Strengthening your ankles probably appears quite low on most exercise to-do lists. But this is a body part everyone should be prioritizing, because the ankle affects balance, foot mobility and overall stability. Plus, strong ankles are less likely to get injured, particularly when running.
Unilateral (single-leg) balance exercises are the best way to start strengthening your ankles. You can stand on one leg while you brush your teeth or perform the old man test whenever you put on shoes and socks. Both are quick exercise snacks you can easily habit stack (add a new habit on top of an old one).
Biokineticist and sports scientist Raeesa Solwa Mehtar, who specializes in sports and orthopedic rehabilitation, recommended another ankle-strengthening move to try in a recent Instagram Reel, adding a lateral swing of a kettlebell to force your body to compensate for dynamic instability.
How to do Raeesa Solwa Mehtar's move
Why runners need strong ankles
Ankle stability and strength are crucial for runners because they are never on both feet at the same time.
"Tripping on the pavement can cause a sprain for someone who doesn't keep their muscles strong," says Mehtar, writing on the Asics FrontRunner blog. "Once we've been running for a while our main focus becomes the kilometers we accumulate at the end of the week, and it's harder to tell where our weaknesses are. We don't realize our muscle imbalances until we become injured and this is why strength, core, balance, single-leg training and full-body workouts are so important.
More ways I train my balance
I'm a personal trainer and often run mobility classes for seniors, which has shown me just why it is so important to develop ankle strength and my maintain my ability to balance. To do that I practice the leg swing every day and swear by wobble board exercises.
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