Kneeling Achilles

Hello!

I've been doing the front split series for about 11 months. I love it!

Today however, while doing the hawaian squat, I became aware of an inbalance with my right leg. I can't lower myself as much as I could when doing the hawaian squat with my left leg.

Then it hit me that I actually had a similar imbalance with my right leg when doing the 90s Kneeling Achilles. In the video it says to keep a straight line with the knee, toe and heel. Yet whenever I do this exercise with my right leg I keep falling to the inside with my knee. The left leg can easily maintain the straight line.

I remember having this imbalance for several months now doing the kneeling achilles. Does anyone know what could be causing this imbalance? It's not a huge problem just yet, but i'm throwing it out here on the forums just in case someone knows a solution. (I imagine it must be really hard to pinpoint the exact cause, but you never know!). Meanwhile I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, while doing an extra effort to keep the straight line with my right leg.

Oh, maybe this is related: I also can't do the twisting squat when my right foot is in front. I'm able to push up but then I just fall back. When I start with my left foot in front it's no problem to get up and twist (landing however also fails). One more clue: when I was a kid (20 years ago) I sprained my foot once. Don't remember which foot though.

Thanks in advance for your time!

HI Nico, well the tendency of the knee to move inside it is typical ankle compensation when the Achilles tendon it is too tight, and the first sign of it while doing single leg squat or other variation it is the pronation of the feet and the knee moving inward.

I suggest a daily work on FSSSE11.

3 minutes ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Nico, well the tendency of the knee to move inside it is typical ankle compensation when the Achilles tendon it is too tight, and the first sign of it while doing single leg squat or other variation it is the pronation of the feet and the knee moving inward.

I suggest a daily work on FSSSE11.

Thank you for the advice. So it is ok to do the achilles stretch 90s daily without overtraining? I will do as recommended!

the probability to overtrain calves.....it is so so so low!!!

Hi @Nico De Raedt,

We are glad you are liking the Stretch Courses. It is completely normal to have imbalances as long as you don't feel any pain when doing the exercises. One side will always be stronger than the other side. I am not sure what is causing this imbalance but I have encountered it too. What I did was I worked hard going back and forth on the earlier progressions to help my left leg catch up. 

Just now, Leo Trinidad said:

Hi @Nico De Raedt,

We are glad you are liking the Stretch Courses. It is completely normal to have imbalances as long as you don't feel any pain when doing the exercises. One side will always be stronger than the other side. I am not sure what is causing this imbalance but I have encountered it too. What I did was I worked hard going back and forth on the earlier progressions to help my left leg catch up. 

Glad to hear it's common. I will try to focus a little extra on my imbalanced side and switch back to some earlier progressions as well. It could be anything I guess. Maybe my hips even. I'm still soooo tight everywhere but at still it's a lot better than how I was a year ago. 

I love following your instagram videos btw!  nice work!

Thanks Nico, my best advise is to keep working on your basics and keep refining it.

9 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

I suggest a daily work on FSSSE11.

@Alessandro Mainente,,would you suggest working on both the stiff and the more mobile side? Or maybe 1 extra set on the stiff side?

Hi @Jonas Berglund,

Always work on both sides but also make sure you start with the stiff side first. I always start with the weaker side in all the other exercises.

THanks Leo,, both sides will do, and no extra time on tight side then.

The valgus knee can have multiple causes, beginning with the flat foot (pronated), and or lack of ankle and achilles mobility, hip mobility and also even medial glute strength Nico. Working on your medial glute strength through the Foundation courses should help improve your Hawaiian Squat as well as get you closer to straddle planche. Keep up the consistent good training, like Alessandro suggests, it is almost impossible to over stretch your calves and achilles.

Being with weak side and always end with weak side.

2 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Being with weak side and always end with weak side.

@Alessandro Mainente,, if i start and end with weak side. This means 1 extra set on the weaker side.. Right?

55 minutes ago, Jonas Berglund said:

This means 1 extra set on the weaker side

Yup, so it can catch up with that better side… 

On 12/4/2017 at 11:55 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Nico, well the tendency of the knee to move inside it is typical ankle compensation when the Achilles tendon it is too tight, and the first sign of it while doing single leg squat or other variation it is the pronation of the feet and the knee moving inward.

I suggest a daily work on FSSSE11.

Hi Alesandro,

I read this topic and made me think about my kneeling achilles strecth. When I do this strecth my knee is on the same line than my ankle, but the front of my knee is not facing toward the same point where my toes are poiting. What I mean is that if you draw a line from my hip to my knee and a line from my ankle to my toes, these 2 lines are not paralel, they would cross. I don t know if that s ok or it s an imbalance. I feel it more on my right ankle. My question is also if I should kept my foot stucked somehow to move my knee outside a bit more before leaning into the strecht? Sometimes I ve done this by placing the knee of my other leg on the inside of my stretched foot. I hope all this make sense! If not I could upolad some videos with the 2 forms.

I just read this on the focus point: ""The heal, toe and knee of the front leg should all create a single forward line".

Sooo... this is no way possible for me unless I get my foot stucked in the floor (the same with seizas stretches). What are your recommendations to keep a "single forward line"?