Heel Rises for Ankle Weakness | Technique Tuesday “How Do I Strengthen My Ankle?”
Heel Raise Exercises For Calf Strength And Achilles Support
In this video, Hannah from Preferred Physical Therapy explains two heel raise progressions that can help strengthen the calves and support the Achilles area. Instead of showing a plain transcript, this section breaks the video into key moments so readers can quickly understand the exercise, form goals, and progression steps.
Video Summary
This video focuses on simple calf-strengthening exercises for people who feel weakness in their calves or discomfort near the Achilles area. Hannah explains how to progress from a basic heel raise to an eccentric heel raise, then to a single-leg heel raise once the easier version becomes manageable. She also shares recommended rep goals and reminds viewers to build up gradually while maintaining good form.
Key Points Covered
- Calf strength can support foot and ankle function.
- Eccentric heel raises add more challenge than basic heel raises.
- Lowering slowly is an important part of the exercise.
- Single-leg heel raises are the harder progression.
- Good form matters more than rushing through repetitions.
Clean Video Breakdown
Hannah introduces herself from Preferred Physical Therapy, where they help people age 40 and above stay active and independent, live free from painkillers, and avoid surgery.
Hannah explains that the month’s focus is foot and ankle health. She introduces one or two exercises that can help strengthen the calves, especially for people who feel calf weakness or discomfort around the Achilles area.
These exercises are meant to help viewers build strength in a simple, progressive way.
Hannah demonstrates two different progressions of a heel rise. She explains that if going up and down on the toes feels too easy and no longer creates much challenge, the next step is to try an eccentric heel raise.
This progression makes the exercise more demanding by focusing on controlled lowering.
To perform the eccentric heel raise, Hannah explains that you go up on both feet, shift your weight over to one side, pick up the other foot, and then slowly lower yourself down.
She recommends staying on the same side for about 15 to 20 repetitions before switching and doing the same thing on the other side.
Once the eccentric heel raise becomes easier, Hannah explains that the next progression is a single-leg heel raise.
The goal with this version is to work toward 25 to 30 repetitions at one time without using help from a table and without losing form.
Hannah reminds viewers that if 25 to 30 repetitions are too difficult at first, they can break the exercise into smaller sets.
The goal is to build up gradually instead of forcing too many repetitions before the body is ready.
Hannah encourages viewers to try the easier exercise first, then move to the harder progression once the first one starts to feel easy.
She closes by inviting viewers to leave questions in the comments, visit the website, call the office, or stop in if they have questions or concerns.
Main Takeaway: Heel raise progressions can help build calf strength and support the Achilles area, but the exercise should be progressed gradually with steady control and proper form.