Much attention is paid to the major muscle groups in running – hamstrings, quads, core muscles. These muscles do a lot for a runner in maintaining stability and strength in a stride. But what about the feet?
Our feet are the first part of the body to hit the ground. If our feet (or our lower legs in general) are unstable, the rest of our stride will be impacted. At the very least, we will use a lot of extra energy to compensate for the weakness. Here’s a few exercises that I use regularly to help build strong feet and ankles. I recommend doing these 2-3 times per week.
Eccentric Calf Raises
Stand on a step on one foot with your heel hanging off the edge. Do a normal calf raise with this leg, but go very slowly on the way down – counting to at least 5. Repeat 10-20 times for 3 sets on each leg. If this becomes easy, you can hold a dumbbell. You may need to use a railing or something for balance which is okay.
This exercise is a miracle worker in preventing pain in the Achilles tendon – a common complaint for runners.
Foot Ball Rolling
Take a tennis ball, golf ball, or something similar and place it under the arch of your foot. I find this is most comfortable to do from a seated position. Use your foot to roll the ball around the bottom of your foot in various patterns. Do this for 30 seconds before switching feet.
This exercise is helpful in preventing and treating the common runners ailment plantar fasciitis.
Toe Pulls
Loop a resistance band around something strong. While sitting straight-legged facing the band, loop it around the top of your foot. Keeping your heel planted, pull your toes toward your knee, stretching the band in the process. Move your body closer or further from the band to get the right resistance. Do 3 sets of 15 reps. For a better range of motion, rest your calf on something (foam rollers work great) so that your heel is off the ground. By repositioning yourself in relation to the band, you can easily perform reps moving the foot in other directions as well.
This exercise will help prevent the dreaded shin splints!
Single Leg Balancing
Balancing on one leg is great for developing the muscles in the ankles. If balancing on one leg for 30 seconds is too easy, think of ways to make it more difficult. These ways include increasing the time, closing your eyes, or bending down to touch your toe. If you’ve mastered this, consider doing this exercise on an unstable surface.
Balancing exercises not only build muscles in the lower leg, they are also fantastic for core strength.
If you want to decrease your injury risk as you increase mileage, consider adding a few of these to you right routine. Your feet and the rest of your body will thank you!
