Loaded Ankle Dorsiflexion Hold
Ankle range decides whether the knee or the ankle absorbs a landing — and it is the first thing to stiffen after an ankle sprain
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Get into a half-kneeling position with the working foot flat on the floor in front of you, close enough that the knee is over the ankle. Rest a kettlebell on top of the front knee and hold it with both hands.
The rep
Ease the knee forward over the toes, keeping the heel welded to the floor, and let the kettlebell add a little pressure. Go to the deepest point you can reach without the heel lifting and hold there for thirty seconds. Ease back, then swap sides.
On the exercise card
- Knee travels forward over the toe
- Heel stays welded down
- Hold at the deepest point you can keep the heel
- Tempo
- ease in
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The heel lifting | The range only counts while the heel is down. Back off until it stays. |
| The knee caving inward | Drive it forward over the second toe, not inside the big toe. |
| Rocking in and out | Ease in and hold still at the end. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- No kettlebell, just your hands pressing on the knee.
- Harder
- A heavier kettlebell, or the toes raised on a small plate to increase the range.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
Ankle range decides how much of a landing the ankle takes and how much goes to the knee, and it is the first thing to stiffen after an ankle sprain. The sources page lists the study in junior elite basketball linking limited ankle range with patellar tendon problems, which is why basketball and netball lead with it.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Lower Power + Plyo | 2 × 30s/side | KB on the knee |
| Netball | Strength + Landing | 2 × 30s/side | KB on the knee |
| Netball | Full Body Power | 2 × 30s/side | KB on the knee |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Calves
- Region
- Full body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- basketball · netball
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Isometric Hamstring Bridge | Pain-free hamstring isometric |
| Glute Bridge | Gentle glute + hip activation |
| Single-Leg Glute Bridge | Unilateral hip control |
| Spanish Squat | Knee-friendly isometric quad load |
| Tempo Step-Down | Eccentric knee control through range |
| Copenhagen Plank | Graded groin / adductor loading |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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