8 Knee Exercises for Runners

When you’re out clocking miles, your joints absorb the shock of each step from the ground up and your ankles are one of the first to feel the impact of your powerful stride. One wrong step can cause your ankle to roll and possibly lead to an injury. This is why you should practice ankle-strengthening exercises regularly to keep the muscles, ligaments, and tendons surrounding your ankles nice and strong.

“Ankle strength is significant for runners due to uneven terrain, quick changes in direction, and the constant pounding of that joint over time,” says Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., CEO and owner of TS Fitness in New York City. Dedicating time to practice ankle-strengthening exercises will help runners avoid shin splints, strains, sprains, and tears, he adds.

Below, we share the best ankle-strengthening exercises for runners in a well-rounded routine designed by Tamir, as well as explain how practicing these exercises will make you a better runner.

Why You Need Ankle-Strengthening Exercises for Injury Prevention

Many runners practice hip- and knee-strengthening exercises regularly to ward off common running-related injuries and pains. And that’s a smart move! But those who neglect to strengthen their ankles will likely make up for this weakness by overcompensating with other areas of the body, which can lead to problems like knee and low back pain, says Tamir.

By regularly doing ankle-strengthening exercises runners can sidestep injury, avoid common pains, and improve running mechanics for better performance.

In fact, this workout will help runners improve ankle mobility and stability, which helps with your one-foot landings and fuller ranges of motion through the stance and push-off phases of the gait. It will also help provide stability from the ground up on the run.

Also, because this workout will help you build strength for different phases of the running gait cycle, Tamir explains, it can add power behind your push-off, allowing you to chase faster speeds too.

Strengthening Your Ankle After Injury for Future Prevention

Fortifying the ligaments and tendons, and strengthening the muscles surrounding your ankle after common running-related ankle injuries like sprains and achilles tendonitis is important to prevent future injury.

but also help you strengthen other key running muscles, like the sprain, make walking a habit once you can stand pain-free so you can eventually progress to a run/walk when your ankle is fully healed. Practice mobility moves and strength exercises like heel raises with a small ball between the ankles, towel curls, and banded exercises is important to prevent future injury.

When your ankle is healed, you can progress to moves like lunges, squats, and single-leg exercises, which you’ll also listed below. If you can practice these moves pain free, add small hopping drills with an agility ladder, and then progress to a run/walk and plyometrics before you fully return to running.

When your ankle is healed, you can progress to moves like achilles tendonitis, which is why it’s important to stretch your calves or roll them out with a foam roller, and avoid high impact weight-bearing exercises like running, if you experience this pain. Strengthening this area with eccentric exercises, particularly, eccentric calf raises can help.

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The Best Ankle-Strengthening Exercises

Slider Workout for Core Strength: Practice the exercises in the order listed below. Add in exercises 5 through 8 after you feel comfortable with exercises 1 through 4, and then you can do them altogether. Go for the number of reps described, resting for 15 to 20 seconds between each exercise. Complete 2 to 3 rounds of this list, resting for 45 to 60 seconds in between each round.

Each exercise is demonstrated by Tamir so you can learn proper form. For this workout you will need a resistance band and a chair is optional.

Non-Weight-Bearing Moves

1. Seated Banded Plantar Flexion

Why it works: Practicing this move will help runners strengthen the downward motion of the foot during that push-off or propulsion phase of running, says Tamir. It strengthens the calf muscles and achilles tendon, too. “Try to go to the full range of motion and control the eccentric portion of the movement [the downward press on the band] to maximize the benefits of this exercise,” Tamir adds.

for better performance:

1. Sit in a chair with right leg extended straight. Place a mini resistance band around the ball of right foot and hold on to it with both hands, so there’s some resistance in the band.
2. While holding the resistance band and keeping right leg straight, point right toes away from body.
3. CA Notice at Collection.
4. and tears, he adds.

