6 Best Ankle Strengthening Exercises
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the importance of the foot and ankle complex for body stability and movement, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to ankle strengthening. It introduces exercises like single leg balance, heel raises, and supinated lunges to improve balance, shock absorption, and force generation. The analogy of the ankle as a door hinge and the foot as anchor screws illustrates the interdependence of these structures. The script also highlights the significance of a stable foot arch for overall body alignment and injury prevention.
Takeaways
- đ The ankle joint and foot are part of the 'foot and ankle complex' and should be considered together for a holistic understanding of stability and function.
- đ The feet act as the foundation of the body, influencing the alignment of the entire body from the ankles up to the lower back.
- đ§ââïž Ankle instability can be linked to a general deficit in lower limb balance ability, which is crucial for activities like running.
- đŠ¶ Strengthening the foot and ankle complex is essential for performing single leg balance, absorbing impact forces, and achieving supination for force generation.
- đ€žââïž Exercises to improve single leg balance include standing on one leg and heel raises, which can be enhanced with balance beam training.
- đŁ The foot arch is vital for shock absorption and maintaining ankle alignment, similar to how a car's suspension system works.
- đ Research shows that balance training can significantly improve single leg balance ability and foot alignment in individuals with pronated and flat feet.
- đ¶ââïž Heel raise walks are a basic exercise to improve the shock-absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex by accentuating the arch-stabilizing effect.
- đ Supination is a key position for the foot to achieve stability and force production, and exercises like supinated lunges can help improve this ability.
- đ ïž DIY balance training devices like balance beams and boards can be created inexpensively and offer various benefits for foot and ankle strengthening.
- đ The 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program and the ankle stability course provide in-depth tutorials and exercises for ankle strengthening and injury prevention.
Q & A
What is the foot and ankle complex?
-The foot and ankle complex refers to the collective structure of the ankle joint and the foot, which should be considered together due to their interdependent function in movement and stability.
Why is it important to view the ankle and foot together?
-It is important to view the ankle and foot together because they influence each other's alignment and function. Dysfunction in one can lead to instability and misalignment in the other, affecting overall movement and potentially leading to injuries.
What is the analogy used in the script to explain the relationship between the ankle and foot?
-The analogy compares the ankle to a door hinge and the foot to anchor screws. When the screws (foot) are loose, the hinge (ankle) becomes unstable and misaligned.
What are the three main demands made on the foot and ankle complex?
-The three main demands are the ability to perform a single leg balance, effectively absorb impact forces during movement, and stiffen in supination to form a stable platform for force generation.
Why is single leg balance important for the foot and ankle complex?
-Single leg balance is important because it is fundamental to many activities, including running, which is essentially a series of single leg supports. A deficit in balance ability can lead to ankle instability.
How can heel raise walks help improve the shock absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex?
-Heel raise walks help by accentuating the arch-stabilizing effect caused by the impact of each step, which enhances the foot's ability to resist compressive loads and maintain proper alignment of the ankle joint.
What is the purpose of supinated lunges in ankle strengthening exercises?
-Supinated lunges are designed to improve lower limb supination, which is necessary for locking the bones of the foot arch and creating a rigid structure for maximum stability and force production during dynamic movements.
How can balance beam training enhance ankle stability?
-Balance beam training challenges the foot and ankle complex to find stability on a thin and round surface, engaging every muscle and improving the ability to maintain alignment and stability.
What is the significance of the foot arch in maintaining ankle joint alignment?
-The foot arch acts as the primary load bearer and shock absorber. Its ability to resist compressive loads determines whether the ankle joint can remain in proper alignment, especially during dynamic activities.
What is the 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program mentioned in the script?
-The 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program is a foot strengthening initiative named to reflect the importance of strong feet as the foundation of the body, which can be found on the speaker's website.
How can a simple cardboard model demonstrate the importance of a stable foot arch for ankle stability?
-The cardboard model with a weighted cylinder represents the ankle and shin bones. When the foot is flattened, the model falls off, showing instability. Creating an arch shape with paper demonstrates how a stable arch supports the ankle, even with some deformation upon impact.
Outlines
đŠ¶ Ankle and Foot Complex: The Foundation of Body Movement
This paragraph introduces the concept of the foot and ankle complex, emphasizing their interdependence and the importance of a holistic approach to ankle strengthening exercises. The analogy of a door hinge and anchor screws is used to illustrate the relationship between the foot's arch and the ankle's stability. The paragraph outlines three main demands on the foot and ankle complex: single leg balance, impact force absorption, and the ability to supinate. It highlights the importance of the foot as the body's foundation and introduces the 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program. The focus then shifts to single leg balance ability, discussing the connection between ankle instability and lower limb balance deficits, and presents exercises to improve this ability, such as standing on one leg and heel raises on a balance beam.
