Nia is the proverbial bomb-dot-com, isn't she? She's been so generous in answering my questions, too.
I've been thinking about your ankle mobility issues and had the following thoughts (in addition to what Nia pointed you to -- and it makes sense that you could do drills during rest time, just as you've used foam rolling during Meso 2 rests).
I've never (consciously, at least) struggled with limited ankle mobility, but I know that yoga increases mine. I don't know what your yoga background is, but I know you've done UY. Here are some thoughts, feel free to ignore them and/or smile and nod:
I love yoga as a warmup for lifting -- could you do some sun salutations before you lift, in addition to mobility drills between sets? Down dog is great for ankle mobility (IMO) -- I would just shorten your dog so your heels are just barely touching/a hair above the ground and continue to drive them down. I generally do this in my down dog, anyways. For sun sals, I like to do 5 As and 5 Bs, but I think in terms of ankle work you might prioritize Bs if you don't have much time because they take you through chair and warrior 1, which will be good for ankle mobility -- esp warrior 1, since your back foot is turned in at 45* and you're driving your heel down.
After you increase your ankle mobility somewhat, I find the following poses challenge my ankle mobility: full lotus, half-bound lotus (standing or seated), Marichyasana B+D (though Marichyasana A+C are probably best to start with, ankle-wise) -- in short, anything in lotus or half-lotus. Oh, also Janu Shirsasana C (with foot rotated) -- though I encourage you to watch a tutorial of some sort on how to get into this one -- it's intense for the ligaments/fascia of the feet, too.
I hope this doesn't read as preachy, etc. I just found myself thinking about yoga and ankle mobility this morning (because I practiced many of these poses today, I guess...) and wanted to share.
Roz
Sorry, I'm likely venturing OT here. I'm going to go out on a limb, but I wonder if people with limited ankle dorsiflexion and/or flat feet are better candidates for the barefoot movement, and benefit greatly from that. Maybe that's part of why yoga can help so much? That yoga isn't just (or primarily) about helping us via larger muscles getting stretched and strengthened, but by affecting the "little" things that strength-training doesn't necessarily address? If you look at Cathe or Cede (just as examples), they stretch their back leg/foot beautifully in a lunge position. Some of it is training, some of it is probably natural ability, but that stretch and strength is really imperative.
A lack of foot and ankle strength and flexibility is (IMHO) a real weak link. I think that's often overlooked as a culprit behind stagnant training progress. I can only go off of my personal experience. I have flat-ish feet (I think the right arch is worse than the left one). I supinate, and it can be hard to find shoes that are made for that. I had really limited ankle dorsiflexion. It greatly hurt my ability to squat and lunge with any sort of normalcy and strength. My higher weight didn't help. A lack of doing some things in childhood that develop better leg strength and mobility, like bike-riding, didn't add to my prowess. My squat depth was pitiful, and deep squats were impossible unless I was holding onto something really sturdy with both hands! My left knee hurt a good deal in squats and lunging, and high step work was incredibly challenging and painful. Step aerobics were hard on my Achilles tendon, especially on the right side. My hamstrings, quads, and glutes were pretty strong, but everything from the knees down were holding me back!
So I spent a couple of months last year focused on doing specific exercises and stretches daily to improve this. I found these online - YouTube is a great resource for this - to improve my weakness. Side lunges, deep ankle stretches, foot exercises, ankle rotations, holding deep squats for a slightly longer period of time every day- all of this began laying an impressive foundation. I was always into dance as a child, and I went back to doing some of the exercises for the arch and ankles that I'd learned back then. I went barefoot for all types of training late last year, wore minimalist shoes for awhile when my Achilles tendon was acting up again (caused by doing too much high impact work too often and too quickly), and then went back to barefoot about a month ago.
Ankle dorsiflexion mobility videos and articles:
http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-front-squat/
http://bretcontreras.com/building-multi-directional-strength-and-power/
My feet and ankles are so much stronger now. I can dance again in (low) heels, something I thought was over for me. I may never have beautiful arches, but they are FAR more fit. I was in dress shoes five days in a row last week; that is NOT my norm. (I'm a Saucony gal all the way!) I was really expecting foot pain, especially as the last couple days I was tromping around a college campus all day long with a heavy backpack on my back. I was amazed that the foot pain, nor any other pain, ever occurred! I ended my days feeling good. The greatest thing is that my ability to squat, lunge, do high step work, do step aerobics, and anything else my body needs now feel natural and pain-free! Doing those mobility drills taught my muscles new skills. I believe they really reprogrammed my body
and brain a bit to get all my leg muscles working together. This was something I did for maybe ten minutes a day on top of my other training, so it wasn't a huge time commitment. People are sometimes amazed that I can do an hour of step aerobics in bare feet, but I do that regularly now. I would have laughed at anyone who would suggest I could have done this even a year ago.
Weak adductors are also an issue in women, but that's a whole other ball of wax...
