Podiatrist · Specialist in Biomechanics · Founder of VOLKAN
"The feet do not become strong because they do more exercises. They become strong when they are allowed to be part of the movement."
The question I hear most in consultation
There is a question that comes up almost every day.
After examining the patient and explaining what is happening, the moment comes when they look at me and say:
—So… what exercises do I need to do to strengthen my feet?
It is a completely logical question.
We live in a time when it seems there is an exercise for everything. Exercises for the back, for the knees, for the neck… and, of course, also for the feet.
Many of them are useful and are part of the treatments we professionals use. However, over time I discovered that the answer rarely starts with an exercise routine.
It starts with another much more important question.
Do your feet have opportunities to do the work they were designed for?
The foot needs to participate
The foot is not just a simple support.
It is an extraordinarily complex structure made up of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and thousands of sensory receptors that work together every time we take a step.
Its function is not just to support our weight.
It has to adapt to the terrain, maintain balance, absorb impacts, and generate momentum while continuously sending information to the nervous system.
That's why, when we talk about strengthening a foot, we shouldn't think only about applying more force.
We should think about giving it more prominence within the movement.
Because the body learns by doing.
Not by observing.
Not by reading.
And not either by doing an isolated exercise for five minutes if the rest of the day we prevent the foot from participating in the movement.
What does this have to do with barefoot shoes?
Here a very common doubt usually arises.
If the foot needs to participate more…
Can the type of footwear we use influence it?
From a biomechanical point of view, yes.
Not because a shoe strengthens the foot by itself, but because it can facilitate —or limit— part of its function.
Footwear with enough space for the toes, flexible and with a geometry that respects the anatomy of the foot allows it to participate more actively in everyday movement.
That does not mean that barefoot is a universal solution or that everyone should use it starting tomorrow.
It means, simply, that the environment also influences how our body adapts.
And the footwear is part of that environment.
What I see every day in consultation
I often attend to people convinced that they need more difficult exercises.
However, many times the change does not start with an elastic band or with a massage ball.
It starts when they regain the habit of walking more.
When they let the toes have space.
When they make a gradual transition to footwear that allows the foot to move more naturally.
And, above all, when they understand that the goal is not to have stronger feet.
It is to have feet that participate again.
I have never seen a foot transform by doing a spectacular exercise for a week.
I have seen significant changes in people who modified small habits and maintained them for months.
Biomechanics rewards consistency much more than intensity.
What you can do starting today
You do not need to change your whole life this week.
Start by observing.
Ask yourself if your feet spend most of the day working… or simply being transported.
Walk more whenever you can.
If you do exercises, make sure they have a specific goal and are adapted to your situation.
And if you decide to try barefoot footwear, do it gradually, allowing muscles, tendons, and the nervous system the time needed to adapt.
The body does not usually respond well to sudden changes.
It responds much better to constant stimuli.
The most important idea
The body does not learn because we give it orders. It learns because we offer it experiences.
Perhaps that is one of the most important ideas in all of biomechanics.
Exercises can help.
Walking barefoot can help too.
And a good barefoot footwear can become a very interesting tool when it allows the foot to express part of its natural function again.
But none of them is the true goal.
The goal will always be the same:
To move better.
A question to reflect on
The next time you think about strengthening your feet, ask yourself this:
Am I looking for an exercise to compensate for eight or ten hours a day limiting the movement of my feet, or am I creating an environment that allows them to do what they were designed for?
In the next article…
If the body learns thanks to the information it receives, a fascinating question arises:
How does the brain know what is happening under our feet with each step?
We will discover why walking does not start in the muscles, but in the nervous system.