Functional foot strength with toepro

Want strong feet? 👣 So do we. And I can tell you since our new obsession with the dynamometer, we are on a mission to break some records with that thing 😉 .
Why? Numerous studies show that foot/ ankle strengthening exercise improve balance, provide stability during the push off phase of gait, and as we know provide a foundation for the rest of the body. 👍 Weakness in these muscles can lead to plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, bunions and Achilles tendonitis and multiple other dysfunctions up the kinetic chain. 👎 Weakness in the toes in the elderly is also a contributing factor to an increase in falls. 🙅🏻‍♀️
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Something to consider…..strength gains while exercising are angle specific. To be effective, foot exercises must duplicate the positions muscles are used while 🚶‍♂️ and 🏃🏽‍♀️. We know that during the gait cycle, the toes are at a position of dorsiflexion (upward position) during push off…..SO……
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exercising the toes while they are stretched results in a fourfold increase in toe strength compared to conventional exercises! 🤯🤯 COOL STUFF…..So what does this mean…
The short foot, picking up marbles with your toes, banded toe exercises, while all ore a good place to start, if you want to move well, you have to MOVE. You have to make things functional. 😊
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I have been going to town on this thing, and I can tell you, day 1 my foot cramped and I got to about 10 reps and was getting fatigued. Working up to the protocol of 4 sets of 25 reps doesn’t happen over night. But I can tell you, I can’t wait to see that dynamometer read when I can 😁💪
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Modification: roll up a small towel and place under the toes. The foam of this device does provide an increased resistance that is necessary to improve gains however. .
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[dannythomas]

☀️👏 new information for me. And feet problems.