I could talk about foot strength for a long, long time, so I will try and keep it brief. Foot strength plays a key role in nearly all activities. The feet are the contact point to the ground for humans. Despite this, the foot is not even thought of in exercise routines or programs. Because of this, many people have weak feet, and some have even lost the ability to move them consciously (go ahead, try and spread your toes away from each other). As modern humans wear restrictive shoes more often, the foot muscles are hindered even further due to the support from shoes decreasing their need. These two factors have diminished the foot from its intended function, resulting in stiff, weak, and unreliable sacks of bones we simply slip into shoes and forget about. It is time to reclaim your feet!
Okay, I’m sorry for the passionate words. For more on the importance of foot strength while running, check out this post. Enough ranting let’s talk about what YOU can do!
Anatomy Time!
The foot is a complex structure made up of 28 bones and over 100 individual muscles. These structures combine to provide a stable, yet flexible surface for humans to stand on. The foot is designed to be able to absorb shock when standing and jumping, as well as to impart large amounts of force to the ground when walking or running. The foot also has an extensive network of ligaments, keeping it together as the large amounts of force are put through it in daily life. The muscles that are responsible for controlling the foot are called foot intrinsic muscles, because they are located inside the foot itself. Think of all the power and strength you are losing out on if the feet are weak!
So why is foot strength is neglected by many people when training? I believe that this is because foot strength doesn’t seem important when compared to other muscles groups. Why would someone work on foot strength when they are trying to lift heavier? How about when they are trying to run farther? What about play a sport like soccer or basketball?
This line of thinking should be reversed. As stated above, the feet are the base of human activity, and if they are not strong, performance in other activities will suffer. What’s more is that foot strength can decrease the risk of injury in other areas of the body. Strong feet muscles can take the load off other parts of the body, providing support to the ankles all the way up to the lower back!
So how can you do this? Exercise of course! The exercises and movements I will go over in this post are very low level, and will get you started on the journey to strong, resilient feet.
Toe Curls/ Splays - Sit with the feet touching the ground and knees bent to around 90 degrees. Keeping the ball of the foot and heel on the ground try to lift and spread the toes. After 10 seconds of holding this position, switch to curling the toes under the foot as far as they can. Hold this position for another 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Doming - Sit with feet touching the ground and knees bent to around 90 degrees. Imagine a string attached to the highest point of the arches of your feet. Imagine pulling on that string to lift the arch of the foot higher off the ground. Maintain contact between the toes and heel of the foot throughout the exercise. Hold this position for 10 seconds thens lowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
Alternating Big Toe Lift and Push - Sit with feet touching the ground and knees bent to around 90 degrees. Lift the big toe off the floor while pushing down with the other 4 toes. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Next, reverse this movement and push the big toe down to the ground while lifting the other 4 toes. Hold for another 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Walking bare foot - Walking bare foot is a great way of getting the muscles in the foot active. IT might not feel like traditional exercise, but the intrinsic foot muscles are very small, so even small amount of work can have a big impact on strength. I suggest walking barefoot whenever you are in the house. To get even more of a workout, think about pushing down when walking. This will activate the muscles with every step
To be frank, these exercises can be tricky and frustrating. I have had many clients express frustration because they feel that they cannot control their body like they think they should be able to. I say this not to discourage you, but to encourage you to keep at it! Doing these exercises 3-5 times a week will show results after around a month of practice. You will also see benefits beyond simply moving your toes, such as improved balance balance. I hope adding a few minutes of “toe yoga” to your workout routine can help you achieve your exercise goals.
Stay tuned for a second post on even more exercises you can do to improve foot strength. Comment below if you have ever worked on foot strength before, and if so what were some of the things you worked on?
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