The ankle is the foundation of speed, not squat strength, conditioning, or relative strength.

If you struggle with ankle stiffness or aren’t sure if your ankle is holding back your speed, I’ve got you covered.

Today, I will give you:

– How to train the feet & ankles for speed

– Exercises that every program needs for the ankle

– Ways to test your ankle stiffness to see how good it is

P.S. If you want to work with me to increase your ankle stiffness for your speed, click here to learn more about TSA.

Want to make your ankles super fast? Focus on these 3 things:

1. Train for Speed and Angles ⚡️

To run fast, train your ankles at the same speed you’ll be sprinting.

When you sprint, your foot is on the ground for about 0.1-0.2 seconds. Slow exercises won’t help much.

What to do:

– Extensive Plyometrics: Think about skips.

– Intensity Plyometrics: Think about bounds.

– Speed-Based Lifts: Think about fast calf raises.

For acceleration speed, focus on angles and strength.

What to do:

– Overcoming Ankle Isometrics

– Heavy Single Leg Calf Raises

– Seated Calf Raises

Prioritize this type of training for better speed.

2. Challenge Your Ankles with Movement 🏃‍♀️

Do exercises with movement to improve speed.

Start with stationary exercises:

– Jump Rope

– Max Effort Pogos

– Depth Drops

Then, move to exercises with horizontal movement:

– Jump Rope to Skipping

– Max Effort Pogos to Hurdle Hops

– Depth Drops to High Altitude Drop Jumps

These exercises help transfer speed to your ankles.

3. How Strong Should Your Ankles Be? 💪

Here are 3 strength tests you need as an athlete:

– Can you do 10 strict single leg calf raises without cheating?

– Can you lift 1.0 to 1.5 times your body weight in a single leg calf raise?

– Can you do skips or pogos for 3-5 minutes straight?

These tests will challenge your body control, calf strength, and elastic strength.

Part 2: The Best Test for Ankles 🏅

The best test is the Reactive Strength Index (RSI).

It checks how elastic you are and how well your ankles resist giving out.

How to test:

– Google the RSI formula and record yourself doing 3-5 pogos. Time your ground contact and air time, then divide.

– Use the JustJump app (not sponsored, just a coincidence).

If your RSI is above 3.0, you’re in a great spot. Some sprinters go up to 4.0 or 4.5!

Hope this helps you get faster!

See you next time,

Justjumari

P.S. If you want to join the full speed academy program, click below to get access to 12 months of speed training: