Waking up Arches and Pronation

Ahh, arches. Did you know that your mid-foot is supposed to be able to supinate (lift) and pronate (flatten)? You can think of pronation as the ability to splay and spread your arch and toes (which is important for shock absorption and moving over your foot) and supination as the ability to create a rigid foot (to be a solid foundation for initial impact as well as for push off).

Pronation often gets demonized as something we need to block up and stop from happening. However, just like any joint and muscle, your arch needs to go through its full range of motion in both directions and under control for optimal health and function.

This first drill from Gary Ward will work on pronation and the ability of your mid-foot and calf to lengthen. We accomplish this by focusing on maintaining contact through your heel, the base of your pinky toe, and the base of your big toe throughout the movement. It can be a little funky to get all of the parts moving together and figure out which wedges you need to help make it easier. Once you’ve done your initial exploration to sort that out, I typically find 5 slow reps or so is all that you need to feel the benefits and changes.

Working on an area in isolation can help us connect to that area without the extra “noise” of other moving parts.Then we can take those new connections into bigger movements and tie it into the rest of the kinetic chain for the full ripple effect. So take this week to explore your arch for 5 minutes a day. You can then use this new superpower to connect to your arch as you revisit lower body movements and help take it all to the next level.

Did you know I teach online:
Online Continuing Education for Fitness and Health Professionals
PCES - Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist
www.coreexercisesolutions.com/postpartum-corrective-exercise-specialist/

Comprehensive online program to help women correct pelvic floor issues, diastasis recti, and more
www.coreexercisesolutions.com
⁣⁣