Foot Strength: From Weakness to Stability
As a teenager Henry excelled in Taekwondo and long-distance running. But he suffered many ankle sprains in his left foot. These injuries disrupted his body's natural alignment, making his feet weak and unstable.
Because he didn't know how to fix his feet, this led to knee pain. Worst of all was having to quit running and miss his Senior year of track. Henry stopped running for 5 years out of fear he would hurt himself again.
He wished he knew this earlier. But he's grateful to share his experience to help you overcome foot issues.
Foot strength matters; weak feet lead to limited flexibility. In this newsletter, we will tackle how you can create stable and pliable feet.
Part 1: What’s at stake
Stability
What’s at stake when it comes to having weak feet, flat feet, or high arches and achieving stability in those feet? Well, for one, athletic performance is almost impossible. We need to be able to move between arch and flat foot, allowing for supination and pronation of the feet.
When our feet are rigid, the bones have limited range, making the body feel like it's walking on rocks. There is only one logical solution here. You need to increase the range of the bones in the feet and make them pliable. When this happens, you can strengthen the foot in many positions. When the foot is strong in all directions, your whole athletic world opens up.
With the proper foot range and strength, you can run, jump, and make lateral moves. These moves translate to activities like tennis or basketball. You can even join your friend in pickleball, which is becoming more popular with people over 40.
Increased risk of falling and injuries.
Let’s start with the end in mind. Well, not the end end 💀, but the older version of yourself. Look at it from another perspective. You think about and plan your financial independence in your retired life.
Take the same approach, think about and plan for your future fitness level. Weak feet are unstable. Invest in your foot strength because research shows that a major cause of falls are due to weak feet.
You can’t be super active and have weak feet.
When you do high-level activities with weak feet, you can make existing issues worse. Weak feet lack the stability and support needed for sports. This increases the risk of strains, sprains, and other musculoskeletal problems.
Neglecting foot strength may affect performance and create setbacks in your progression. So set aside 10 minutes to do the exercises we demonstrate in Part 3.
Part 2: We need to think about the feet differently.
Foot health is a priority
I’m sure there are people who appreciate looking at your biceps or glutes because you worked hard for them. You prioritized the development of those muscles. You also place importance on things like your career and time with your family. So why do we neglect the most loyal part of our body?
Give your feet the love they deserve. You need the right tools to be able to assess your foot strength, flexibility, and alignment.
Foot health is a priority because without healthy feet, we cannot be active. We’ve seen many people dealing with many injuries and very weak, stiff feet. It makes our jobs much easier when we’re able to assess and address the feet as part of the whole body.
Many people with foot pain use inserts or wear squishy shoes to make their feet feel comfortable. But, this is nothing more than a band-aid solution. We need to make the feet uncomfortable by making them work. The type of exercises that engage the toes or improve control. To make them more flexible we massage the feet and bring them through their range of motion.
We shouldn’t walk on our feet as if they were wearing mitts. The feet need to be dexterous, like the hands of a piano player. Our feet can and should be the same.
This is for real! Young woman singing and playing piano with her feet.
Let’s consider the hips as a source of our weak feet
The hips are the hub of the body. They are the center of your upper and lower body. The hips affect everything up and down the chain. Our hips also dictate our most fundamental movement pattern, walking.
As an example, if your feet point outward your hip external rotators are working overtime. This causes you to put pressure on the outside part of your foot. By addressing the hips in this situation you want to target the hip internal rotators. This pulls your feet into a straight forward position.
If you continue to walk in a poor position overtime you will create dysfunction and pain in your feet. We'll address the hips in detail in a future newsletter. That way you can start to create a more functional hip and foot coordination.
Part 3: The exercises & releases that we use to balance & strengthen our feet.
Walking…Seriously
To release and make the feet more pliable, a good idea is to start by walking without shoes. Don’t even wear socks; go barefoot.
Yes, some people will think that is gross. But feeling the earth beneath your feet is essential for strengthening them. This simple act will release them, make them more pliable, and get blood flowing to them.
You can start by walking on grass or on carpet.
Two things to experiment with while walking barefoot.
Walk Heel to Toe
Walk Toe to Heel
You can see Henry walking both ways in the next exercise.
Walking with Weight
Walk in a straight line.
Focus on pushing through the ball of your foot near the big toe. Push through this spot to stay stable.
Avoid swaying side to side.
Engage your side hip muscle for balance instead of your lower back.
Walking Heel to Toe. Watch how Henry's heels land first.
Walking Toe to Heel. Watch how Henry's feet land on the forefoot first.
Runner's Pose
This is a stationary running position.
Focus on pushing your foot down into the floor and as you do that place your attention on your glutes.
Make the connection of your foot and your glutes.
Increase the intensity of the tension of your deep core muscles.
Foot strength comes from the support leg on the ball of your foot.
Hold at the pose at the top!
Lateral Lunges
Focus on controlling how your weight spreads on the inside of your foot.
Place attention through the first metatarsal (the big toe).
Moving from side to side will strengthen the outer parts of your foot.
This is excellent for both balance and building strength.
Lateral Lunges
Toe Yoga
Place the finger of the opposite-side hand between the toes.
With the same-side hand, pull the heel upward towards the head.
Place your fingers between your toes and lift the heel with the same-side hand.
Twist and flex the front of your foot using your fingers.
Spread your toes apart while keeping the heel lifted.
This will help improve circulation between the bones and allow the feet to breathe.
Toe Yoga
Heel Release
With the opposite-side hand under the outside of the heel, support the hand with the same side knee.
Using the same hand as the foot that is being released, press on the middle of the ankle.
With both pressures pushing the heel up, lift the ankle upward and back to a neutral position.
Upward motion is more important than downward motion during this mobilization.
Heel Release
The Bottom Line
We've delved into Henry's journey, where foot injuries sidelined his athletic aspirations. His experience underscores the crucial link between foot strength and overall mobility, highlighting the impact of neglected foot health on athletic performance and even everyday activities.
Recognizing the interconnectedness of the body, we've explored the role of hips in foot function, emphasizing the importance of holistic approaches to address underlying issues.
From walking exercises to targeted releases, we've provided actionable insights to cultivate foot strength and flexibility, empowering you to enhance your physical well-being and pursue your fitness goals with confidence.
Take charge of your foot health today and pave the way for a more active, resilient future.
