Strong ankles are key to better balance, stability, and injury prevention.
Here are the top five exercises—calf raises, ankle inversion/eversion, toe and heel walks, single-leg balance, and ankle dorsiflexion/plantar flexion—to build strength and support in your ankles.
Keep reading for step-by-step instructions and tips for each exercise.
Exercise 1: Calf Raises – Strengthening Your Foundation
Calf raises are a simple yet powerful exercise for building strength in the calf muscles, which are essential for supporting and stabilizing the ankle joint.
By developing the calves, you also enhance balance, reduce the risk of ankle injuries, and create a strong foundation for various movements, from walking to high-impact sports.
Description
Calf raises directly target the calf muscles, specifically the gastrocnemius and soleus.
These muscles contribute to ankle stability by controlling the movement of the foot and providing strength to the back of the lower leg.
As the calves work to lift and support the heel, they play a vital role in stabilizing the ankle, which helps with balance and reduces the chances of ankle sprains and other related injuries.
This stability is especially beneficial when navigating uneven surfaces or performing activities that require rapid direction changes.
How to Perform
To perform a calf raise effectively, stand upright with your feet about hip-width apart to maintain balance.
Slowly shift your weight onto the balls of your feet, allowing your heels to lift off the ground.
Focus on rising smoothly rather than pushing up too quickly.
Once you reach the highest point, hold the position briefly, feeling the contraction in your calves.
Gradually lower your heels back to the floor, maintaining control throughout the movement.
- Aim for 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions to start.
- For added challenge, consider doing the exercise on a slightly elevated surface, like a step, allowing your heels to drop below the level of your toes for a deeper range of motion.
As you progress, you can increase the difficulty by holding weights or performing calf raises on one leg at a time, which challenges both balance and strength.
Benefits
Calf raises are a foundational exercise for building strong, stable ankles.
By strengthening the calf muscles, this exercise directly supports the ankle joint, improving balance and reducing the risk of injury.
Enhanced calf strength also improves the foot's push-off power, making walking, running, and jumping movements more efficient.
The benefits extend beyond sports and fitness, contributing to safer and more comfortable everyday movement, particularly on uneven or slippery surfaces.
Exercise 2: Ankle Inversion and Eversion with Resistance Band – Targeting Side-to-Side Stability
Ankle inversion and eversion exercises with a resistance band are crucial for developing lateral stability and control in the ankle joint.
By targeting the muscles responsible for side-to-side movements, this exercise strengthens the ankle’s capacity to handle uneven surfaces and resist twisting, significantly lowering the risk of ankle sprains.
Description
This exercise focuses on strengthening two main movements of the ankle: inversion, where the foot rotates inward, and eversion, where it rotates outward.
These movements are controlled by smaller muscles along the sides of the ankle, such as the tibialis posterior for inversion and the peroneus muscles for eversion.
Stronger inversion and eversion muscles provide improved side-to-side stability, crucial for activities that require lateral movement or involve unstable surfaces.
Training these muscles enhances your ability to maintain balance, making the ankle more resilient to twists and rolls, which are common causes of injury.
How to Perform
To get started, sit on the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of you, making sure your posture is upright and comfortable.
Wrap a resistance band around the ball of your foot, holding the other end of the band to create tension.
- Inversion: To work on inversion, rotate your foot inward against the band’s resistance, feeling the engagement of the muscles on the inner side of your ankle. Hold this inward position briefly, then return your foot to the neutral starting position.
- Eversion: For eversion, rotate your foot outward, moving against the resistance of the band. This targets the muscles along the outer ankle, which are key for lateral stability. Once you reach the outward position, hold briefly, and then return to the starting point.
For both inversion and eversion movements, aim to complete 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions.
Keep the movement controlled and steady to fully activate the stabilizing muscles without straining the ankle.
Benefits
Strengthening the inversion and eversion muscles around the ankle improves lateral stability, making the ankle less vulnerable to sudden twists and rolls.
This enhanced stability is particularly beneficial for activities that involve quick side-to-side movements, such as sports and running on varied terrain.
Additionally, stronger ankle muscles help with balance, making everyday activities on uneven surfaces safer and more stable.
By regularly incorporating this exercise, you’ll build a more resilient ankle that’s better equipped to handle unexpected shifts in movement.
Exercise 3: Toe and Heel Walks – Boosting Balance and Endurance
Toe and heel walks are effective exercises for building strength and endurance in the ankle and foot muscles.
These exercises help improve balance, coordination, and proprioception, making it easier to navigate different surfaces and enhancing stability in daily activities.
Description
Walking on your toes and heels engages muscles in the feet and lower legs, specifically targeting the tibialis anterior and calf muscles.
This dual action exercise strengthens the muscles that control foot flexion and extension, providing greater endurance and stability over time.
Toe and heel walks also improve proprioception, which is your body’s ability to sense its position and movement in space.
This enhanced body awareness is essential for balance, reducing the likelihood of falls or missteps, and making movements safer and more stable overall.
How to Perform
To start, find a clear, flat area where you can walk approximately 30 feet in a straight line.
- Begin by walking forward on your toes. Lift your heels off the ground and move forward steadily, focusing on keeping your balance and engaging your calf muscles as you go. This phase challenges the calf muscles and strengthens the stabilizers around the ankle.
