The muscles in your feet and lower leg are just as important to your running form as are your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings, but are often forgotten in strength training routines.
If you’re going to ramp up training, you can’t afford to ignore your foundation. Your lower limb muscles need to be strong, resilient, and function in a coordinated fashion for effective energy storage during each stride and to provide a strong balance to get you through the miles. Neglecting foot exercises that work these important running muscles may predispose you to injury and reduce your running economy.
The muscles of the lower limb and foot are divided into two categories based on their function. The local muscles are the intrinsic foot muscles, often referred to as the “foot-core.” They are responsible for maintaining the shape of your arch and for shock absorption. They are smaller in cross-sectional area compared to the global lower limb muscles. Global muscles are larger and are responsible for moving your ankle and flexing and extending your toes.
Weak local muscles may result in an unstable arch that does not…
