Move of the Month: Heel Walks and More
by GRP Rower Sophie Calabrese
When we think of strengthening muscles, we often focus on the large, visible ones, like the calves or quads. However, your seemingly inconsequential anterior tibialis, the muscle running along the front of your shin, is just as crucial for overall leg health and mobility. Your body is an integrated or kinetic chain, where motion/ability at one joint, or the lack thereof, affects overall movement further down the line. In other words, if your ankle lacks mobility, your body will compensate by leaning forward and compromising the spine, placing it in a potentially harmful position. To protect against this, it’s important that all the links in this chain are healthy and able to support good movement.
The anterior tibialis muscle plays an important role in this kinetic chain. It is responsible for dorsiflexion, or the action of lifting your foot upwards towards your shin. This also means that it cushions your knees as you run, absorbing impact as it lengthens. Because of this, a strong anterior tibialis plays a key role in preventing injuries (like shin splints), improving balance, and supporting efficient movement around the knee joint. Proper movement around the knees means happy and healthy hips.
Here are a few ways to strengthen your anterior tibialis:
Heel walks
Stand tall and supported with your feet about hip-width apart.
Lift your toes so that you’re balancing on your heels.
Take small, controlled steps and keep your toes off the ground.
Start with 3 sets of 20-30 seconds of heel walking. As you get stronger, see if you can make it up to a minute for each set!
Toe raises
Lean with your back against a wall.
Lift your toes off the ground so that you’re only on your heels.
Lower your toes back to the ground in a controlled way.
Start with 3 sets of 10-12 reps. As you get stronger, increase it to 15-20 reps per set!
Resistance band dorsiflexion
Find an appropriate resistance band and attach it to the bottom of a fixed object, like a weight rack or a heavy bench.
Put the band around your toes and sit on the ground facing the band.
Draw your toes up towards yourself and control them on the way back down. Don’t let your knee come up during this motion. Isolate the anterior tibialis on the front of your shin.
Start with 3 sets of 10-12 reps and increase to 15-20 once you feel like you can!