If you're over 30 & your ankles are feeling stiff and old, it's NOT because you're old.
It's because you're not doing these 5 exercises (no equipment needed)...
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Tibialis raise rotation
Exactly like the tibialis raise, but at the top you rotate your feet out and in.
This will strengthen muscles along the side of your lower legs.
1/ Straight leg
Keep your knee straight and press your big toe into the ground.
Work both flat foot and heel raised using wall support as needed.
This is the easiest and lowest level for the ankle.
FHL Calf Raise
Maintain straight legs while you slowly lift your heels up and down, you can progress to a single leg.
This will strengthen your calf muscles with more focus on the top portion.
KOT Calf Raise
Maintain bent knees while you lift your heels up and down, you can progress to a single leg.
This will strengthen your calf muscles with more focus on the lower and deeper portion.
1) FHL calf raise
This will strengthen your calf muscles with more focus on the top portion.
Start with both legs and progress to single leg over time.
1/ Ankle flossing
Every couple of hours do 25 pumps, clockwise circles, counter clockwise circles, and finish with more pumps.
The floss band will restrict blood flow and movement will flush blood out.
When the band is removed, a fresh supply of blood will rush in.
I rebuilt my lower body in 12 weeks before training for my first marathon.
Here’s the exact no-equipment routine that gave my legs spring-like power.
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Blood carries nutrients our body needs to recovery from an injury.
If you want to recover quickly from ankle injuries, STOP just resting and icing.
Start promoting blood flow to your ankle with one of the below methods.
5 minutes a day could fix your foot and ankle problems for good.
Master these 5 positions for 30 seconds each.
Bookmark this thread to avoid a lifetime of ankle pain.
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2/ Ankle pumps and circles
If you don't have a floss band, this is a great alternative.
Do the exact same reps as mentioned with the floss band and you'll still promote blood flow.
3/ Backward deadmill or walking
Start these once you can stand and walk with little or no pain.
The deadmill is great because you can use your upper body to add some assistance at first.
Build up to 5 minutes every day and start to make major gains in your feet and ankles.
@atgexercise
4/ RDL
Shift to a staggered stance to put additional emphasis on the front leg.
This stance should allow you to get a slightly deeper range allowing additional stretch through the front ankle.
1/ Ankle pumps & circles
Great for bringing blood into the ankles and working the range of motion gently.
Adding floss bands will increase resistance and improve blood flow.
@atgexercise
floss bands are inexpensive and durable (code SSS10 for 10% off).
4) Tibialis raise rotation
This will strengthen muscles along the side of your lower legs.
This can be made harder by moving further from the wall or standing on a slant board.
The
#1
exercise to start dealing with knee pain is also crucial for dealing with your ankle pain.
In this thread I'll show you how to strengthen and open your ankles and knees.
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@atgexercise
3/ Baby bounces
With your hands on a stable surface bounce up and down.
Start on both legs and gradually shift to single leg.
These are a great tool because you can use more or less upper body assistance based on your current level.
@atgexercise
If by reading this thread you have learnt something new then please;
- Follow me
@LowVolumeRunner
for daily ankle tips
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2/ Bridge
Instead of driving entirely with the hips use the back of your knee too.
There are calf muscles that connect to the back of the knee, and this variation will put emphasis on them.
1/ Get blood flow through your ankles regularly with movement.
Blood flow carries nutrients, and this speeds up the healing process.
Movement is what drives the blood flow and nutrients to the injured area.
Ankle pumps and circles are a great place to start.
To recap 5 things to avoid after an ankle injury:
1/ Too much rest, not enough movement
2/ Avoiding deeper ranges of motion
3/ Not leveraging isometrics
4/ Eating inflammatory processed foods
5/ Increasing intensity too quickly
A year or two from now I'll be living on a small farm with my lovely wife.
Producing our own food and enjoying each other's company.
I can't think of anything better.
Increasing your lower leg strength is the key to improving plantar fasciitis, frequent ankle sprains, and consistent knee pain.
Master these movements to get there...
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@atgexercise
3/ KOT calf raise
Maintain bent knees while you lift your heels up and down, you can progress to a single leg.
This will strengthen your calf muscles with more focus on the lower and deeper portion.
1/ Get blood flow to your ankles regularly with movement.
Blood flow carries nutrients, and this speeds up the healing process.
Movement is what drives the blood flow and nutrients to the injured area.
Ankle pumps and circles are a great place to start.
