Functional Strength Training: Watch the video above as we demonstrate how to strengthen the feet by using cylindrical objects (such as a PVC pipe from your local hardware store) and how it can help you create a stronger Base of Support.
Read Video Text Below:
Hi, David Weck.
Today I am going to teach you a simple way that you can begin to strengthen your feet very inexpensive. Go to your local hardware store, that's where we are. You're going to get cylinders. You start with soft. This thing right here [holds pipe] you find this in the plumbing section. It's soft and it has a yield. That's going to be your easiest.
Then you're going to go diameters.The bigger the diameter, the easier it will be on your feet. Here's how it works in your body. When you step on something that hurts your feet, it makes tension rise up because you want to get of it. So it's compensation in the upper body for pain or weakness in the feet. And so "Ah", like that now I can't drop my weight, I can't be athletic. Even if you do not perceive that effect in your body, that's actually what's happening when the foot can't do the job that it should be doing.
So here's how you do it. You progressively train them. Start with that lateral arch that needy spot on the outside first.This thing's great because I can just smash it down, it's going to yield and I just go to a fresh section on the tube and just do it. You want to spread the toes best you can because when you're pushing down on that and your feet are weak, it's gonna make your toes curl. So you'll come down and it will make your toes do that. So you want to actively fight against that. Spread and extend the toes and you get that outside. Now we do that transverse, that's this section here. Be real easy, especially as you get down here might hurt a lot. You can begin seated if necessary.
And then the last one is this side, that big medial arch where we're gonna just turn it on an angle and roll that out. Basically the direction that you wanna move is this way more than that way. This way is taking slack out of the foot. This way we can encourage slack. So emphasize that direction of the roll. So now we come to a bigger diameter. You can actually stand on this. Do a little bit of lumberjack log rolling. Make sure you hold on at first. So whatever you need to, hold onto something, a door jamb works really well. Hold on.Make sure you can put weight on it without collapsing the foot. If you have to, you begin seated.
You can just walk it. Just like this. Eventually, you can develop the balance to literally like turn it and walk it. Just like that lumberjack.I like to do it when I'm watching television.You know, when I'm doing something else just sit there and roll my feet while I'm watching a show or something like that, watching the football game, etc. Now, when we progress to here, and to here and to here, we're progressively getting more and more wicked. This one will really hurt. If this one's on a hard surface like a wood floor - Ooh!Putting full weight on that is gonna really hurt unless you're strong. So, we put that down, to be able to commit full weight to it, Watch my whole body, see how relaxed I am?I'm putting full weight on that. I'm putting full weight. I couldn't do that in the beginning but because I do this more often and frequently, my feet don't hurt basically whatever I'm stepping on, just can't be sharp and now the rest my body can be completely relaxed because my feet, the base, is strong.That's the whole idea.
The stronger your feet, the more reserve you have through the rest of your body. The less tension you'll carry. So it's a very important thing to do. I advise you to do it. It's as simple as going to your hardware store, get this cheap gear, 10 or 20 bucks and you can get started. Let me know how it works for you follow us at @Weckmethod
