The Top Ankle Strengthening Exercises For Runners

Running is one of the safest, most accessible and enjoyable kinds of exercise out there. Nevertheless, as with any sport, there is always a risk of injury when running - and our ankles, which take a lot of the load when running, are particularly prone to problems. One survey found that over 70% of long distance runners had experienced at least one foot or ankle issue in the past year.

The good news is that you can significantly reduce your risk of ankle problems by doing ankle strengthening exercises. Ankle exercises target the muscles around this vital joint, building strength and resilience so you’re less likely to experience overuse issues.

Read our in-depth guide to learn about ankle strengthening exercises for runners, the benefits of these workouts, and how to fit them into your training.

Brief overview of ankle biomechanics for runners

Before you start doing ankle exercises, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of what your ankle is doing when you run.

Your ankle is the joint which connects your lower leg bones and your foot. It’s made of 33 bone joints, plus cartilage, ligaments, nerves, and blood cells, and its movement is made possible by a complex network of dozens of muscles. When you run, a force up to 13 times your bodyweight passes through the bones, muscles and ligaments of your ankle.

Your ankle mainly moves four directions:

• Down and away from your body (plantar flexion)
• Up, and towards your body (dorsiflexion)
• It allows your foot to move inwards (inversion)
• And outwards (eversion)

When you run, your ankle plays a vital role in your gait:

• Your heel hits the ground first, and dorsiflexion means your toes are pointing up towards you.
• Plantar flexion then begins, as your foot ‘flattens’.
• As you push off from your toe, plantar flexion continues, and your toes point down and away from you.
• Your ankle may invert or evert when your foot is on the ground. This allows you to adapt to different surfaces.

Why do people get ankle injuries when running?

There are many reasons people develop ankle injuries when running. According to a meta analysis (study of studies), some of the top causes include:

• Running longer distances
• Surface type you run on
• Footwear problems
• Having a history of running injuries
• Incorrect foot position (increased dorsiflexion or eversion, for example)

To learn more, read our article about common running injuries.

What Are The Benefits of Strong Ankles for Runners?

Ankle strengthening exercises for runners provide multiple benefits:

• Lower risk of injury: Having stronger ankles may reduce your risk of a wide range of ankle injuries, including shin splints, plantar fasciitis, sore knees, twisted ankles and more.
• Greater stability, better form: Strong ankles mean your feet are more stable, and will therefore be less likely to roll too far inwards or outwards.
• Run faster: Stronger ankle muscles mean the muscles in this area are more rigid, allowing them to push you off the ground like a spring. That can help you run faster.

A word on health and safety

The ankle exercises we’ve listed here are intended for healthy runners who are looking to develop more strength around this joint to reduce their injury risk. If you already have an ankle injury, you should first rest and consult a medical professional for advice on ankle rehab exercises. Some of these ankle strengthening exercises might be used as part of your recovery, but others aren’t suitable if you’re injured, so it’s best to get professional advice.

Related: Returning to Running Training After an Injury

Top ankle strengthening exercises

By taking the time to perform some simple ankle strength exercises, you may reduce your risk of developing ankle injuries. Here are some simple exercises you can do to strengthen ankles.

1. The ankle alphabet

The ankle alphabet is a simple ankle strength exercise that you can do anywhere. It works to build strength in all your ankle muscles, improving control and resilience. Here’s how to do it.

• Sit on a chair, with one foot on the ground, and the other foot in the air.
• Imagine the big toe on the foot in the air is a pencil.
• Simply use that toe to draw out the letters of the alphabet in the air - exaggerated movements are better.
• To begin with, it feels easy, but after a few letters you’ll start to notice your muscles working.
• Once you’ve ‘written’ A-Z, switch to the other foot.

2. Single Leg Balances

A single leg balance is an excellent ankle exercise. It helps to build resistance in your ankle stabilisers, your calf muscles as well as your upper legs too. Here’s how to do single leg balances:

• Stand up, facing forward,
• Bend one leg at the knee, and lift the foot up behind you. Hold your foot by the ankle.
• Now, focus on holding your balance while standing in this position. To start with, 15 seconds is enough, but over time you can build up to longer periods.
• Then, switch legs.

There are many variations of single leg balances too:

• Knee forward: In this variation, you lift your knee upwards and forwards, rather than behind.
• Leg rotation: A more active movement. With one leg on the ground, you lift the other leg forward, sweep it round to the side, to the back, and back to the front again.

3. Calf raises

A calf raise is a really good way to strengthen ankles for running. As the name suggests, this exercise improves calf strength, but also works several other muscles that support plantar flexion (your ankle moving down) and muscles which help with eversion (inward motion) of your ankle.

Here’s how to do calf raises:

• It’s preferable to do calf raises barefoot, but it’s OK to do them in trainers too.
• Stand up, facing forward.
• Raise your heels slowly, while your knees stay extended.
• Once you’ve reached as high as you can, wait for a second, then lower to the ground.
• Repeat several times.

