Strength training for field athletes: don’t forget those feet!

However, there’s also evidence that rather than the plantar aponeurosis, it is the muscles associated with the foot – eg the extrinsic foot muscles toe flexors (EFMtf - including the flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus) along with the intrinsic muscles at the base of the foot – that play more of a role in actively stiffening the forefoot by generating moments around the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPj for short)^(12,13).

Does forefoot muscle power matter?

Given the above, you might expect that a ‘stronger’ forefoot is able to enhance sport performance and propulsion kinetics in explosive tasks, as well as increasing stiffness and running economy. However, the evidence is very mixed and contradictory; while several intervention studies have demonstrated increased toe or MTPj flexion strength following various strength training protocols^(14-16), these gains have not consistently translated into improved performance in during high-intensity tasks, and certainly not in highly-trained populations such as pro or elite athletes.

One reason for the confusion is that many of these studies have used very basic strengthening protocols – for example, seated isometric toe contractions – which may not have been sufficiently relevant for enhancing MTPj biomechanical function during the kind of high-intensity/explosive movements that athletes need to execute in competition. Also, most studies have used only moderately trained participants, with strengthening exercises and strength evaluation performed on the same piece of equipment and using exercises that may not be particularly effective for trained and highly-trained athletes⁽¹⁷⁾. This makes it very difficult or even impossible to draw conclusions about athletic performance in the real world.

New research

To try and provide some definitive answers about the value or otherwise of a forefoot strengthening program, we can look to new research by a team of French researchers⁽¹⁸⁾. Published in the journal ‘PLOS One’, this study set out to investigate the effects of an 8-week forefoot strengthening protocol in athletes using a ‘periodized higher-load approach’ (more relevant for trained athletes) on the following six factors:

·        Flexion torque (force of contraction) of the muscles around the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPj)

·        The MTPj flexors cross-sectional area (muscle size).

·        Changes in foot morphology.

·        Sprinting and acceleration capacity.

·        Cutting (changing direction) and jumping performance.

·        Propulsion kinetics off the ground when running.

What they did

Twenty-eight highly-trained athletes were recruited for the study. The athletes were all aged between 18 and 40 years and practicing at a regional or national level in soccer, rugby, track and field, basketball, handball, volleyball and tennis. All the athletes participated in this 14-week study, which consisted of the following:

·        An initial 4-week control period during which the athletes’ forefoot muscle characteristics were monitored and assessed.

·        An 8-week intervention period in which one half of the athletes underwent a forefoot strengthening program while continuing their normal training, while the other half simply continued their normal training patterns.

·        A second 4-week control period during which further assessments were conducted, allowing the researchers to see how durable any performance gains produced by the forefoot strengthening program were.

The overall structure of the study protocol is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Forefoot strengthening protocol intervention design

The strengthening protocol

The 8-week forefoot strengthening protocol undertaken in the intervention group consisted of performing one supervised session in a gym of around 35 minutes and one unsupervised session at home of around 30 minutes. In brief, the athletes used a protocol with five exercises, all of which were aimed at enhancing the strength and power of the forefoot. The exact details of the forefoot strengthening program including the progression can be found in figure S2 of the study, which can be seen and downloaded here. The control athletes meanwhile just carried on with their usual training (in fact, they weren’t even aware that the other athletes were undertaking forefoot strengthening).

What they found

In the second control period (detraining period) after the 8-week control/intervention block, assessments took place to see how effective the forefoot strengthening was. The key results were as follows:

1.      In the forefoot strengthening group, the maximum amount of force exerted across the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPj) increased substantially compared to the control athletes.

2.      The musculature around the MTPj increased substantially in volume (see figure 3) with no gains in the control group.

3.      The forefoot strengthening group showed superior propulsion characteristics when driving the foot off the ground.

4.      As a result of 1-3 above, the athletes who strength trained their forefoot experienced significant gains in change of direction ability and in horizontal jumping ability, whereas there were no gains seen in the control athletes.

5.      After four weeks of detraining (ie at the end of the second control period) the same intergroup differences remained. This meant that the gains and performance advantages seen in the forefoot-trained athletes persisted for at least four weeks after the cessation of training.

A and B = absolute cross-sectional and average change pre/post training for the abductor hallucis muscle of the dominant foot. C and D = absolute cross-sectional and average change pre/post training for the flexor digitorum longus muscle of the dominant foot. Notice how the muscle size gains were retained even four weeks after cessation of training.

Practical advice for athletes

When strength training the legs to improve various aspects of performance such as jumping, acceleration, muscle economy, change of direction ability etc, it’s natural to focus on the large muscles of the thigh and lower leg. However, as the research above shows, spending a bit of time on fore foot strengthening could be worthwhile too. In actions such as running, or in any sport when running is required, it’s important to remember that the foot, lower leg and thigh work as one system in order to drive the body across the ground initiated by foot propulsion. It therefore makes sense to include some foot strengthening work in a general conditioning program.

In the study above, the increased forefoot muscle size and strength translated into better jumping and change of direction ability, which are essential components of performance in many sports involving high-intensity or explosive movements – for example soccer, rugby, basketball, tennis etc. The effects of improved forefoot strength on the athletes’ running economy weren’t assessed in this study. However, given that gains in economy are seen when other muscle groups in the lower limbs are strength trained, and that forefoot strengthening can also help stiffen the plantar aponeurosis, it would be surprising if there weren’t running economy benefits too.

If you want to try adding some forefoot strengthening to your current training, use the principles and the exercise outlined here. Two sessions per week of 20-30 minutes per week will be ample. Try not to schedule these sessions after particularly long or hard training sessions in your usual activity and build in gently – ie using lower resistance and reps, only increasing as you master the exercises.

References

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11.     Jonathan Beverley, “The Truth About Energy return in Your Shoes,” Runner’s World (online), October 15, 2015

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