[hlnx1]

The small muscles inside the foot help support the arch and contribute to stiffness during push-off. They are rarely trained directly, which has raised interest in foot strengthening.

• Exercises such as the “short foot” (doming the arch without curling the toes), toe yoga and towel scrunches target the intrinsic foot muscles
• Some studies have found that foot exercises or gradual use of minimalist footwear can increase foot muscle size or strength
• Whether this reduces injury risk in runners is less clear; evidence is promising but limited
• Barefoot or minimalist running should be introduced very gradually, because calf and foot bone loading rise

Related: bone stress injury prevention.

Do you train your feet directly, and have you noticed any difference?

[hlnx1]

A five-minute foot routine, three to four times a week: short foot holds 3×10 of 5 seconds, toe yoga (lifting the big toe while the others stay down, then the reverse) 2×10, single-leg balance barefoot 3×30 seconds per side, and slow single-leg calf raises.

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