This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/FJ-nZGxZB-A
Mike: Looking for a quick and effective way to strengthen your foot and ankle muscles?
Brad: We have five very simple exercises that are going to strengthen the ankle, the stability of the whole complex, and keep you strong and ready to be mobile, in any direction.
Mike: These five exercises will about take three minutes.
Brad: And a real nice thing about these exercises, they can be done by anyone. All you need is a chair, so we better get a couple chairs here.
Mike: I guess. So, the first exercise we're going to do is called planter flexion. So, we're going to lift our heels up off the ground and keep the forefoot down there. You're going to try to do 30 reps total, or for total time of 45 seconds, whichever comes first.
Brad: So, you can do them barefoot, with stocking foot, or shoes on. Any way works. Again, we're doing these seated. And to add resistance, if you need a little more, elbows on your knees. Put the weight of your head, trunk and forearms through the feet and that adds more resistance.
Mike: Obviously the harder you push down, the more resistance you're going to get.
Brad: That's right. All right. Let's go to number two.
Mike: With the second exercise we're going to work the opposing muscles, so we're going to do some ankle dorsiflexion. So, you're going to keep your heels down and bring your toes up, just like this. Again, you're going to go for 45 seconds, or 30 repetitions total, whichever comes first.
Brad: That's right. Really emphasize pulling the toes up. You'll feel a little stretch back in the calf if you're doing it the way you should. Very nice. All right, how about the next one?
Mike: Sure.
Brad: Good.
Mike: The third exercise we're doing to do some windshield wipers, as Brad likes to call it, but we're going to do it at the ankle joint, so it's going to be a little abduction and adduction, just bringing your toes in and out and you're going to do this for 30 seconds total.
Brad: Yeah, so make sure you pivot on the heel. So, you lift up. Pivot on the heel. The heel never leaves the ground. It's amazing how you feel little muscles in your ankles working that you don't usually feel, and that's exactly what you need to do to stabilize those ankles.
Mike: I'm getting a burning sensation right now.
Brad: So am I. That's called fatigue. Let's go to the next one. All right, we're going to number four. This is my favorite and it's similar to number three. It's just an advancement. Simply take your feet, go over together with your toes, and then over with your heels, and I call the Ziggy Zaggies. You cannot go wrong with these. They're excellent technique. Actually, all of these exercises that we're showing, as you get stronger and you want, you could do these standing. It's much harder and more resistance, but that's not what we're doing. That's not the title of the video.
Mike: No.
Brad: Yeah, these will definitely work your ankles and you'll feel a little more muscles working that you didn't prior. So, all right.
Mike: Do that for 30 seconds, as well.
Brad: 30?
Brad: 30. What happened to 45?
Mike: Ask Bob. He wrote this.
Brad: No, this is a little harder, so you get a break, down to 30. Let's go to number five.
Mike: And the fifth exercise are toe curls. We're going to do it with a towel. You could do them with marbles, or dice if you have them as well. They're going to work your intrinsic foot muscles, all these little muscles in here. It's actually kind of hard. So you're just going to try to curl your toe and pull the towel along. As you can see, I'm already struggling here. And you just do this for 30 seconds total. What do you have to add, Brad?
Brad: Well, I have nice blue socks. People are going to mention, of course. But yeah, it's really nice to do these on a smooth floor. If you're doing it on carpet like this, it's hard to do. I can't even grip mine, but I'm doing the exercise. So, a smooth floor works a little better. With my socks on, I can't grip the towel. We've got a little bit more at the end after this five, a little bonus. Right?
Mike: Yeah. We're going to talk about a couple more things.
Brad: Don't tell them. Just make them wait.
Mike: Another tip to strengthen your foot and ankle muscles is to get more of a minimalistic shoe, or even walk barefoot. But if you're new to this, you should just try it in your house. You don't want to go out for a two-mile walk. You're probably going to be really sore. Also with walking, it's important to learn how to walk more on your forefoot versus striking on your heels, because it's going to strengthen your foot muscles more, and have less negative impact on your knees and hips.
Brad: That's right. So again, approach this cautiously and make sure that everything is on a smooth floor. First, carpeting. Some people even will actually go out in the yard if they have adequate balance and strength, to really get those muscles working aggressively.
Mike: Yes. And we have videos explaining forefoot walking more in depth if you want to learn more about that.
Brad: We have a few extra videos.
Mike: Just a few.
Brad: Okay, take care. Have a good day.
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