There are several calf raise variations you could try, including:

• Weighted calf raise: Hold a weight to your chest, and do calf raises. The weight will add resistance.
• Calf raises on a step: Stand with the balls of your feet on a step, with the heels off the edge. This increases the range of motion on the calf raise, meaning your heels can go lower than the ball of your foot, thereby adding to the challenge.

4. Resistance Band Ankle Flexion Exercises

Resistance bands are a really useful tool for doing ankle strengthening exercises. By using the band in different ways, you can add resistance to the four natural movements of your ankle (as described above), and this helps increase the strength of all the muscles involved in each movement.

• Resistance band plantar flexion: Sit on the floor with one knee bent and the foot on the ground, with the other leg stretched out in front of you. Hook a resistance band around the outstretched foot, and hold the other ends in each hand until the band is tense. Now, push the front of the foot away, hold, and return to starting. Perform several reps on each foot.
• Resistance band dorsiflexion: Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Anchor one end of the resistance band to something secure, and loop the other end over the front of one foot. Move yourself far enough back for the band to reach tension. Then, tilt your foot up towards you, hold, then return to starting.
• Resistance band ankle inversion: Anchor the exercise band on the floor to your right hand side, then hook the other end around the top of your right foot. Lie on your back and roll the foot inwards and upwards to exercise your inversion muscles. Switch positions for the other foot.
• Resistance band ankle eversion: Anchor the exercise band on the floor to your left hand side, then hook the other end around the top of your right foot. Lie on your back and roll the foot outwards and upwards to exercise your eversion muscles. Switch positions for the other foot.

5. Lateral hops

Lateral hops are challenging ankle stability exercises that can really improve strength and balance. They are tough, however, so avoid doing them if you have a knee injury or ankle weakness. Here’s how to do lateral hops:

• It’s better to do ankle hops in cushioned sports shoes.
• Find a flat surface with plenty of space around you.
• Bend one leg up behind you, and place your hands on your hips.
• Now, hop side to side on the other leg. Aim for controlled, but regular hops.
• Don’t hop too far either side as this can cause instability. One metre is more than enough.
• Do 20 side to side hops on one leg, then switch to the other leg.

If you don’t feel so confident hopping on one leg, a two-footed side to side hop will still deliver plenty of benefits and muscle conditioning.

6. Duck walks

Duck walks are great ankle strengthening exercises for runners, which strengthen many leg muscles - including your ankles. Here’s how to do them:

• Get into a squat position with your foot around shoulder-width apart.
• Keep a straight back, and don’t lift your toes or heels off the ground.
• Now, simply ‘walk’ forward, while keeping your hips the same height from the ground, lifting one foot forward, keeping your feet flat.

There are plenty of variations on duck walks, including:

• Backwards duck walks: Find a safe, flat place, and do the duck walk backwards.
• Side to side duck walk: Get into a squat position, but move five steps to the right, then back five steps to the left.
• Weighted duck walk: For added resistance, hold a suitable weight close to your chest, then do the duck walk as usual.

7. Heel toe walks

A heel to walk helps to strengthen ankles and improve your balance too. It will condition all muscles used in your ankle’s movement for plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion and eversion. Here’s how to do heel toe walks.

Find a straight line on the ground - such as the baseline on a tennis court.

Walk on a straight line, but place the heel of the front toe so that it touches the front toe of the other foot with each step.

Incorporating Ankle Exercises into Your Running Routine

When and how should you fit ankle exercises into your running schedule? One good thing about exercises to strengthen ankles is that they require little or no equipment, and also don’t take much time.

Whatever level runner you are, it’s a good idea to include at least one strength training session in your running routine each week. You could easily fit in a few of these ankle exercises into that session, and soon start to see the benefits. This would be a great time to use resistance bands, or do more challenging exercises such as lateral hops.

Since many ankle strengthening exercises require no equipment and can be done fairly quickly, you could also include them into your running warm ups and cool downs. For example, you could include calf raises in your warm ups, then use heel toe walks in your cool downs.

Footwear and ankle protection

With up to 13 times your body’s weight passing through your ankles when you run, it’s no surprise that this exercise can lead to injuries. And this is where proper footwear comes in. ASICS’ running shoes use a variety of technical features to reduce the shock of running on your ankles and other joints:

• GEL™ cushioning: Our unique GEL™ material absorbs the shock of your foot striking hard pavements, trails and treadmills.
• Foam midsoles: We use lightweight foams throughout the soles of our running shoes that further absorb impact from the ground.
• Supportive upper and collars: Help to keep the ankle securely in position.
• Stability shoes: For people whose feet overpronate (roll too far inwards) or underpronate (don’t roll in enough), we have built shoes with stability features that help address these issues.

Related: How running shoes can protect ankles and knees

Build ankle strengthening exercises into your routine

Ankle strengthening exercises for runners offer so many benefits - from reducing your injury risk, to improving your form and even helping you run faster. What is more, they’re quick and easy to do, and the results can be impressive. So, why not include some ankle exercises into your running routine?