The tibia is a large bone in the lower segment of the leg that connects your knee to the ankle. Both sides of the tibia have thin strips of muscle called the anterior and posterior tibialis. The anterior part is on the front and the posterior part is on the back. The way to strengthen these muscles is by doing exercises that involve plantar and dorsiflexion. Plantar flexion takes place when you bend your ankle and move your foot downward. Dorsiflexion takes place when you bend your ankle and move your foot toward your shin. Strengthening these muscles will reduce the risk of developing such injuries as tendonitis and shin splints.
Step 1
Walk across the room on your heels to target the anterior tibialis. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and raise your toes as high as possible. Take 20 to 30 steps across the room, turn around and come back. Keep your toes as high as possible with every step and resist the urge to let your toes flare outward or inward. You have the option of doing this exercise with or without your shoes on.
Step 2
Execute a set of calf raises. Face a wall with your feet hip-width apart and one hand on the wall for balance. Raise your heels as high off the ground as possible and hold for a second. Lower yourself down slowly and repeat. Perform this exercise one foot at a time for a variation. Bend the knee of your non-working side and let your foot hang in the air behind you.
Step 3
Use an aerobic step to do reverse calf raises. Position your heels on the step and stand with your left side facing a weight machine or wall. Place your left hand on the machine for balance and bend your ankles to lower your feet toward the floor. Rise up high on your heels and hold for a full second. Lower yourself back down slowly and repeat.
Step 4
Sit on the floor to do a resistance band pushdown. Straighten your right leg, wrap a flat resistance band around the sole of your foot and grasp the ends with your hands. Push your foot straight down as far as possible and hold for a second. Lift your foot back up, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 5
Perform a seated resistance band inversion exercise. Sit on a massage table or the floor and wrap one end of the band around your right foot. Secure the other end around a sofa leg or some other sturdy object that is on your right side. Keep your leg straight as you bend your ankle inward so the bottom of your foot faces your left side. Move your foot back out slowly, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Tips and Warnings
- Aim for 12 to 15 reps with each exercise and do four or five sets. Work out three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
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