Exercises for the ankles minimize your risk of injury by increasing your balance and coordination during a wide range of activities. Dancing, running, weightlifting and many other activates require support from your ankles. Ankle exercises may increase the strength and flexibility of muscular structures that support the ankle joint. Increasing ankle strength gives you more control of joint movements, while ankle flexibility helps you move your ankles through a full range of motion.
Balancing
Balancing exercises, which involve balancing on one foot while standing upright, strengthen your ankles. As you become more proficient, you can modify balancing on one foot by closing your eyes. This makes your ankles work harder because visual cues are lacking. Holding a set of dumbbells or a barbell across your shoulders increases the intensity of balancing on one foot. You may also balance on an unstable surface, such as foam, a rolled-up towel, sand or an air mattress.
Calf Raises
Calf raise exercises strengthen the muscles that support your calves. Physical Education specialist, Nick Nilson, recommends swinging dumbbell calf raises for building them. Place a dumbbell on the floor, then rest the ball of one foot across the middle of the dumbbell to set up for the exercise. Grasp a second dumbbell with the hand on the same side of your raised foot. Swing the dumbbell in random directions as your perform calf raises. You may rest your free hand on a counter or ballet bar for additional support.
Sides
Work the inside of your ankles by placing a calf block, foot plate, or 25 lb. weight plate on the floor. Stand on the block by placing only the front inner quarters of both feet approximately shoulder-width distance apart. Raise the sides of your feet to roll up on your big toes. Force your heels toward each other at the top of each rep. Work the outside of your ankles by placing two platforms on the floor about six inches apart. Place the outer front quarters of each foot on the inside edge of each plate. Roll up onto the side of your foot for each rep.
Flexibility
Ankle flexibility may be the most overlooked aspect of athletic fitness, says Mauro Di Pasquale, M.D. Flexible ankles reduce your risk of injury while playing sports and while performing weight-bearing exercises, such as the clean and jerk, squat and snatch. Active isolated stretching exercises, which target your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, help increase ankle flexibility. The straight-leg stretch targets your gastrocnemius as you lean forward while keeping your leg straight and flexing your foot upward. Bent-leg stretches involve placing one foot on an elevated surface, squatting down, and pulling your toes upward.
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