Strengthen Your Foundation to Get Rid of Pain & Bad Movement Patterns
Written By Cat Blatner
Do you ever feel like you’re dealing with one ache or pain after another? Whenever an athlete comes to train with me and says they are dealing with any sort of injury, I like to look at the condition of that athlete’s feet! Why you ask? Because our feet are the foundation of almost everything we do and yet, they can still be neglected. It’s important to look at the stability you possess in each foot individually before diagnosing an injury or worse, continuing to repeat bad movement patterns.
This is a very simple test. First I have my athlete stand on a single leg with their knee in perfect alignment with their hips and hold for a minimum of 60 seconds. If this is challenging for them or they complain of cramping in the feet, I know that they are working with a weak foundation.
How can this be strengthened?
Keep it simple. STAND ON ONE LEG MORE OFTEN! I know that seems like a silly or simple answer but that is exactly what you should do. Practice single leg holds and as soon as you are able to hold yourself for 60 seconds with minimal effort, you add instability to your foundation to increase the difficulty. I love to use foam pads to accomplish this task.
Repeat these drills before each training session and if it is extremely hard for you, it would be beneficial to try to add these after your workout as well. When your feet are strong your foundation is stable and therefore it will be much easier to maintain proper movement patterns. Give this a try and see if it helps you!
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