restore: the legs program

lets discuss how we’ll train and plan for success:

In your enthusiasm to start TRAINING and getting stronger, it will be easy to just jump into this plan and start working hard.  But that approach isn’t likely to give you the results you’re looking for.  

What do I mean?

It’s not just about training “hard.” It’s about moving well – patterning well – building skills. Especially early on.

Your focus must first on those things, first and foremost. 

And in this program, that begins with the feet. If THEY aren’t doing their job, everything else above them will suffer. We’ll begin there. 

Introduction: 

I believe there’s a strong connection between small-nerve proprioception at the bottom of the foot and intrinsic strength of the foot, with stability and overall function of the hip and core, all of which have a direct impact on your…

1. durability and overall resistance to injury,

2. running speed, stamina, and endurance,

3. overall health and ability to feel good, look good, and age gracefully.

Our Fascial Net

I also believe that one of the most important things we need to develop to remain healthy and run faster, especially as we get tired late in long races, is more stiffness of the fascial net (in general) and the ankle joint/foot complex (in particular).

We also need balance in our entire lower-leg complex, so if calf flexibility and ankle mobility are even a little bit lacking, that’s also going to be important to improve. 

That being said, here are some general guidelines to keep in mind as you move forward with this training: 

1. Do all of your running warm up barefooted, where practical.  Practice the skills I’ll present to you barefooted as well. This is the approach whether or not you wear orthotics when you run, ok?

2. Next, it all begins with the Short (Small) Foot exercise. Get really REALLY good with this. Get really good at short foot. Make sure your intrinsics are strong and working well! Great toe mobility too, if this is lacking at all.

If you don’t already, do some rolling and MFR with a lacrosse or golf ball on the bottom of your feet, too. 🙂

3. Each day, work on some single leg balance, after creating that short foot first. Do it both with eyes open (easier) and eyes closed (harder). The ideal surface for this is wood, if possible.

To summarize, the best approach with all of this is definitely “one step at a time.”

Each skill builds upon the one before it.

Small Nerve Proprioception Balance Drills:

For example, in this program, you will see some challenging single-leg balancing movements that will challenge and help you progress these skills….but just as a quick reminder, they won’t be able to be done as well as you would like (without compensating) unless your Short Foot is also well done… 🙂

That is…

• If you have difficulty with short foot exercise, this is where you focus your energy.
• If you have difficulty standing on one leg and balancing, this is where you focus your energy.
• If your big-toes are restricted in any way and don’t move as they should, this is where you focus your energy.
• And so forth..and so on.

One last thing: if you are over 40 or have had some injuries in the past of the leg or foot, this is really important for you.