It seems like just about everyone these days struggles with some type of pain in their feet, ankles, knees, hips or low back. Our sedentary lifestyles leave us stiff and weak in a lot of these areas, so in order to combat those aches and pains, we must mobilize and strengthen our bodies.
Our feet are the foundation of our bodies and dysfunction can throw our entire body off track, leading to pain and injury in other places.
Below are 15 simple drills that may help loosen up your toes, ankles and the muscles involved.
Disclaimer: These are recommended for healthy individuals. If you have injuries, please see a doctor before performing these exercises.
1. Toes Pointed Sit
2. Knee Circles – Sit Back on heels, hands down, feet and knees close together, then draw circles with your knees.
3. Hips Up, Heels Down, Sit Back on Heels
4. Down Dog Toe Raises
5. Kneeling Ankle Mobility
6. Open the Door
7. Kneeling to Squat
8. Squatting Knee Reaches
9. Elevated Toes – Knee Bends
10. Elevated Toes – Toe Touch – Elevate the toes on a weight plate or similar, keep legs straight and reach for toes.
11. 3 Way Ankle Mobility
12. 3 Way Ankle Mob w/ Knee and Hip Shift
13. Top of Big Toe and Front of Shin Stretch
14. Toe Alphabet Drill – Balance on one foot and write the alphabet with the raised toes.
15. Split Squat Lunge
Done correctly, these stretches and exercises can help improve the mobility of your foot and ankle, as well as, strengthen the muscles that help us move efficiently.
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Wow! Thank you Corey! This is an incredible article!! Kelly Winn-Boaitey, Marta Zuniga, and Joe Vanwormer check this out!!! 🙂 Perfect for your foot, ankle, and knee improvements!
This was a great article. We can really improve strength and mobility of our foot, ankle and knee!
Another awesome mobility article, as you can tell, i’m looking for all of those right now! Squatting knee reaches video is unavailable! Something that is simple but never crossed my mind was the kneeling to squat, I would do it personally, but I never thought of it as a great mobility drill.
Your feet are the foundation for your entire body! An area often overlooked, the body can try to overcompensate for tight feet and pain might occur anywhere from the ankles to the neck, so mobility exercises for the feet and ankles can greatly optimize your performance and movement. The shoes we wear can often cramp or tighten the feet, so these mobility drills should be a priority for anyone experiencing discomfort or pain that could be related to their feet. There are more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the feet and ankles!
This article is dope. I saw a few exercises I’d definitely want to implement into my own morning routine or warm up before a workout.