When we suffer an injury, we must take a series of measures when training, the first thing is to have the doctor’s approval to be able to resume sports activity and then it is necessary to adapt the exercises so as not to damage the injured area. However, the most important thing is to do a series of exercises to strengthen the joints and muscles, to prevent injuries. By doing these exercises, we can prevent most injuries. As is the case with the ankles, a part of the body that often suffers injuries. For this reason, today we have prepared this article to give you tips and exercises to avoid ankle injuries.
7 exercises to avoid ankle injuries
Instep raises: to be able to do this exercise, you need an elastic band or rubber band, which you must tie to the leg of a table, sofa or other heavy furniture, so that it does not move while you do the movement, sit in front of the object that you you have chosen Place the other end of the elastic band over the top of your right leg, straighten your right leg, and bend your left knee to help you balance. Now, move the ball of your right foot toward you, as if you wanted to point your toes at your face, then stretch your foot down. Repeat the exercise, doing a total of 2 sets of 15 repetitions on each foot. Remember that it must be a slow movement, without haste and not abrupt.
Lateral foot turns: to do this exercise you must put the elastic band as in the previous exercise, in this case, you will put the foot to the side, so that the band is on the side of the foot. The movement, as you may have guessed, is lateral. Move your foot out and in, this way you will work the muscles from another angle. This will help you strengthen all the muscles in this area. Do 2 sets of 15 repetitions with each foot, as in the previous exercise.
Pushdowns: Remain seated for this exercise. You have to take the elastic or rubber band with both hands and pass the other end through the sole of the foot, that is, under the foot. Push a little upwards with your hands, but not too much, just enough that the foot has a little difficulty doing the exercise, but not so much that it can’t move at all. The movement that the foot has to make is to push down. Try to move your foot straight, do not use all the force with your fingers or with your heel, if you do, you can load a muscle and the exercise would be counterproductive. You have to do the same sets, 2, and reps, 15.
Toe clamps: now we will do an exercise to strengthen the toes, to do this, you have to take a cushion or a cloth and put it on the floor, sit in front of it and place your feet on it. Wiggle your toes to try to grab the cloth or cushion, as if you were making a pincer with them. Repeat the movement for 30 seconds, rest a bit and repeat the exercise.
Circles with a ball: now you must stand on a cushion or a cloth that slides a little on the floor, you could even do it on a hemisphere of balance. Holding a medicine ball, kettlebell, or lightly weighted ball in your hands, lift one leg up and balance on the other. While in this position, roll the kettlebell or medicine ball back and forth in circles around your body. In this case, you also have to do 2 sets of 30 seconds on each leg.
Blows to the wall: continue on the cushion or the hemisphere of balance, now take a ball that weighs a little, in this case a kettlebell will not work because it could damage the wall. You have to stand on one foot, as in the previous exercise, and throw the ball at the wall, try to catch it when it bounces. The ideal is that you play with different heights, throw the ball higher and lower and try to catch it.
Knee raise: now we are going to combine the material that we have used so far, take the elastic band and the hemisphere or the cushion, tie the band to the sofa or a table that weighs, as we have done at the beginning of the training and put a leg on top of the hemisphere or the cushion (with your back to the sofa or table) and the other inside the elastic band, at ankle height. Try to raise the knee that you have on the elastic band, it does not need to go up much. Do 3 sets of 15 reps on each leg.
So far the exercises to prevent ankle injuries. You can do them once or twice a week and it is important that you combine them with other strength exercises so that the muscles are healthy and strong. In our online gym you will find many exercises that will help you.
