{"id":12172,"date":"2024-09-19T09:28:08","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T09:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=12172"},"modified":"2024-09-19T11:27:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T11:27:06","slug":"loaded-training-for-the-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/loaded-training-for-the-foot\/","title":{"rendered":"Loaded training for the foot – reconnecting with a masterpiece"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0You don\u2019t have to be training for a sport, event or personal best to see the difference of improved foot strength and function. Gordon Cunningham asks, why do we neglect our all-important feet when it comes to training and how we can rectify this oversight with loaded training for the foot.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The feet have become a missing link from most people\u2019s training programme and the main reason is that we cover them up and forget about them. The second reason is that we don\u2019t want to spend designated time on them, as we have other things we want to train or we\u2019re restricted on time.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the solution? We do both.<\/p>\n

The foot is a masterpiece and, unfortunately, it becomes one of those hidden secrets never to be discovered fully in some cases. Over 70% of our sensory awareness\/receptors comes from the foot, so it\u2019s fair to say it plays a big role in our everyday movement, providing us with body awareness and, in some cases, it\u2019s referred to as our \u2018sixth sense\u2019.<\/p>\n

In most movements, the foot is the first part of contact with the ground \u2013 as well as the body part that connects most with our physical environment \u2013 and we can start to bring this into play with our training programmes and movement sessions. Whether we\u2019re looking at our walking gait pattern, running, jumping, sports or general lifestyle movements, the foot is asked to deliver on all aspects of force, direction and speed.<\/p>\n

So, this would be the place to start in the training process, working all the important factors we should be working: strength, conditioning and movement.<\/p>\n

Creating sequencing <\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to form a daily practice and make our training more interactive by varying kit, ranges and direction of movement to take the foot and ankle through all motions of movement: you get what you focus on.<\/p>\n

The main importance when targeting the foot through training is to think about sequencing.<\/p>\n

What movements can we relay through training that allow us to indirectly work the foot and ankle at the same time and lead from the ground up or top down to ground? How do we integrate the movement, working up the chain and allowing all the sections to play their part? If the foot does not play its vital role, the force still has to go somewhere and this is when the knees and hips tend to get bullied and it can lead to further issues.<\/p>\n

Load distribution and control<\/strong><\/p>\n

Focusing on this allows you to challenge balance, awareness and reaction time of the body in the environment around you. Loading through various angles, speeds and motions challenges the control element by accelerating or decelerating through the movement. There is a misconception that, if you can do the movement, there is no problem. The key is, can you do the movement under control? I like to think of this as a volume control: can you turn the volume up or down when necessary? Fast or slow, long range or short, and in all three planes of motion. As Shane Benzie said, \u201cEach movement you make invests in the next movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bodyweight<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using our body to provide drivers of motion and direction of load, in this drill we will be using the leg as a driver to take the foot through a series of angles and, most importantly, natural movements, covering supination, pronation, dorsiflexion and tilting actions. By using a wall for support and the key goal of not lifting the heel of the planted foot, we use the leg\/knee as a directional driver. Work to the current capacity of the ankle\/foot range.<\/p>\n