Engaging in ankle strengthening exercises is a fundamental component of pre-hiking preparation, offering a myriad of benefits for hikers. Strong and stable ankles provide a solid foundation, reducing the risk of sprains and injuries on uneven terrains.

These exercises enhance proprioception, the body’s awareness of its position in space. Improved proprioception in the ankles contributes to better balance and coordination, essential for navigating rocky paths, uneven surfaces, or challenging descents during a hike.

Ankle strength is crucial for uphill and downhill movements, where stability is paramount. Strengthening the muscles around the ankle joints helps maintain proper alignment and reduces the strain on ligaments and tendons, promoting endurance on ascents and descents.

Additionally, strong ankles contribute to overall joint health, preventing overuse injuries. This is particularly important for long hikes or backpacking trips where the ankles endure sustained stress.

Incorporating ankle exercises into the pre-hiking routine not only minimizes the risk of injuries but also enhances the hiker’s ability to traverse diverse terrains with confidence and ease. By fostering strength and stability, ankle exercises play a vital role in ensuring a safe, enjoyable, and injury-free hiking experience.

Strong Ankles Are Important

Strong ankles are indispensable for hikers, forming the bedrock of stability and resilience on the trail. The uneven and often challenging terrain encountered during hikes demands robust ankle strength to navigate with confidence.

Ankle strength contributes significantly to balance, a critical factor in traversing rocky paths, slippery surfaces, or steep ascents and descents. Strengthened ankle muscles enhance proprioception, the body’s spatial awareness, fostering better control and coordination during varied movements.

In the face of unpredictable trail conditions, strong ankles act as a natural safeguard against sprains and twists. The muscles surrounding the ankle joints provide crucial support, minimizing the risk of injuries that could compromise the hiking experience.

Uphill climbs and downhill descents place substantial strain on the ankles, making strength in this area pivotal. Well-conditioned ankles adapt to the shifting demands of the trail, reducing fatigue and enhancing endurance.

Moreover, strong ankles contribute to overall joint health, preventing overuse injuries during extended hikes. By prioritizing ankle strength in pre-hiking preparation, outdoor enthusiasts fortify themselves against the physical challenges of the trail, ensuring a safer, more enjoyable, and injury-resistant hiking experience.

Basic Ankle Strengthening Exercises

 Listed below are the most basic exercises that will help to strengthen your ankles. The majority of them require no special equipment and can be easily done at home. You will have to be diligent with your routine and work out on a regular basis to achieve the best results. It’s best to work out in front of a mirror in the beginning, that way you will easily notice whether you’re doing something wrong and can improve your body posture at the same time.

Calf Raises

Calf raises is one of the most basic workouts you can do around the house even if you haven’t exercised in years. It will help you get stronger calves and at the same time, improve your overall balance. 

It’s pretty simple and straightforward. All you need to do is stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and start lifting your heels while standing on your tiptoes. Start off slowly and aim to hold yourself for at least 10-15 seconds on each lift. As you improve yourself, you can try lifting yourself higher and higher extending the duration of the lift. For beginners, it would be great to start off with 2 sets of 15 repetitions and work your way up from there. Each lift should last 10-12 seconds longer.

Squats/One Legged Squat

Doing some squats before your hiking trip is always a good idea as this will help strengthen muscles in your legs as well. On top of that, the one-legged squats are an excellent choice when it comes to ankle strengthening, as they are very simple and yet efficient.

If you’re a total beginner, it’s probably for the best to start doing regular squats first and once you get used to those, continue with the one-legged squats. In order to do the one-legged squats, you’ll need to squat with one leg in front of the other. Stay in that position for a while and then change legs. Stop if you feel any discomfort in the ankles or the knees. Ideally, you’ll want to do 3 sets with 10 repetitions the first few times and the slowly increase speed and repetitions with time. Pay attention to your back- you need to hold it neutral and straight no matter the type of squat you do. Basically, focus on working with the lower part of your body to do the squats appropriately – don’t just bend forward with your torso as any inappropriate practice could lead to injuries.

The Grapevine

The grapevine is a great exercise choice if you want to work on your agility a bit. Agility is especially important if you’re hiking on uneven or rocky terrains where there are bigger chances of you stumbling jupon something and hurting yourself.

The main goal of the grapevine is to run from side to side in a crisscross way while bending your knees. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, you can first work on learning the steps before you move on the bending your knees as well.

You start off by crossing one foot in front of the other and then back behind as you move. If you want, you could move faster and get a cardio workout in the meantime.

It would be good to begin with 5-7 minutes and increase time and speed as you get more comfortable with the steps. Soon enough, you’ll notice the difference not only in your ankles but in your calves and shins as well.

Taps Down

Taps downs are a terrific choice for improving the muscle on all of our lower body, all the way from the hip to the ankle. In order to do the tap downs, you’ll need to get yourself a platform, preferably at least 2 inches high; be careful if you choose to replace the platform with a random object from around the house, as that may lead to injuries.

For the taps downs, the first step is to get yourself up on the platform and place your hands on your hips; don’t forget to keep your chest open. Slowly start lowering one of our heels toward the ground while keeping your hips parallel. Your knees may get wobbly and feel weak at this point but don’t give up – it will go away with time!

Once you’re done with one leg, raise back up and switch legs. You can alternate between lowering both legs at the same time or choose to first do one set with one leg, and then switch – it’s up to you to find whatever works the best for you. Aim to do at least 1 set per leg with 10 repetitions if you’re a total workout newbie. For maximum results, go for 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Resistance Band Workout

Including a resistance band workout in your exercise routine will do wonders for your stability on the trail and it’ll also protect your connective tissue from any injuries. Before starting out, don’t forget to pick a band that will provide you with the suitable resistance for your fitness level. Most of the bands on the market are color-coded for easier recognition.

There are many variations in the way you can do this. One way to do it is to sit on a chair and wrap a resistance band around our foot while holding the band with your hands at the same time. Start rotating your ankle inward and outward while holding the same level of resistance with your hands. This isn’t a challenging workout and almost anyone can do it. For better results, do this exercise daily and opt for at least three sets of 10 repetitions. When you start noticing improvement, you can start using a band with a higher resistance.

Jump Rope

Jumping the rope is an intermediate activity for the most part. However, some may find it challenging and could need a bit of extra time to get used to it. To get started, all you’ll need is a nice jumping rope. Don’t forget to check whether it matches your height, as you won’t be able to do the exercise properly if it doesn’t.

There are various ways that you can do the actual jumping. You can do both legs at the same time, do some hops or if you want to take things up a level, jump to the sides with both legs It would be good to first focus on getting your balance right and working on tripping the whole time – but don’t get discouraged even when you don’t get it right straight way!

For the absolute beginner, try and jump the rope for 1-3 minutes straight. There’s no need to rush, just set a pace you feel most comfortable with the first few tries and slowly increase it. Once you master it, you’ll notice improvement not only in your ankles but in your posture, core, and abs!

Balance It Out

Working to improve your balance will help you significantly on the trail and should be a key part of your ankle workout. Most of the balance exercises are so simple you can even do them anywhere around the house or in the yard. Some even prefer to do them on their lunch break at work!

For beginners, try doing it for as long as you can but don’t expect to be able to do it for an extended amount of time in the beginning. It’s definitely more challenging than it sounds! Your goal is to reach at least 30 seconds per leg and prolong the time as you start improving.