by Sean St. Onge
“You have gorilla feet…”
“Ya big whoop, wanna fight about it???”
Those who have met me know I enjoy training barefoot (save but squatting with a barbell). You may see me doing almost everything barefoot in the gym.
Why?
I enjoy the concept of connecting to the ground by “rooting” in to gain a feel from the floor. But most of all, I feel most comfortable this way.
Do I scare small children with my Hobbit-like feet? Yes.
Have I ranted on and on about the scene from Die Hard when Bruce Willis meets the dude on the plane and tells him to relieve his stress with “make fists with your toes” once he arrives at the hotel room??? Yep sure have!
And I have written about feet before… specifically here:
http://www.212healthandperformance.com/212blogfull/2014/5/20/shoes-off.html?rq=feet
and oh yea here…
http://www.212healthandperformance.com/212blogfull/2014/5/30/shoes-off-part-2.html?rq=feet
but I digress…
Today I wanted to touch on ways to strengthen yourselves from the ground up. Balance is a huge goal for many people that walk into a gym. Regaining balance specifically. As if by some magic people “lost it.” And then, POOF, in a flash it was gone. What should be reminded to all who have lost said balance is the concept and definition of the word balance.
balance
/balens/
noun
an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.
“EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF WEIGHT…”
When we are speaking of creating an even distribution, it can also be assessed that one side is weaker than the other. In order to regain this, we must equally strengthen all parties involved. When it pertains to the foot, we, as coaches, look for a three point position of strength at the base of your foot (“Tripod position”) when performing steady work to create as much power and strength as possible. This is illustrated below, but when the big toe, pinkie toe, and heel all connect with even distribution to the ground we can sufficiently create a stable surface to gain power from.
*Photo credit to “TheseWiseFeet.Com”
So ya, your feet, although smelly, disfigured, and gnarly as they are, are indeed very important to your well being and overall strength.
Here are a few drills to incorporate into your weekly routine to strengthen your feet:
“Walk the tight rope”
This one seems simple but very effective and provides a lot of feedback. Lay a battle rope down to its full length and play a little bit of “the floor is lava”. Do your best to walk the line without falling off the rope.
“Single Leg Kettlebell Hand to Hand Passing”
This drill, off the top, is already difficult as you need to be able to perform a single leg Romanian deadlift position. THEN, lightly pass the bell left to right for anywhere from 3 to 5 reps per side. Aim small, miss small here with weight. Start with a very light kettlebell. You will feel your contact foot gripping like crazy to the floor. Continue to maintain the tripod position.
“Alternating Toe Lifts”
I stole this gem from Dr. Vincent Brunelle. The feet are a gateway to the vast intrinsic muscles that start the process of major movements throughout our bodies when walking or moving. Soft tissue work to this area is also important and can help release some gummed up musculature to provide better function. I mean, you guys are in shoes all day… To perform, concentrate and start with driving the big toe only into the floor and lifting your other four toes. This may take a while. Practice. Then try driving the four smaller toes into the floor and extend your big toe into the air. Give this a go, you might be surprised how difficult this is.
Again foot strength is extremely important for general movement, all too often we “hit the ground running” with life and take for granted our feet as we just need to get going. Take the time to give those puppies some love with soft tissue work and ACTIVATE them by trying these drills before you get out and get going with your day.
SOAP BOX….out.