- Once you reach the end of the 30-foot path, switch to heel walking for the return journey. Lift your toes off the ground so you’re only making contact with your heels, which activates the tibialis anterior muscles along the front of your lower leg. This motion helps strengthen muscles crucial for dorsiflexion (lifting the foot upward).
Repeat this toe-to-heel sequence 2–3 times to build endurance and stability. Move slowly and keep control over your steps to maximize the effectiveness of each movement.
Benefits
Toe and heel walks improve the endurance of muscles around the ankle and foot, which leads to greater resilience during prolonged activity.
Enhanced muscle endurance supports prolonged walking, standing, and athletic movements with reduced fatigue.
Additionally, these exercises improve balance and proprioception, creating a stronger sense of stability and control.
This benefit makes everyday activities, like walking on uneven ground, safer and helps prevent potential falls or ankle sprains by improving reaction and body awareness.
Exercise 4: Single-Leg Balance – Building Proprioception and Strength
The single-leg balance exercise is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen the ankle’s stabilizing muscles while improving balance and proprioception.
Practicing this exercise regularly can significantly enhance your body’s ability to maintain control during dynamic movements and adapt to uneven surfaces.
Description
Balancing on one leg effectively challenges the smaller stabilizing muscles around the ankle, which often don’t get as much attention as the larger muscle groups.
When you stand on one leg, these muscles must work harder to keep you upright and steady.
This challenge promotes proprioception, or body awareness, allowing you to better sense your position and maintain control in various physical activities.
Enhanced proprioception is especially useful for movements that require agility and precision, as it helps your body respond quickly to changes in balance.
How to Perform
To begin, stand with your feet hip-width apart, and shift your weight onto one leg.
Slowly lift your other foot off the ground, keeping it slightly bent at the knee for balance.
Focus on a point in front of you to help maintain stability, and aim to hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
If you find it challenging at first, you can start by holding for shorter intervals and gradually build up your time as you become more comfortable.
Switch to the other foot and repeat the same process. Perform 2–3 sets on each leg, giving yourself brief rest periods in between.
For added difficulty, try closing your eyes or standing on an unstable surface, such as a folded towel, to increase the demand on your ankle stabilizers.
Benefits
Single-leg balance exercises strengthen the ankle’s stabilizing muscles, which are crucial for maintaining balance in everyday activities as well as sports.
By enhancing these muscles, this exercise reduces the risk of ankle injuries, especially in situations requiring quick, lateral movements.
Furthermore, improved proprioception enhances your ability to perform activities that demand agility and rapid adjustments, such as running, jumping, or navigating uneven ground.
Practicing single-leg balance can provide a solid foundation for overall body control and stability.
Exercise 5: Ankle Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion with Resistance Band – Targeted Strength for Movement Control
Ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion with a resistance band are essential exercises for building strength and control in the muscles that manage foot movement.
By focusing on both upward and downward motions of the foot, this exercise supports ankle stability and helps prevent injuries related to overuse or weak muscles.
Description
This exercise targets dorsiflexion, the upward movement of the foot toward the shin, and plantar flexion, the downward movement of the foot away from the shin.
Dorsiflexion is crucial for lifting the foot during activities like walking, running, or climbing stairs, while plantar flexion plays a major role in pushing off the ground.
Strengthening these opposing movements develops both the anterior muscles, such as the tibialis anterior, and the posterior muscles, like the calf muscles.
Together, they create a balanced support system for the ankle, allowing for controlled, efficient movements.
This control is essential for stabilizing the ankle during physical activities and helps reduce the risk of strain injuries from repetitive motions.
How to Perform
To perform ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion with a resistance band, sit comfortably on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
Loop a resistance band around the ball of one foot and hold the ends firmly to create resistance.
- Dorsiflexion: Begin by flexing your foot so that your toes move toward your shin, pulling against the resistance of the band. This movement should be slow and controlled, focusing on engaging the muscles along the front of your lower leg. Hold briefly when you reach full dorsiflexion, then slowly return to the starting position.
- Plantar Flexion: From the starting position, press your toes away from your shin, pointing your foot and working against the band’s resistance. This downward motion targets the calf muscles and helps improve push-off strength. Once you reach full plantar flexion, hold briefly, then return to the starting point.
Aim for 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions for each movement.
Be mindful of maintaining steady tension in the band and avoid any jerking or rapid movements, as these can lead to strain rather than strength.
Benefits
Strengthening both dorsiflexion and plantar flexion improves ankle mobility and movement control, which is essential for a wide range of physical activities.
This exercise provides balanced strength in the muscles that support the ankle, enhancing both flexibility and stability.
Improved control over ankle movements reduces the risk of overuse or strain injuries, especially for those who participate in activities that involve repetitive foot and ankle motions, such as running or hiking.
Practicing this exercise regularly contributes to greater ankle resilience, allowing for safer and more efficient movement in both daily activities and sports.
Conclusion
Strengthening your ankles with these five exercises can enhance stability, balance, and control, helping to prevent injuries.
By practicing them consistently, you’ll build resilient muscles that support everyday movement and athletic performance.
Start incorporating these exercises into your routine for stronger, more reliable ankles.