đââïž Enhancing Shock Absorption and Supination for Ankle Stability
The second paragraph delves into the importance of the foot arch as a shock absorber and its role in maintaining ankle alignment. It uses a cardboard model to demonstrate how a stable arch supports the ankle joint. The paragraph explains how the stability of the foot arch affects the alignment of the entire body, from the knees to the lower back. It then introduces exercises to improve the shock-absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex, such as heel raise walks, and discusses the significance of supination in creating a stable base for force generation during movement. The paragraph concludes with an exercise for improving lower limb supination, the supinated lunges, and encourages viewers to take a screenshot for reference and consider the ankle stability course for more in-depth training.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄAnkle Joint
đĄFoot and Ankle Complex
đĄHolistic Approach
đĄSingle Leg Balance
đĄImpact Forces
đĄSupination
đĄFoot Arch
đĄAnkle Stability
đĄBalance Training
đĄStrong Feet Strong Foundation Program
đĄAnkle Strengthening Exercises
Highlights
The ankle joint and foot are considered together as the foot and ankle complex in scientific literature.
Ankle stability is interconnected with foot function, and vice versa.
A holistic approach is essential for selecting the best ankle strengthening exercises.
An analogy is used to compare the ankle to a door hinge and the foot to anchor screws for stability.
The foot acts as the foundation of the body, influencing overall alignment and stability.
Three main demands on the foot and ankle complex include single leg balance, impact absorption, and supination.
Running is a series of single leg supports, emphasizing the importance of balance.
Impact forces during running are three to four times body weight, highlighting the need for shock absorption.
Supination is necessary for creating a stable platform for force generation by the upper limbs.
Balance training can significantly improve single leg balance ability and foot alignment.
Standing on one leg for one minute per side is an effective exercise for ankle strengthening.
Heel raise exercises can improve balance and activate the foot arch for better ankle alignment.
Balance beam training challenges the foot and ankle complex for enhanced stability.
Foot arch stability is crucial for shock absorption and maintaining ankle alignment.
Heel raise walks help to accentuate the arch stabilizing effect during dynamic activities.
Supinated lunges improve lower limb supination for better force production and ankle stability.
A DIY balance board and beam tutorial is available for creating your own ankle stability training devices.
Ankle strengthening exercises are essential for building a strong foundation and preventing injuries.
Transcripts
when we talk about the ankle joint we
must include the foot in the
conversation too together they are
referred to as the foot and ankle
complex in the scientific literature now
this does not mean that the ankle joint
is difficult to understand what it does
mean is that the ankle should not be
looked at without reference to the foot
and vice versa so it is this holistic
approach that we took when we selected
the best ankle strengthening exercises
for you to better understand what i'm
talking about here let's use an analogy
compare the ankle to a door hinge and
the anchor screws to the foot when the
screws are loose the hinge is unstable
and is pulled out of proper alignment
similarly if the foot is dysfunctional
and the arch collapses it pulls the
ankle out of alignment however as soon
as the screws are tightened the hinge
stabilizes similarly when the foot arch
is activated and stable it pulls the
ankle joints into proper alignment ready
to handle the demands of movement in
other words the feet are the foundation
of the body that's why we appropriately
named our feet strengthening program on
our website the strong feet strong
foundation program alright with this in
mind there are three main demands we
make on our foot and ankle complex the
first is to be able to perform a single
leg balance if you think about it
running our most primal human motion is
just a series of single leg supports so
if we were not able to balance and
support ourselves on one leg we wouldn't
even be able to run the second quality
we demand on our foot and ankle complex
is to effectively absorb impact forces
did you know that when we run our lower
limbs have to absorb forces of three to
four times our body weight on each step
due to the gravitational pull when we
jump and land these forces are even
higher it's an inability to tolerate
these impact forces that cause so many
injuries finally our foot and ankle
complex needs to be able to stiffen in
what is known as supination this foot
shape forms the stable platform upon
which large amounts of force can be
generated by the big muscles of the
upper limbs to move the body therefore
the best ankle strengthening exercises
must assist in improving our ability to
tolerate these three physical demands
alright let's deal with these issues one
at a time starting with single leg
balance ability a study done on balance
training for persons with functional
ankle instability found that those who
had bad ankles also had a significantly
harder time balancing on one leg with a
27 reduction in balancing ability
compared to those with stable ankles
these findings suggest that the root
cause of ankle instability might be a
general deficit in lower limb balance
ability so then what is the best way to
train the ankles for better single limb
balance well logic tells me that to
become better at balancing on one leg we
must simply practice balancing on one
leg
however as a sports scientist i like to
validate my logic with scientific
research and in this case i was able to
do so for example one study found that
athletes with severely pronated and flat
feet who participated in a six-week
strength in balancing program were able
to significantly improve their single
leg balance ability and foot alignment
using two basic single leg balancing
exercises these will be the first two
exercises in our ankle strengthening
regime today
the first entails just standing on one
leg and balancing in that position for
one minute on each side per set the
second exercise required the
participants to stand on one leg but to
