Run Your Best Race And Pace: 5 Workouts For Strong & Stable Feet

• We don’t fully agree because, besides the right running shoes, you just need (first and foremost) healthy feet for running, not running shoes.

• Healthy feet need attention and care, as they carry us many, many miles, especially during training phases.
• What do you think? Do you agree with that sentence or do you give thanks to your feet’s performance by pampering them? Not yet? Well, our rejuvenation package for runners’ feet will help you change that starting today. Because your feet should be just as fit as you are.

• When running, for a short moment both your feet are in the air. The forces exerted on your foot when touching the ground again can sum up to multiple times your own body weight and they have to be cushioned.
• Although our feet are pretty sturdy and generously built, they can cause lots of pain when overstrained or neglected and no runner should do without happy, healthy feet!
• Strong foot muscles combined with great care are a must for top performance in any training run or race. We often only notice our feet when they’re hurting, due to bruises or skin irritation.
• These are all signs indicating that the complex anatomical construction of your foot is somehow impaired. Possible causes can be too tight running shoes, overstrain, your running style, being overweight or your foot static.
• Stable feet constitute the base of your entire body, they even impact the position of your hips and pelvis when standing, walking, or running.
• Even your spine can benefit from healthy feet if movement patterns are conducted right starting from the feet. Everything’s connected!

Stable feet – why you should care?

• Stability and movements of your feet are controlled by intrinsic (short feet muscles located in your foot) and extrinsic (muscles originating from outside your foot skeleton) muscles – and we often forget about those smaller, shorter ones!
• For every step we take, the different layers of our intrinsic muscles control the extent and velocity of deformation of our foot arches. If those short muscles don’t work properly, our body’s base becomes unstable and can result in foot pain. If your feet are hurting, nothing will go smoothly. Don’t let that happen!

Strengthen your feet muscles – Prevent injury

Workout for runner's feet

Can you intentionally move certain toes? Try it out!

• It may be more difficult than it seems. Start by lifting your big toe while trying to keep all other toes on the ground, then the other way around.
• This also called sun salutation of toe yoga refers to intentionally splaying out all toes to eventually extend the gaps between your toes.

• A stable ankle joint aids in ideal force transmission and prevents runners from getting injured (e.g. twisting your ankle).
• Heel lifting is an exercise for strengthening the ankle joint. Lift your heels as high as possible, then slowly let them drop again.
• To intensify this exercise, try balancing on one leg, on a step, or on an unstable surface (like a rolled-up yoga mat).
• These variations not only train your ankle joint but also your balance and coordination.

• Take off your shoes and stroll across a meadow, wade through a little stream, or walk along a gravel path.
• Scientists found that walking and running barefoot strengthens our feet' muscles. Plus, the soles are stimulated with sensory information, thereby improving your postural stability.
• Head out for a shoeless run on safe territory – that’s like doping for your feet!

Make time for your feet

• Reserve 10 minutes each day & dedicate them to your feet!
• Don’t forget: They don’t only carry you across the finish line, but also to the winner’s podium. Do you have some tips to keep your running feet in tip-top shape? Share them with us in the comments below!