5 Exercises To Strengthen Your Ankles For Hiking
The worst injury I’ve had while hiking was a mild ankle sprain. We were doing a short hike in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. The trail was well maintained and not technical, but I still misstepped and rolled my ankle. Thankfully it wasn’t too painful, and I was able to walk back to the trailhead, but it still put a damper on the day and the pain lingered for a few weeks.
Ankle injuries suck and unfortunately they’re pretty common among hikers because most hiking trails are on rocky uneven terrain.
You only have a couple options if you want to keep your ankles safe and injury-free when you’re on the trail. You can spend money on external aids, such as boots or braces, or you can improve your ankle stability and strength. Both methods have been proven to reduce the chance of ankle sprains (1), but I prefer to avoid relying on external aids unless absolutely necessary.
In my previous article I talked about how to prevent ankle injuries while hiking, so today I want to focus on specific exercises you can include in your workout program to achieve this.
Single Leg Balance
The single leg balance is a quick and simple exercise; you just have to stand on one leg. It’s a great exercise when you first start stability training because it doesn’t require you to move while balancing, and you’re on a stable surface.
I would include the single leg balance exercise at the beginning of your workout, at the end of your workout, or as an active rest in-between sets of another exercise . Start off standing on each leg for 30 seconds, and once you can do that for four sets without adjusting or wobbling you can move onto the next exercise.
Single Leg Rotation
The single leg rotation is a big step up from the single leg balance exercise because it involves moving while standing on one leg. This exercise is great for hikers because hiking involves a lot of single leg movement and balancing while moving. This is why strength exercises, such as lunges and step-ups are great for hikers.
Focus on doing four sets of 12 to 15 repetitions, and try to complete the set without restarting or readjusting.
Single Leg Balance on Unstable Surface
The single leg balance on an unstable surface is a great balancing exercise for hikers because a lot of hiking trails are covered in unstable rocks. In the video below I’m using a balance disc, but the exercise can be done with a balance board, a foam pad, or a BOSU ball.
Just like the single leg balance, your goal is to balance on one leg for four sets of 30 seconds without restarting.
Calf Raises
Calf raises are the go-to exercise to strengthen the ankle joint. Increasing calf strength can also increase your hiking performance since your calves take a brunt of the work while hiking.
There are a lot of variations and progressions for calf raises, but if you’re a beginner you’re going to start with body weight calf raises as shown below. I recommend doing calf raises on the edge of an elevated surface so you can place stretch on the calf, but it’s fine if you do them on flat ground.
Tibialis Raise
The opposite movement to the calf raise is the tibialis raise. The goal of this exercise is to work the underutilized muscle, the tibialis anterior, on the front side of your lower leg.
Strengthening the tibialis anterior can prevent knee injuries, improve balance, and redice pain in the shins, knees, and lower legs.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to improve ankle strength and stability, and it’s extremely beneficial for hikers, but most people overlook ankle exercises and focus on the bigger aspects of training, such as cardio and strength training. You don’t have to dedicate an entire workout to ankle strength and stability. You just have to include a couple exercises in your current workout routine. You can include them in your warm-up, cool down, or do them in-between sets of different exercises.
Kaminski TW, Needle AR, Delahunt E. Prevention of Lateral Ankle Sprains. J Athl Train. 2019;54(6):650-661. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-487-17
About Author
Zach Helzer
Zach Helzer is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who founded Trailhead Fitness to help hikers, backpackers, and mountaineers get strong, confident, and pain free so they can crush their next outdoor adventure.