While ankle strength isn't typically a central training focus, it’s an important aspect of healthy movement patterns that affects your entire fitness routine and everyday life. Here are five exercises to build your ankle strength:

1. Single-Leg Balance Drill

Balance is one of the simplest—and most underrated—ways to build ankle stability. Your ankle relies heavily on proprioception (your body’s sense of position), and better balance improves joint awareness and reaction time.

Here's how to do a single-leg balance drill:

1. Stand tall with your gaze forward.
2. Lift one leg so your knee is at 90 degrees and you’re balancing on one foot.
3. Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, and then switch sides. 

Tip: You can progress the exercises by closing your eyes, turning your head, or standing on an unstable surface like a foam pad.

2. Calf Raises

A staple for ankle stability and strength, this movement trains your calf muscles, which support the ankle joint and play a key role in walking, running, and jumping. It’s best to do these slowly and controlled so you get full activation.

Here's how to do a calf raise:

1. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and create a slight arch with each foot by pressing your big toe into the floor.
2. With equal toe pressure, lift your heels off the ground as high as you can.
3. Pause for a moment at the top and feel the contraction.
4. Slowly lower with control before completing more reps.

Tip: The next step is to add more resistance to progress this exercise. Hold dumbbells in your hands for a bigger challenge. 

3. Tibialis Raises (Wall-Supported)

This exercise works the front of your shins, called the tibialis muscle, which is just as important as your other calf muscles for ankle stability. Each step or landing requires your ankle to control how your foot lowers to the ground, which is driven by the tibialis anterior. When it’s weak, the foot drops uncontrollably and increases stress on the ankle. Stronger tibs create smoother, more stable landings.

Here's how to do a wall-supported tibialis raise:

1. Lean your back against a wall with heels about 6–12 inches away. 
2. With control, lift your toes toward your shins as high as you can.
3. Pause at the top, feel the contraction, and slowly lower. 
4. Do as many reps as you can until you notice you can’t lift as high during the next rep.

Tip: Progress it by inching your feet further away from the wall. 

4. Step-Down Control Drill

This drill strengthens the ankle through loaded dorsiflexion (when your foot and shin move closer together), which is how your body actually uses the joint during movements like walking, running, and squatting. It also reinforces proper alignment—training your knee, ankle, and foot to work together, which is essential for healthy movement patterns. 

Here's how to do a step-down control drill:

1. Stand on a step while creating a slight arch with your foot and maintaining big toe pressure. 
2. Slowly lower one heel toward the ground as you step off the box.
3. Once you land, step back onto the box and repeat the slow descent back down for more reps.

Tip: Make sure to keep your knee tracking over your toes so it doesn't collapse inward. You can progress this exercise by holding weights in your hand or going even slower on the descent. 

5. Lateral Hops

A more advanced drill, this plyometric exercise trains ankle stability through explosive movement driven by a coordinated effort of your strength, speed, balance, and reaction time.

Functionally, lateral hops train the ankle to rapidly absorb and reapply force, especially in the side-to-side direction where most ankle sprains occur. They improve reactive stability, meaning your ankle can quickly adjust to unexpected shifts in position, like stepping on uneven ground or quickly changing directions. 

Here's how to do lateral hops:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your core tight.
2. In a coordinated effort, explosively hop to the side by bouncing off your toes while keeping your arches engaged as best as possible to prevent your knees from collapsing inward.
3. When you land, immediately hop back to the starting position from your toes and repeat in a dynamic fashion, making sure to land softly and with bounce.

Tip: If you find the explosive side-to-side movement too much, you can practice hopping to the side and sticking the landing each time. Reset and then hop back in the other direction. As you get more comfortable, you can start doing it faster and eventually with shorter ground contact time. 

Why It's Good To Have Strong Ankles

Strong ankles improve balance, power, and injury resilience. Weak ankles, on the other hand, can contribute to instability, poor movement mechanics, and a higher risk of sprains or overuse injuries. Whether you’re walking, lifting, running, jumping, or doing HIIT, ankle strength is foundational.

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Kristina Dawson