@atgexercise
If by reading this thread you learned something new then please;
- Follow me
@LowVolumeRunner
for daily ankle tips
- Repost or share this thread to help someone else
@atgexercise
6/ Tibialis raise rotation
Exactly like the tibialis raise, but at the top you rotate your feet out and in.
This will also strengthen muscles along the side of your lower legs.
3/ Deep bent knee
Bend your knee deep and press your big toe into the ground.
Work both flat foot and heel raised using wall support as needed.
This will really emphasize those deeper calf muscles.
The position is like the KOT calf raise made popular by
@atgexercise
.
Bad running gait puts uneven pressure on your ankles, which can lead to pain or worse injury.
Imbalances and tightness in the body impact your running gait.
Here's my 9 part mobility routine to keep my body limber for running.
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1/ Ankle jumps
Avoid too much bending at the knees and keep your heels off the ground, this will keep the focus on the ankles.
These are a great low intensity exercise, which will start to challenge your ankles as you get back to running.
@atgexercise
Thanks for reading!
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@LowVolumeRunner
for more tips
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@atgexercise
2/ Backward walking
Try to keep your heel off the ground to focus more on your forefoot strength and stability.
You can do them on flat ground, treadmill, or
@atgexercise
backward treadmill.
2/ Depth jumps
Jump from an elevated surface, get into a slight squat, and jump again.
Start on a short box (or
@atgexercise
package) and gradually increase at a pain free level.
These are great to start building higher capacity to absorb and transfer force.
If by reading this thread you have learned something new then please;
- Follow me
@LowVolumeRunner
for daily ankle tips
- Follow
@atgexercise
and
@CoachGeoffReed
for more strength training tips
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5/ Seiza
Actively press your shins into the ground as you gently sit down and back.
It’s important to keep the stretch through the top of your foot and shins.
This will help open up the top of the foot and shin.
2) Tibialis raise
Both of these variations will strengthen the muscles along your shin.
On the wall is great for beginners or at home.
Where as on the bench is great for really opening up the front of the ankle.
Build to 30 seconds on each side pain free.
As you're going through these, think about keeping the weight on the ball of your big toe.
If 1 foot is too difficult to start, you can always do 1 minute on 2 feet in the beginning.
If it's too easy, try holding a dumbbell.
An enjoyable morning run with my partner.
She surprised herself being able to keep a sub 8min pace for over a mile.
I knew she was more than capable, so I gave her the push.
1. Your calf has 2 primary muscles within it.
The gastrocnemius, which is the 2 main heads you see when you flex your calf.
The soleus, which is the deeper muscle of the calf.
Both muscles have similar roles, but can benefit additional types of movement.
To recap:
Getting stronger in these movements will improve the health & resilience of your ankles.
1) Backward walking
2) Forward sled
3) Tibialis raises
4) KOT calf raises
5) FHL calf raises
6) Aim for the
@atgexercise
standards
2/ Improve the range of motion through your ankles.
This will increase the ability of your ankles overtime.
When doing calf raises elevate your heel to avoid touching the floor.
Try tibialis raises on a bench with weight to really open up the front of your ankle.
@atgexercise
If by reading this thread you have learnt something new then please;
- Follow me
@LowVolumeRunner
for daily ankle tips
- Follow
@atgexercise
for more strength training tips
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@atgexercise
Start on straight leg flat foot and build up to 2 minutes.
Then you can progress to straight leg with the heel raised for 2 minutes.
Follow this flow for all 3 levels.
Once you hit level 3 for 2 minutes, you can incorporate shorter holds with added weight at each level.
Thank you for reading this thread!
If you’re struggling with ankle pain follow
@LowVolumeRunner
for more tips!
Share this thread to help someone else get through ankle pain!
1) Ankle pumps & circles
Great for bringing blood into the ankles and working the range of motion gently.
Adding floss bands will increase resistance and improve blood flow.
@atgexercise
floss bands are inexpensive and durable (code SSS10 for 10% off).
1) Backward walking
Improves knee/foot/ankle health.
Goal is to drive through the toes.
You can do this with a sled on turf, on a treadmill, or any safe open area.
If by reading this thread you have learnt something new then please;
- Follow me
@LowVolumeRunner
for daily ankle tips
- Repost or share this thread to help someone else
Try the following foot focused workout twice a week:
60sec arch myofascial release
2x30 towel curls
*3rd set on injured side
2 sets
- 45sec toe glove
- 45sec big toe stretch
- 45sec seiza
1a) Force Absorption
The main function of your shins it to absorb force when you come in contact with the ground.
Your calves primary function is to produce force or push off the ground.