When most runners think about improving performance, they look to training plans, running shoes, and recovery tools. But some of the most impactful changes begin much closer to the ground: your feet.

Your feet contain over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments and play a huge role in running efficiency, balance, power transfer, and injury prevention. Just like your glutes, core, and calves, your feet and ankles can be trained, strengthened, and mobilised — and doing so can have a meaningful effect on how well you run.

This guide aims to help you understand how foot strength and mobility contribute to healthy, efficient running. And we'll give you practical ways to build them.

Stronger feet support your stride by:

For many runners, the feet spend most of the day in stiff, structured footwear, which can limit natural movement. Some runners choose to incorporate minimal or wide-toe-box footwear into walking or strength sessions to encourage more natural foot mechanics, but this is entirely down to personal preference.

What matters most is progressive strengthening and mobility work, not specific footwear choices.

Foot and ankle mobility, particularly ankle dorsiflexion (the upward movement of the foot at the ankle joint), plays a central role in running form.

Limited mobility can result in a host of knock-on effects including:

Working on mobility alongside strength ensures your feet and ankles can move through their full range of motion, helping you maintain smoother, more efficient running mechanics.

If you’re looking to build stronger, more resilient movement patterns, our Stretch & Stability sessions are a great place to start. They’ll help you open up tight areas, improve control, and move more comfortably on every run.

These exercises are simple, effective, and require no equipment. They can be added to warm-ups, cool-downs, or strength sessions.

Practice spreading your toes apart, then pressing them gently down into the floor. This targets:

Building these muscles helps support the arch and improves overall foot rigidity and control during push-off.

Lift your big toe while keeping the others down, then reverse. These drills:

This is especially helpful for runners who feel unstable on uneven surfaces.

Stand tall and distribute your weight evenly across four key points:

Balance on one leg and keep the big toe lightly engaged. If you're feeling confident her, close your eyes to increase the challenge.

This supports:

Start with double-leg, then progress to single-leg variations. Tiptoe walks add an extra challenge. These exercises strengthen:

This improves both push-off strength and lower-leg resilience.

Lower-body strength work also develops foot and ankle stability indirectly. Try:

These help improve:

Good mobility in the hips and ankles is key for smoother running mechanics.

Plyometric training involves fast, explosive actions such as jumps and bounds that improve muscle power by targeting the stretch-shortening cycle.

Jumping drills develop the quick, reactive strength runners rely on. Start small:

As you progress, increase volume and height slowly. Focus on:

This type of training is great for improving running economy and aiding foot resilience.

Strengthening your feet is just one part of a well-rounded running routine. To improve performance and stay injury-free, keep an eye on:

Stronger, more mobile feet support better running mechanics. Remember the best results come from a balanced approach combining strength, mobility, conditioning, and structured training.