Happy Feet: Foot Mobility and Training for Running Strength and Injury Prevention

This Running Longevity episode will break down the optimal running foot movement and provide exercises to bulletproof your feet. 

Our feet are one of our greatest sources of injuries. Many of the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet extend up to your ankles, knees, and hips. Thus, any weaknesses or imbalances are transferred up the chain to create more imbalances. 

Studies show that nearly all of us have foot issues because we’ve worn shoes that have progressively compressed our toes and foot tissues, thereby limiting our ability to function properly. Most runners know this and now wear shoes with a wider toe box. 

More recently, a new issue has surfaced: The increased stack heights in running shoes creates a cascading effect that demands good mechanics and strong, flexible feet to control that force. 

This force happens to be up to 8 times your body weight. Our feet are designed to handle it, but higher stacked shoes challenge our ability to control it. Every athlete knows that speed and strength are only assets when you can control them.

This episode breaks down the four key phases of the running movement as they pertain to our feet. 

1. Foot Strike
2. Pronation Phase
3. Transition to Supination
4. Toe Off

You'll also learn four exercises to strengthen and mobilize your feet for optimal running.

Resources: 

flexor hallucis longus muscle - Wikipedia

Ep 296, Foot Health: Peter Attia, MD & Courtney Conley

ATG Zero Workout from the Ground Up - This includes three of the exercises mentioned in this episode, with the fourth below.

 Exercise to mobilize outer foot tissues for proper foot pronation

Mobo Board - training tool to develop foot strength and mobility