There are many perks that come with being on the Power Athlete team; sweet gear, international travel, and the opportunity to assess hundreds of athletes in an accelerated window.  No matter where we are in the world, many of the same limiting factors show up.  Weak trunk, difficultly moving hips through space, and little shoulder girdle awareness, to name a few.  But there is another limiting factor that I have been noticing more and more, flat feet.

Flat feet occur when the arch collapses and the ankle pronates, rolls in, excessively.  This position of the foot has a chain reaction of misalignment and potential for injury to the ankles, knee, hips and all the way up to the shoulders!  Problems arise from flat feet when they are either ignored, accepted, or given a quick fix.  Quick fixes include ‘arch support’ insoles or heavy, padded shoe recommendations that provide temporary relief for the foot, and ignore up chain consequences.  This quick fix breaks a golden rule: muscles are developed and maintain their strength only when they are used. You must stress to progress!

The central nervous system and the role it plays in our training is a frequent topic of discussion on our blogroll.  What few people realize is how receptive the foot is helps the central nervous system in determining the forces of an action and the intramuscular coordination necessary for the body to react.  The sole of the barefoot also exhibits a powerful plantar surface protective response which diminishes plantar loading on ground contact, which reduces the risk of damage from overloading during locomotion.  Compression of any part of the sole during squats, cleans, presses or other standing exercises can cause general instability and shearing at the above joints.  Athletes who never move barefoot diminish this plantar sensory feedback and affecting reflexes and recruitment!

Athletes must be aware of the reduction of proprioceptive and tactile sensitivity that they are losing by never training their barefeet.  This article a take a quick look at the anatomy of the arch of the foot and provide movements for foot arch development and training of the intrinsic muscles of the foot. These movements will benefit not only the flat footed athlete, but also those looking to improve explosiveness in their squats, Olympic lifts, and plyometrics. Enjoy!

Tri-Plantar Arch
Ligaments in the foot and the ankle maintain the position of these three arches:
1) Medial longitudinal arch, important for shock absorption.
2) Lateral longitudinal arch, important for balance.
3) Transverse arch, adapts the foot to the ground.

Intrinsic Muscles of the foot
First (superficial) Layer: abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor digiti minimi (quinti)
Second Layer: quadratus plantae, lumbricals (four)
Third Layer: flexor hallucis brevis, adductor hallucis, flexor digiti minimi (quinti) brevis
Fourth (deep) Layer: dorsal interossei (four), plantar interossei (three)

Equipment
A penny and a pen are all that is required for the following exercises.  The penny will need to be placed under the big toe knuckle and is in place to ensure the Transverse arch is engaged and there is no supination, rolling onto the outside of the foot.  The pen is a tool to ensure that the movement is being executed properly and the longitudinal arches are being pulled up and engaged without collapsing.

Set Up
For all of the Tri-Plantar exercises below the athlete will set the big toe knuckle on top of the penny and the pen underneath the mid-foot.  The athlete will then lift the big toe off the ground and grab the ground with the four smaller toes.

Movements:

https://vimeo.com/101222991

Tri-Plantar Arch Iso-Stability/Balance 

Muscles Involved:
Tibialus anterior, Flexor digitorium longus, Flexor hallucis longus, Peroneus longus, medius and tertius, Intrinsic muscles of the foot

Purpose:
This iso-metric hold targets the medial and lateral longitudinal arches and makes all of the intrinsic muscles work in unison to pull back and develop stability and connectivity in the foot.

https://vimeo.com/101222998
Tri-Plantar Arch Balance w/ Rotation

Muscles Involved:
Tibialus anterior, Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Flexor digitorium longus, Flexor hallucis longus, Peroneus longus, medius and tertius, Intrinsic muscles of the foot

Purpose:
This exercise targets the medial and lateral longitudinal arch and requires them to maintain true arch support as the body moves through the transverse plane.  This movement can be accomplished two ways; 1) rotation taking place at the hip, 2) rotation taking place at the trunk with the hips locked in place.

https://vimeo.com/101223068
Tri-Plantar Arch 4-Point Pick Up

Muscles Involved:
Tibialus anterior, Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Flexor digitorium longus, Flexor hallucis longus, Peroneus longus, medius and tertius, Intrinsic muscles of the foot

Purpose:
This exercise targets medial and lateral longitudinal arches, transverse arch, the intrinsic muscles of the foot and mobility of the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the lower leg.  Stability will be challenged as body moves through different planes of motion. Posture and trunk will be challenged here.  Be sure to reestablish the tall, standing posture before and after each pick up.

Execution:

• –Establish foot and arch position, then set a tall posture by raising an object overhead.
• –Maintaining posture get as low to the ground as possible, place the object to the right of the foot, then return to a tall, standing posture.
• –Return to the object, pick it up, reestablish standing posture, then place the object across the front of the body and return to tall, standing posture.
• –Return to the object, regain posture and place the object to the back right, behind the body, and return to tall, standing posture.
• –Return to the object, regain posture and place the object to the back left, behind the body as far as possible with a rotation, and return to tall standing posture.
• –Lastly, return to the object after touching all 4 corners, pick it up and return to tall, standing posture.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/101221816[/vimeo]
Towel Crunches

Muscles Involved:
Flexor hallucis longus, Extensor hallucis longus, Flexor digitorum longus, Extensor digitorum longus, Intrinsic muscles of the foot

Purpose:
Common training practices trap the foot in shoes with little opportunity for true flexion and extension.  These towel crunches target the intrinsic muscles by flexing the metatarsophalangeal joints as the towel is grabbed and pulled developing and strengthening the Transverse Arch.  Sticking with our lengthen and strengthen protocol, focus on extending and splaying the toes as far as possible before pulling each rep.

Implementation

Similar to all of the movements provided in the first ‘Attacking Limiting Factors‘ segment, these are not easy and will take a level of patience during practice.  These exercises were what I used in rehabilitation after suffering a broken ankle and having my foot locked up in a cast for 6 weeks.  If your training day includes squats, cleans, plyometrics or sprinting, put these exercises before training to get the foot firing.

These are also great drills to invest time in during an Active Recovery day on Field Strong where you have no time constraint and are able to practice at a low heart rate.

The key is to begin with the Iso-Stability holds and go for 3x Max Time R/L.  As you begin to stabilize and strengthen the arch, challenge by moving through different planes of motion with the rotation and 4-point drill.  The towel drill is a classic lengthen and strengthen exercise, and can be progressed by either getting a longer towel or adding fractional plates to the towel.

Without correcting this position and strengthening the arch the whole kinetic chain of the athlete is at a risk. Identify this limiting factor in yourself or your athletes, and begin attacking it with above movements.

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