Did you injure your foot or ankle? Is a sprain, stress fracture, plantar fasciitis, or heel spurs put you on the bench? You don’t have to stop exercising. You can exercise with bad feet or ankle problems, but you have to make some changes until the problem is solved. At Revolution Training in Stamford, CT, we focus on creating individualized programs, which consider your level of fitness and special needs. You don’t have to give up all the gains you’ve made or put off getting back into shape because your foot hurts. Remember, before starting any workout program, always check with your health care professional first.
During the initial weeks of healing, avoid high impact exercises.
Modify some of the exercises you’d normally do. If you’ve done heavy training rope—battle ropes—workouts, you don’t have to quit just because you’ve hurt your foot. You can do heavy training rope work from a seated position. Use a sturdy straight back chair and begin your challenge. If you’re wearing a walking boot, do battle ropes the traditional way. If you are pool ready, swim or do aqua jogging. For those with a walking boot, upper body strength training can also be done. A recumbent bike is also a good option.
Use a chair to rest your feet as you workout.
Whether you have to use crutches or have a walking boot, you can train. Warm up with upper body stretches, then begin an upper body workout, air box, lift arms up and back down, or make angel wings. Bend over and spread your arms wide, then lift them behind you, palms down. Turn side to side in a modified torso twist. Lift your feet off the floor with knees together bringing them as close to the chest as you can. Lift your legs off the floor and push out to straighten your legs, pulling back in and down If you have a walking boot that’s heavier, use an ankle weight to equally weight both legs.
Use that same chair, but don’t remain seated.
Lay on the floor in front of the chair and lift your feet, placing them on the chair. Put your hands beside your body. Lift your butt off the floor until it’s straight, with your body at a 45 degree angle to the floor. This is a modified bridge movement that won’t put any pressure on your feet. Kickback exercises for the glutes is another type of exercise that doesn’t put pressure on the foot. Get on your hands and knees and kick back, one leg at a time. You can modify it with weights in each hand as you kickback one foot and lift the opposite arm.
- You can do strength training to keep you upper body fit as you sit in a chair. Also resistance bands are another great way to keep your upper body strong.
- Do both cardio and strength training by doing push-ups with your upper thighs on a chair or couch. Your hands should be shoulder width apart as you raise your upper body until your arms are straight and then lower it until your face almost touches the floor..
- Using the same couch or chair as you did the push-ups and flip over with your calves on the couch and your thighs at a 90 degree angle down the side of the couch. Do sit-ups. Go fast and make it cardio.
- You can modify most parts of your workout without putting pressure on your feet. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to get back to your old program without losing muscle mass, flexibility or endurance.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training