Yes, as per my post, it's my soleus muscle at the base of the calf. It's a common problem but it's driving me nuts.
hmm i notice the problem a bit too. My heels will come up when im near the bottom of my squat. And just doing bodyweight squats now i can feel my ankle/calves being the problem.
Some other suggestions for you.
If you haven't already, get someone to check your technique.
Because you can squat fine with a wide stance, have you tried tackling the problem from the side? If not, start with a wide stance that allows you to get almost to full depth. Do your squatting at that width and see whether your depth improves. If it does and you can get to full depth after a while, then reduce the width again to the point where you can almost get full depth and squat with that width. Rinse and repeat. This approach has the added benefit that you can use full weight on the bar if you want so you can keep progressing your strength goals while you wait for your flexibility to improve.
If your active flexibility is a lot worse than your passive flexibility, do some active stretches for your calf muscles. While sitting, start with your ankle in a neutral position, then dorsiflex your foot. Hold for a few secs then relax. Rinse and repeat. Flex your knee to emphasise your soleus, extend your knee for your gastrocs.
I'm currently trying a 'grease the groove' approach to improving my shoulder flexibility so I can squat with a low bar position. You might like to try the same thing. Just do a set of bodyweight squats with good form whenever you get the chance. It may help by improving your neural pathways for the squat movement.
[YOUTUBE]Squat 3/3 - YouTube[/YOUTUBE]
Some other suggestions for you.
If you haven't already, get someone to check your technique.
Because you can squat fine with a wide stance, have you tried tackling the problem from the side? If not, start with a wide stance that allows you to get almost to full depth. Do your squatting at that width and see whether your depth improves. If it does and you can get to full depth after a while, then reduce the width again to the point where you can almost get full depth and squat with that width. Rinse and repeat. This approach has the added benefit that you can use full weight on the bar if you want so you can keep progressing your strength goals while you wait for your flexibility to improve.
If your active flexibility is a lot worse than your passive flexibility, do some active stretches for your calf muscles. While sitting, start with your ankle in a neutral position, then dorsiflex your foot. Hold for a few secs then relax. Rinse and repeat. Flex your knee to emphasise your soleus, extend your knee for your gastrocs.
I'm currently trying a 'grease the groove' approach to improving my shoulder flexibility so I can squat with a low bar position. You might like to try the same thing. Just do a set of bodyweight squats with good form whenever you get the chance. It may help by improving your neural pathways for the squat movement.
Thanks Jim Jam, I love MobilityWOD ...
Me too!
And I've needed majority of it
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