Seated Heel Raise Exercises

Foot Alignment

Correct positioning of your feet, heels and ankles is important for healthy feet and a healthy body. The way your feet and ankles are aligned can affect the way you move as well as your posture, and it could also affect your stride when walking or running. Bad alignment can lead to knee, foot, ankle or back pain and it increases the risk of injury. Heel raise exercises help with foot fitness and alignment correction to keep you injury free.

Seated Heel Raises

Sit on a chair or bench with your knees and feet hip-width distance apart on the floor and your feet parallel to one another. Sit tall with upright posture and keep your abdominals tight. Inhale and lift the heels to rise on your tippy-toes. Exhale and pull your stomach in as you lower your heels to the floor in a controlled manner. Be aware of any ankle wobble and whether your knees stay parallel as you raise and lower your heels. Repeat this exercise 8 to 15 times.

Using A Mirror

To ensure you are maintaining the correct form you should place a mirror in front of you so that you can see what is happening to your feet without having to bend forward. Bending forward completely changes your posture and muscle alignment. Use the mirror to check that your heel stays hidden behind your ankle as you lift and lower your heels and that your ankles do not wobble inwards or outwards. If you have to make an effort to keep your heels hidden, make sure you are not moving your knees to make the adjustment.

Why Seated?

It is easier to correct the alignment of your feet, heels and ankles while you are sitting down. When you stand, all the weight of your body passes through your feet and makes it harder to make adjustments. If your leg muscles have alignment problems, you have to retrain them and it is easier to do this without having to focus on your balance as you raise and lower your heels.