity such as running.
Adding Kneeling to Tall Kneeling to your mobility training will help greatly with the range of motion of your knee, foot & ankle and hips. Proper mobility for each joint of the human body is vital, this exercise will help to address a few of them. The next step is to increase your stability and strength of these areas.