How to strengthen your lower legs
Runners require strong ankles and calves to stabilize themselves when running. Nicole Clancy has 5 exercises to help strengthen them.
"The lower body works as one long chain of muscles promoting movement. When lower-leg muscles are weak, your foot will not be able to stabilize on the trails, and the large muscles of your upper legs are unable to work at full power." says Nicole Clancy.
1.Single-leg squat
Strengthens the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.
2. Standing calf raise
Strengthens the calf muscles.
3. Seated calf raise
Strengthens the calves in a slightly different way than standing calf raises, and increases ankle mobility to absorb the uneven terrain of trails.
4. Stationary lunges
Strengthens calves, glutes, quads and hamstrings.
5. Holding lunge with heel raise
Strengthens quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
6. Wall slides
Like lunges, these keep the lower-leg muscles under constant tension, as well as strengthening the quads and hamstrings.
7. Standing toe raise
These strengthen the tibialis anterior muscle that sits on our shin bone and is responsible for lifting the toes.
For instructions on how to do the exercises and read the full article by Nicole Clancy click here.