slowly raise the heels of the ground to
a count of six after which they had to
slowly lower the heels back down also to
a count of six this was repeated five
times on each leg per set we can also
take our balance training to a whole
other level by doing balance beam
training the thin and round surface of
the beam really challenges the foot and
ankle complex to find stability using
every single little muscle as can be
seen by the work my toes are doing to
grip the beam in this clip we were able
to create our own balancing beam using
pvc water pipe as well as a
complementary diy balance board which
has a host of other benefits as well the
step-by-step tutorial for creating your
own balanced training devices cheaply
including 30 exercises developed by our
team to specifically target the foots
and ankle complex can be found in our
ankle stability course so the single leg
balance single leg balance with heel
raise and balance beam walks are the
first three ankle strengthening
exercises on our list in this video the
next set of exercises we're going to
look at are to help the foot and ankle
complex to effectively absorb impact
forces during movement much like the
trunk which holds the spine together
with a large array of muscles to enhance
core stability each foot has 26 bones
wrapped in four layers of muscle and
connective tissue to enhance the
stability of the foot arch this arch
acts as the primary load bearer and
shock absorber during dynamic activities
i guess we could think of the foot
arches as being like the suspension or
shocks of a car it is the foot archer's
ability to resist compressive loads that
determines whether the ankle joint can
remain in proper alignment we can
demonstrate this using a simple piece of
cardboard with a weighted cylinder
attached to it meant to represent the
ankle and shin bones if we suspend the
ankle model off the edge while the foot
remains flattened you can see how the
load of the cylinder is too much for the
structure to handle and it just falls
off the side however if i create an arch
shape with a paper foot meant to
represent our actual inbuilt foot arch
then you can see how the ankle is now
steady and supported so even with some
foot arch deformation upon impact which
is normal the ankle can only be held in
place if the arch is stable enough and
again collapsing that structure as in
the case of fallen arches totally
removes the stable base upon which the
ankle joints are supposed to stand in a
similar way the feet are connected to
the knees and to the hips which are
connected to the lower back and so the
interlinked chain continues all the way
up the body so when the foot arch loses
its stability and proper position then
everything on top of it loses its
alignment too again this is why you have
a strong foundation if you have strong
feet anyway i think i've made my point
so without rambling on anymore let's
check out some exercises to help improve
the shock absorbing quality of the foot
and ankle complex the most basic
exercise in this category is heel raise
walks which are initiated by pressing
your toes into the ground really hard so
that your heels lift slightly off the
floor then it's just a matter of simply
walking around while keeping the heels
elevated the basic premise behind this
exercise is to accentuate the arch
stabilizing effect caused by the impact
of each step this exercise can also be
done on the stairs so instead of placing
the whole foot on each stair you place
only the four foot on the step and keep
the heel suspended off the edge we cover
more advanced lower limb shock absorbing
exercises in our ankle stability course
the final ankle strengthening exercise
we will look at is designed to supinate
the feet which is the specific shape
that the foot needs to get into to
stiffen and form an arch which as
explained earlier becomes the solid base
from which force can be generated during
dynamic movements this was explained and
illustrated so well in the paper titled
by mechanics of the foot in walking a
function approach by mcpoyle and net as
shown in the illustration of the left
foot the first example is of a pronated
foot which can be identified by the
planes of axis of these joints being in
parallel alignment with one another this
parallel position results in the
unlocking of the foot arch essentially
changing the foot into a mobile flat
structure with no inherent skeletal
stability however as the foot moves from
a pronated to a neutral position and
finally into a supinated position the
planes of the axis converge this
convergence locks the bones of the arch
creating the rigid foot structure that
is necessary for maximum stability and
force production this was also proven in
a study in which the strength of the
ankle musculature in people with
excessive pronations was tested the
authors found that when the foot could
not properly supinate force production
was severely affected in this area okay
so the exercise to help improve lower
limb supination is supinated lunges
start by creating a slightly slanted
platform to stand on i'm using our diy
exercising health balance board which we
teach you how to make in our balance
board and beam tutorial but any plank
would do for this exercise
then while standing on one leg with the
gradient sloping away from you step
backwards with the opposite leg into a
reverse lunge then press down hard into
the board and stand back up now
obviously we want to be able to do this
on a flat surface without relying on a
slanted board but this is a good way to
start to develop the right sensations of
exerting force with the foot in a good
stable position and there you have it
folks six of the best ankle
strengthening exercises and now is the
time to take a screenshot for future
reference also while you're pressing
buttons you might as well hit that like
button too if you want to get out
in-depth ankle strengthening mobility
and balance training tutorials totaling
40 plus videos as well as all the theory
beyond how to build bulletproof ankles
then make sure to check out our ankle
stability course also link down below
supporting us by purchasing these
programs helps us to keep this channel
going so that we can continue
disseminating free science-based health
and fitness content in a simple and
accessible way anyways thanks for
watching i'm your host chris and until
next time cheers
i
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)