Tight calfs and stiff ankles affect several movements, but they make a particularly big difference in the squat.

Sufficient ankle mobility allows the knees to travel forward in the squat. This, in turn, enables a natural-feeling, relatively upright squat position. If you feel like you get tipped forward in the bottom or that you simply can’t get down very low, start by investigating your ankle mobility. This video will explain.

Now that you’ve seen the critical role that your ankles play in a squat, here are some tests you can perform to further assess the situation, and here are some proven techniques to improve your ankle mobility over time.

And finally, if your calfs are tight, try doing this drill in your warm-up prior to squatting for 2x20 reps. You’ll want to work on the drills mentioned in the links above on a regular basis, but this is an excellent technique that can give you a little more range of motion in the short-term.