The Short Foot exercise | A great way to strengthen your feet

The “short foot” or “foot doming” exercise is a great way to start and strengthen all the small muscles under your feet.
This exercise is great to do for niggly and cranky feet. It is also great to do to simply get better functioning feet, because having strong feet is key to having a strong body.
Try performing 5 x 5 second holds on each foot. I also show a few progressions for the exercise as well.
TIP: Try the ‘short foot’ activation when doing heavy lifting (think squats and deadlifts) and see how much more stable and stronger you feel.

[@Thefreequincy]

Thank you 🙏🏾

[@enjoy7024]

Absolutely love the music. Beautiful and relaxing!

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Thank you for the comment

[@user-bb8vf3tq6l]

Fantastic exercise! Thanks a lot. I will try to do it properly

[@ElevateChiropractic]

I am glad you liked the video. It can take a while to learn this exercise, I am still trying to get better at it myself. I hope it is helpful for you.

[@user-bb8vf3tq6l]

@@ElevateChiropractic Thanks a lot!

[@adnanshoukat1793]

You are good. This channel should get more subscribers

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Thanks for your comment. Hopefully I can continue to grow my channel

[@juliussmith4001]

This is great.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Thank you for the comment

[@BenkaiDebussy]

Ah, I managed to figure something out! Here's what I did (that might help others who couldn't figure out how to do this) - I put my foot on my lap and grabbed all my toes with one hand while putting the other hand on my foot's arch so I could feel my arch muscles. And then I just tried tensing all sorts of different foot/leg muscles while making sure my toes weren't involved at all. After a while I found one that made my arch muscle contract. I can't do this exercise yet, but I've at least isolated how to move the right muscle(s). Hopefully it'll get more intuitive over time. I think part of the reason this is helpful is that, when the foot isn't touching the ground, it's easier to actually feel the muscles in question. When my foot is on the floor, the feeling of the floor makes it harder for me to tell if I'm tensing the right muscles. Once the motion starts to feel more natural I think this will be less necessary, but it helped me a lot for figuring out what I'm supposed to do.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

I am glad you are figuring it out. I hope your comment will help others too :)

[@josephmoore977]

I know that this is a late comment, but I had a PT tell me that one way he learned how to do it was to try and push your big toe away from your other toes without moving other parts of the foot. I assure you this movement is extremely difficult to perform correctly if you don't have a good mind muscle connection with your body. The only reason I feel like I have a good grasp on the technique is because I practiced it continuously. Hopefully this is helpful.

[@lillianwolff668]

This is great and helpful!! I like this and will surely try. I tried to have a copy of your post doing COPY AND PASTE but it did not let me. I wanted to save a copy in my messenger addresses: Philil Wolff. Thank you.

[@zihanfaria1574]

thanks It helped me

[@ElevateChiropractic]

I am glad it helped you. Thanks for the comment :)

[@tomasisenstam273]

Fantastic - it solved my problem, and gave me my balance back. Now i can go skiing again 👍

[@ElevateChiropractic]

I'm so pleased it helped you. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the skiing.

[@user-er3ig2eo9g]

This exercise is help to increase feet

[@leobargianni377]

Hi! That'a great video and exercise form showed it's great. I can't manage to do that movement whithout clenching my toes, is there any queue or exercise I can do in preparation? Thanks anyway for the amazing content

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Hi Leo, thanks for the comment. It took me a long time to get better at this exercise. I still clench my toes occasionally when doing it. My favorite cue for this is to try and push the big toe flat into the ground. I find with this it activates the muscles in the arch. The other toes may clench a little, but that's okay. Once you get the feeling of the muscles contracting in the arch you can then repeat it and over time it will become easier to do. You just need to strengthen the pathway from those muscles to your brain, and this takes time and repetition. Stick with it and let me know how you get on.

[@leobargianni377]

@@ElevateChiropractic thank you for the quick response, I will definitely do it! This exercise is shown in the literature to be one of the best foot exercises to strengthen the foot, thank you again for the answer and the tip!

[@cathyg1099]

I’m sure it’s a good video, unfortunately, the background music is a too loud for me so I can’t focus on your message.

[@josephmoore977]

I know that this is a late comment, but I had a PT tell me that one way he learned how to do it was to try and push your big toe away from your other toes without moving other parts of the foot. I assure you this movement is extremely difficult to perform correctly if you don't have a good mind muscle connection with your body. The only reason I feel like I have a good grasp on the technique is because I practiced it continuously. Hopefully this is helpful.

