The repetitive motion of running requires strong muscles on the front and backs of your shins. Strong muscles in the backs of your legs give you a powerful push-off with your back foot, while strengthening the muscles along the front of your shins help you pull your toes back when touching your foot down in your stride. Strengthening your ankle muscles can help prevent injuries like rolling your ankle over on unstable ground while also making you stronger to improve your run times.
Ankle Drops
Stand with the balls of your feet on a stair and your heels hanging over the edge. Gently hold onto the railing for balance, but be sure that all your body weight is being held on your ankles. Use the muscles along the backs of your calves to lift yourself up on the balls of your feet. Hold this position for about five seconds before lowering your heels below the step, still supporting your body weight on the balls of your feet. Hold this position or about five seconds and repeat the entire movement. A variation of this exercise can be performed with your toes pointing slightly inward or slightly outward in order to target specific muscle regions of your calves.
Single-Leg Hops
Stand on your left foot while resting the top of your right foot behind you on a box or a stair. Be sure that you don't place any of your weight on the box; rather, use it to help provide stability when performing this exercise. Begin hopping up and down on your left foot as fast as you can. You don't need to lift your body very high off the ground; barely leave the ground in order to perform the hops in rapid succession. Repeat using both legs.
Lateral Step-Ups
Stand with your left foot on a stair or sturdy box and your right foot flat on the floor. Slowly straighten your left knee to lift your right foot off the floor, but be sure that you don't support any weight on your right leg. Bend your left leg and allow your right heel to touch the floor, but be sure that your body weight remains supported by your left leg. Try to perform 10 repetitions of this exercise and then switch legs. Perform an equal number of repetitions with each leg in order to maintain muscular balance.
Standing Ankle Jumps
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend both knees slightly to help prevent injury to your knees when performing this exercise. Use only the muscles of your ankles to push your body off the ground. As you return to the ground bend both knees immediately to help prevent injury and then immediately spring off the ground again using only the muscles of your lower leg and ankles. Try to spend as much time as possible in the air, touching the ground only to absorb the shock of landing and jump again. Repeat until you can no longer jump.
References
- WashingtonRunningReport.com: Five Strengthening Exercises for the Foot and Ankle
- BrianMac Sports Coach: Three Strengthening Exercises to Improve Stride Length and Frequency
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Preventing Overuse Running Injuries
- Bodybuilding.com: The Best Exercises For Developing Speed and Vertical Ju
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