This is my favorite time of the year to run. The air is crisp, the trees are beautiful, the roads in the park are covered with leaves - perfect. Unfortunately when I increase my mileage or my speed (or both!) too quickly, as I tend to do during this time of year, the ankle that was the cause of all of injuries I suffered in 2008 gets angry. In an attempt to strengthen it and therefore make it happier, I incorporate a simple move I call the single-leg stability squat into my strength training routine. This exercise doesn't require anything but a target for you to reach towards (I use a water bottle while at home, but in the gym I prefer a yoga block) and your concentration. It's great for strengthening all of the little muscles in your feet, ankles and lower legs, and it helps improve your balance.
To perform the single-leg stability squat, place your target diagonally to the left in front of you. On a clock face, this would be 10:30. Pick your right foot off the floor about 2 inches and while placing all of your body weight in the left foot, bend the left knee as if you were doing a squat and reach for your target with your right hand:
Do all of your repetitions on one side, then move to the other. The target will now be at 1:30 on your clock face, you'll be standing on your right foot, your left foot will be off of the ground, and you'll be reaching for your target with your left hand.
Things to think about while performing this move include:
--keeping all of your body weight in the heel of the standing leg as if you were doing a squat - this will help you keep that knee from going past the toes, which could lead to injury:
--keeping the leg that's off of the ground as still as possible - this is where your concentration and core strength come into play - this may be quite difficult at first, but keep at this exercise and your balance will get better:
There are a couple of things NOT to do while performing a single-leg stability squat.
DON'T bend over at the waist:
Bend the knee of the standing leg instead, just like you were doing a squat. (Actually, you ARE doing a squat - just a variation of the traditional version.) Bending forward at the waist isn't doing much for your legs.
Also, DON'T let the leg that's hanging out in mid-air move all over the place:
This is the trickiest part of this move. If you have balance issues, you'll be fighting this for a while. You might feel wobbly and your foot may involuntarily go out to the side or behind your body, but really try your best to not let this happen. Working on keeping that foot still will improve your balance and your core strength. Tighten up your tummy and that'll help. And fitting this move in on a regular basis will also help.
My recommendation is 2 sets of 8 repetitions on each leg twice a week to start out with. After a couple of weeks at this level, you can add more repetitions (10, then 12, then 15), 1 more set, and/or 1 more day. Remember the strength training rule: at least 24 hours of rest between workouts. Monday/Thursday, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, Tuesday/Thursday, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday - those are examples of good strength training schedules.
Once doing this move becomes second nature (which it may never do, but in case it does), you can increase the difficulty level by making your target lower to the ground (soup can instead of water bottle, yoga block placed on its side), taking your shoes off and going barefoot, or standing on an uneven surface such as a foam pad or a stability disk.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment