Calf and Ankle training and why it helps for trail running

As a group fitness instructor, avid outdoors woman, and long-distance runner for over a decade, I have tried almost every trick in the book to be better, faster, and stronger. Last week I talked about the importance of hill training for trail running. I briefly mentioned working the ankles on the spin bike and that that helps with trail running too.

Want to know why? Well, if you’re still reading I’ll assume that’s a yes. Having strong ankles on a trail can help minimize injuries and help you bounce from rock to rock. If you were of the mindset that bouncing from rock to rock is a fun thing.

I used to sprain or twist my ankles all the time. It was chronic and I have several types of ankle braces depending on which sport I was playing or what surface I was running on. I did a lot of research as to why I was getting injured so much. Part of it was having weak calves and weak ankles. The weak calves played into my weak ankles. It was a situation I was determined to solve.

There are a few little exercises that you can do to strengthen your ankles and the muscles in the nearby vicinity. They only take a few minutes each day and I believe everyone should do them. No excuses.

Calf raises are so important for your ankles, your feet, and of course your calves. You can do them while you brush your teeth. I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes. Everyone does at first, even my husband. Until they start to do them and notice that 2 minutes of calf raises really do make a difference and it makes brushing go by faster.

I recently had surgery and have been put on no activity but walking and extremely low impact. So you know what I do, I do calf raises like there’s no tomorrow. I’ll have some beasty calves by the end of these 6 weeks! But, even on low activity restrictions it’s something that can be done. Plus, it helps with your balance – more on that next week.

You will want to foam roll your calves to help loosen them up before and after your mini workout though. Trust me, you don’t want those babies cramping in the middle of the night.

Another one that I love doing is standing on the bosu ball and stretching the ankles. First you tilt forward so the front of the ball touches the ground, then tilt it back and to the sides. A few minutes each day will help strengthen and stretch those muscles. Because, did you know that stretching is a vital part of the strengthing?

Don’t have a bosu ball, no worries. Here’s what I did: Take a round piece of smooth wood (you can find them at hardware stores). I got one the size of a pub table top. Cut a hole in the middle of it – made my husband do that part. Grab a baseball and shove it in the hole. Half of it should stick out the bottom. Wham bam, you have a home made balance ball.

It was cheap, easy, and allowed for my creative side to come out. If you don’t want to make them, reach out to me and I’ll get you in-touch with my guy.

Do you do Yoga? No? You should but I won’t go into too much detail today about why. Downdog is a pose where your hands are out slightly in front of your shoulders and your feet are back behind your hips with your booty in the air. In this pose you can do calf raises which will work the ankles and it stretches out your shoulders too, added benefit! I like to do pulses of three with my heels off the ground then release for a beat and repeat until they’re on fire.

You can even sit on the couch and point your toes and flex your toes. If you’re a Netflix binger such as myself, this is a great way to feel less like a potato and still be a potato. My second favorite for those ankles is getting into the pool and heel toeing to one side and then walking backwards toe heeling to the other side. It burns so good!

Now full circle back to the spin bike and how it can help with your ankles. When you do standing sprints on the bike it works the calves and ankles. You may not feel it as much as you would doing calf raises, but the benefit is there. Those muscles are working to stabilize you as you power forward, even though you’re really not actually moving forward. If you’ve ever done a spin class you may think, “Why am I actually doing this? I’m sitting here for an hour and not going anywhere. My tush hurts, I’m sweaty, and this instructor is telling me to push harder.” Trust me, we’ve all felt that way. But now you know there is actual benefit to it and it’s not just pointless torture!

You really only need a few minutes each day to improve your health. To strengthen your muscles. So next time you’re brushing your teeth, think of me and do those calf raises!

Keep your eyes peeled next week for my balance training tips.