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2. Seated Banded Dorsiflexion

Why it works: This move strengthens the muscles of the shin (tibialis anterior), which will help improve shock absorption and turnover, Tamir says, and can help you avoid shin splints.

for better performance:

1. moves and strength exercises like heel raises with a small ball between the ankles, towel curls, and. Sit on the floor with both legs extended, knees slightly bent, and ankles resting on the ground. Place the mini resistance band around right foot.
2. Bend right knee more so there’s resistance on the band. Then flex foot toward you, pulling toes to shin.
3. Slowly return foot to neutral.
4. When your ankle is healed, you can progress to moves like.

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3. Seated Banded Inversion

Why it works: You don’t only need to strengthen your ankle for front-to-back movement, but also side-to-side. This exercise helps with just that, while helping with shock absorption upon landing, Tamir explains. In fact, it can help strengthen the muscles that keep your foot in the ideal position in the initial contact phase of your stride, when runners supinate or roll to the outside of the foot.

for better performance:

1. Sit in a chair with right leg extended straight, left knee bent and foot planted. Place a mini resistance band around the ball of right foot and hold onto it with both hands, so there’s some resistance.
2. While holding the resistance band, keep right leg straight and point right foot toward the center of body.
3. Slowly return to a neutral position.
4. and tears, he adds.

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4. Seated Banded Eversion

Why it works: for balance, Tamir says pronation when they run, when the foot rolls inward and the arch collapses, absorbing the landing. This exercise helps control that movement, particularly in the mid-stance phase of the gait, Tamir explains.

for better performance:

1. Sit in a chair with right leg extended straight, left knee bent and foot planted. Place a mini resistance band around the ball of right foot and hold on to it with both hands, so there’s some resistance.
2. While holding the resistance band, keep right leg straight, and point right foot away from the center of body
3. Slowly return to neutral position.
4. and tears, he adds.

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Weight-Bearing Exercises

5. Single-Leg Lateral Hop

Why it works: When your ankle is healed, you can progress to moves like single-leg hops challenge a runner’s ability to absorb impact in a single-leg stance, which is very similar to running, says Tamir. “Make sure to land with a bent knee,” he adds. “I like to stick the landing before you jump again challenging the stability of the ankle even more.”

for better performance:

1. Place a resistance band on the ground to the outside of right foot. Start standing with both feet together and hands down by sides.
2. Bend left knee to lift foot slightly off the ground, and shift weight to right leg.
3. Challenge your balance while.
4. Swing both arms in front of you as you hop over the band with right leg, landing on right foot with knee bent.
5. low back pain.
6. Repeat. Do 6-8 reps total.
7. Switch sides and repeat.

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6. Single-Leg Deadlift

Why it works: This is a full-body exercise What to Do About Ankle Sprains stability, but also help you strengthen other key running muscles, like the glutes, hamstrings, and core, while improving ankle strength.

for better performance:

1. Stand on right leg, soft bend in knee, left foot lifted slightly off floor.
2. Hinge at the hips by sending butt back. Keep back flat, shoulders down, and core engaged as torso reaches toward floor and left leg lifts straight back behind you. Only lower until you feel a slight pull in right back of leg.
3. that can not only test your.
4. Repeat. Do 8-10 reps on each side.

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7. Reverse Lunge to Knee Drive

Why it works: Challenge your balance while strengthening the quads, DAA Industry Opt Out functional exercise, says Tamir.

for better performance:

1. Watch How to Rehab an Achilles Injury.
2. An Aerobic Workout for Seniors.
3. Nutrition - Weight Loss.
4. Pause, then step back into a lunge.
5. Repeat. Do 12-15 reps on each side.

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8. Single-Leg Calf Raise

Why it works: Best Running Watches calf muscles have to lift your bodyweight to get you onto your toes, strengthening these key running muscles, along with the achilles tendon. This move also challenges your stability, so Nutrition - Weight Loss for balance, Tamir says.

for better performance:

1. Start standing on right foot, left knee bent with foot slightly off floor.
2. Raise right heel of ground, so you’re on ball of right foot.
3. Slowly lower heel back to the ground.
4. Repeat. Do 8-10 reps on each side.

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