[@azizd.686]

thank u

[@dismasimoni75]

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮❤❤

[@willdman2000]

Hi great video thanks. Would it be correct to say that if you're doing this exercise properly there should be little or no tension in the toes but mostly/completely in the arch? Thanks in advance

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Hi Will, thanks for the comment. You are correct, there should be little tension in the toes, but this is easier said than done. Once you get better at contracting the arch, the tension in the toes reduces (at least this has been my experience). A cue like 'push the toes flat into the ground' is a good place to start to be able to contract the arch when you start. Once you are able to contract the arch easier, the need for toe activation is reduced. I hope that helps :)

[@willdman2000]

@@ElevateChiropractic that helps enormously, thanks. I can generate very high tension in my arch while leaving the toes quite relaxed so good to know that's the objective. Subscribed and will recommend your channel. Thanks again 👍

[@ramlama5859]

My foot bones is so big please give me some advice how to small please please..🙏🙏🙏

[@Rureal42]

Is it possible to create an arch in your foot by doing these and other exercises? I'm flat footed. Good channel.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Hi Colin, Thanks for the comment. It is possible to create an arch in the foot and make a more functional foot. It will take time and consistency to achieve this. You will also need to look at the hips and pelvis as well. Problems in the hips and pelvis will also lead to poor foot function. I hope that helps :)

[@Rureal42]

@@ElevateChiropractic That's good to know. Will follow your advice. Thank you.

[@azzahashraf4807]

Did this work my foot is big I want to be short foot

[@justjussy973]

Thanks for this demo. When I do one foot, I feel my knee contract, my calf sometimes and even my glute if im standing..does this mean my other muacles are taking over? Should it only be felt in the arch? Thanks

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Thanks for your comment. You should be able to only feel it in the foot. The fact that you can feel the other muscles suggests that they are compensating. I would think that with practice you should stop feeling those other muscles contract as you get better control. It is also normal to have one foot that is easier to activate than the other, I know that I certainly do. I hope that helps.

[@justjussy973]

@@ElevateChiropractic thanks so much :-)

[@laileyahsarbini6838]

Share tq 😊

[@aimankitchen613]

Hlo I am Girl but my foot is very big and healthy...plz tell me exercise for smart foot....plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@BenkaiDebussy]

Trying to do this is really weird. I can kinda-sorta feel how it would work, but nothing I do actually makes those muscles budge. It's like whatever connection my brain used to have to those muscles was completely lost over last ~15-20 years. One thing that I've read can help that I started doing a couple days ago is rolling a golf ball under the foot. Maybe that'll help somehow, since it at least seems to move around the relevant muscles.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

It can be really hard to find the connection between the brain and the muscles. It took me a long time to 'find' them. Keep practicing as you will eventually get the connection back. Rolling a golf ball will help. I have found that pushing the big toe directly into the ground (without bending it) will help activate the muscles in the arch. Once you know how the activation feels, it can help make the connection with the muscles. Keep at it though and let me know how you get on.

[@Kirsty0601]

When I do this I feel it more in the front of my ankle and the toe joints. I can't seem to visualise how to engage the arch muscles at all. Any pointers on what should be working and what should not? Thanks!

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Hi Kirsty, this is a tricky exercise to master, I still struggle with one of my feet. It can take time to 'find' the muscles in the arch. Try to think of pushing the big toe flat into the ground, as you do this the muscles in the arch will contract. I found this the best way to help me. You can also use your hands to help show your foot how the arch raises when you push your toes down. It can take a while to find the muscles, so a little persistence is important with this exercise. If you are feeling it more in the front of your ankle you are probably recruiting other muscles. Try the big toe suggestion above and hopefully you will start to see some changes. I hope this helps.

[@kmg501]

Wow, I just discovered I can't even make my foot do this short foot exercise. I have to figure out how to activate these muscles. Geez, no wonder I have been having issues.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

It took me a long time to figure it out. For me, it just clicked one day and I could do it. Now its just a matter of strengthening them for me.

[@user-xe9zc4ng8w]

I can’t do this without clenching my toes either

[@Phrinkle]

Barefoot shoes in the woods. Start slow. I could barely wiggle my toes before I went barefoot. Google Xero,vivobarefoot,naboso.

[@thomashaskins3709]

You say push your toes into the ground but your toes lift up.

[@Koloradus96]

I can't activate those muscles in the arch.

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Thanks for commenting. It can be quite hard to activate them initially. I took me a while to be able to 'find' the muscles. You can try pushing the toes into the ground (making sure they stay flat and not crunched) to help activate the muscles. Once you know what it feels like it is often easier to activate them by themselves. This is what worked for me initially. I hope that helps. Keep trying :)

[@bebelaivoirienne9619]

Me with my size 7😪😪

[@rogiereambonanza1781]

My first time i tried, i can't do on my left feet..

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Most people will have one foot that is harder to do, I know I do. Stick with it and it will become easier. Thanks for commenting

[@JDALOY878]

Does this make my feet shorter?

[@ElevateChiropractic]

Hi, thanks for commenting. The exercise is not designed to make your foot shorter. Its about trying to strengthen the small muscles under the feet that are often weak in people.

[@SkidMcmarxx]

Those sure are big feet and big hands.

[@addiekieley6164]

Interesting. Info good but not best quality video because of distracting music in back ground, quick talk of presenter. Not best or easy to follow. Needs improvement. Just my opinion.