Want to Improve Your Lifts? Start from the Ground Up.
By Samara Michaelson
Of all the injuries I’ve had, I wouldn’t have thought those in my feet would be the most impactful. Maybe because we don’t usually think about our feet that much. Maybe especially because they’re small and almost always couched in shoes. But it makes sense. Your body is a kinetic chain that works from bottom to top.
Your body, and my body, must deal with two and a half to three times its weight with every single stride it makes while running. On a typical forty five minute easy run, I make 182 strides per minute, or, doing the math, 8,190 strides in total. My foot is the first point of impact for each of those steps. So when there is dysfunction there and my body- choosing the path of least resistance- does not land properly enough to equitably distribute force, the impact of that dysfunction is multiplied by the thousand-fold.
The impact of foot dysfunction extends beyond running and into the gym. The force you drive down to the ground or floor is directly correlated with the force you use to push yourself up. An athletic stance is the foundation of proper engagement, and so also the foundation of the potential power generated. And the athletic stance, of course, begins with the feet.
A stable foot provides a platform for efficient and powerful movement for the rest of your body. Given that a single foot has over 7000 nerve endings and over 25 bones spread across four different joints, it makes sense that the muscles of your foot serve the primary function of stability.
The key is twofold: foot positioning and foot activation.
Rather than exclusively focusing on your wobbliness and jumping into a myriad of single-leg stability exercises simply to get frustrated by said wobbliness, a good trick is to first build your foot’s “tripod.” Building the foot’s tripod will build a better foundation for all single-leg exercises, and single-leg exercises will in turn provide the necessary stability and functionality to boost your bigger lifts.
The tripod consits of your first metatarsal, fifth metatarsal, and heel. Weight should be equally distributed across these three points.
When you lose this tripod position when, say, your arch collapses inward (pronation) or you wobble to the outside of your foot and your arch loses contact with the ground (supination), stability and power are lost.
Where stability is concerned, it’s necessary for your forefoot and rear foot to have appropriate mobility, and for the motion between your forefoot and rear foot to be controlled specifically by your foot muscles.
To properly assess your foot and the what’s necessary to tap into its potential, let’s break it down into steps.
Step 1: Assessing weight shift in single leg stance
Stand on one foot and close your eyes. Notice where your balance shifts. Stand on the other foot with your eyes closed and do the same. Where your balance shifts may differ from foot to foot.
If you notice a tendency to drift laterally to the outside of your foot: It’s likely you have a tight lateral band in the plantar fascia which tries to pull your big toe off the floor. In order to release this tissue, stand with a lacrosse ball under your fourth and fifth metatarsals with feet in slight pigeon toe position and rotate your hips from side to side.
If you noticed significant wobbliness: you’ll need to improve your foot coordination and activation.
Step 2: Controlling the big toe and improving coordination
The goal of the following exercises is primarily to move your big toe independently of the rest of your toes in order to wake up your foot muscles and prevent or reduce the likelihood of pronation (and so also disengagement of your glutes) as well as to strengthen these muscles.
Toe Yoga: Keep your foot flat on the ground and raise your big toe while keeping all the other toes planted on the ground. Then, do the reverse. Don't cheat by tilting your foot to the inside or outside!
Foot Shortening: Squeeze and activate your arch by creating as much tension between your 5th metatarsal and heel. Don't cheat by scrunching your big toe. You should see your arch raise slightly. Hold for 2-3 seconds per rep.
Towel Scrunches: In a seated position, place your foot over a towel. Bring the towel closer to you by scrunching it with your toes and bringing it back towards you. Progress by adding weight to the far edge of the towel.
Heel Walks: Flex your feet and don't let your forefoot touch the ground at all as you walk forward.
Toe Walks: Raise your heels and walk on the balls of your feet without letting your heel come in contact with the ground.
Step 3: Coordinating foot and glute engagement
Foot contact and glute engagement go hand and hand. Yet often times, when we’re told to use your big toe, we end up collapsing the foot inward in an attempt to do so. As a result, right up the kinetic chain, our knees and hips collapse, too. Similarly, when we’re told to fire our glutes, we often roll our foot up and out. Working on supporting the hips and the foot simultaneously will lead to more stable, powerful, and less injury-prone lifts.
Foam Roller Drill: Helps coordinate the activation between your feet and the external rotators of your hips. Place a foam roller just below your knees. Activate your feet by screwing them out and shortening the foot. Externally rotate the knees. You should feel your glutes turn on. When you externally rotate your hips, don't let your foot supinate to the outside so that your big toe loses contact with the ground. Hold each rep for 4-5 seconds.
At this point you may be thinking, I’m not that serious about the gym and this seems boring and tedious. Or maybe, I’ve never noticed a problem with my feet. I can get by without it. And you probably can. But as I’ve learned from personal experience, strength that can’t be used, that isn’t functional, and that doesn’t adapt to new and unstable environments will only get you so far. Especially when you’re taking at least 8,190 steps a day.
Do you want to learn how to exercise more safely, effectively, and efficiently than you ever have? Sign up for your free fitness assessment and get started on reaching your goals.
