07/02/2026
This carousel is a simple hit list for the muscles that lock your foot in, create stiffness, and let you express force when you sprint, cut, and jump.
Flexor digitorum longus
Helps grip the ground with the lesser toes and supports the arch when fatigue hits.
Flexor hallucis brevis (FHB)
Big toe control at push off.
How to load it: keep the big toe relatively straight/long and press the base of the big toe down (minimal curling).
Flexor hallucis longus (FHL)
Big toe “power cable” for propulsion + landing control.
How to load it: use big toe curl through range + push-off positions (towel curls, band-resisted big-toe curl, heel-raised positions).
🔑Quick cue:
FHB = toe stays long, press down
FHL = toe curls, train through range + push-off
Tibialis posterior
Arch + ankle stabiliser. Helps control pronation and keeps the foot stacked under load.
Peroneus brevis
Lateral ankle armour for cuts, contacts, and resisting ankle rolls.
Soleus
The repeat-effort engine (decel, tendon capacity, fatigue resistance).
How to load it: train with the knee bent (seated calf raises, bent-knee isometrics, split squat iso with forward knee). This biases soleus because it doesn’t cross the knee.
Gastrocnemius (gastroc)
The spring for top-end speed + jumping.
How to load it: train with the knee straighter (standing calf raises, straight-knee pogo/ankle hops, calf isos in a tall position). Gastroc crosses the knee, so it works harder when the knee is extended.
🔑Quick cue:
Soleus = knee bent (grindy, capacity)
Gastroc = knee straight (bouncy, explosive)
🔄Save this and plug it in 2–3x/week as your warm up or accessory block.
Want my exact sets/reps + progressions? Comment FOOT and I’ll DM it to you
