18/02/2026
Adding a forward lean to foot exercises can increase muscle activation and joint torque🦶
A new study from Osborne et al. (2025) examined intrinsic and extrinsic muscle activity and MTP joint torque during common foot exercises.
Traditional toe-based exercises did recruit the intrinsic muscles but resulted in minimal force output. These exercises generally created low activation levels in important extrinsic muscles such as Soleus, Gastrocnemius and Flexor Digitorum Longus. They might be suitable for lower level intrinsic strengthening when higher loads aren’t tolerated.
Calf raise variations resulted in high intrinsic and extrinsic muscle activation as well as high MTP joint torque making them a good bang for buck option for strengthening the foot and ankle.
Muscle activation and MTP torque can be increased by adding a forward lean and/ or additional weight. The forward lean calf raise is a nice option for this as it can be loaded with a backpack and works the calf in a lengthened position which can help both strength and flexibility.
Reference:
Osborne JWA, Menz HB, Landorf KB, Whittaker GA, Cotchett M, Kelly LA. The influence of body posture and added mass on intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle activation and force output during common foot strengthening exercises. J Sport Health Sci. 2025 Dec 16:101110. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2025.101110. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41412495.
