Don't Die: Bulletproof Your Ankles

3 exercises to avoid the most common athletic injury.

Sep 23, 2024

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Transcript

Post summary

Ankle sprains are one of the most common, debilitating, and uniquely human injuries.
They can put you in danger outdoors and hurt your ability to exercise over the long haul.
We worked with the wise and powerful Kyler Brown of WellSport and 10Squared to give you three exercises that will bulletproof your ankles.
Watch the video to see the exercises, then read below for instructions on sets/reps.

Housekeeping

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Only Members get full access to Wednesday and Friday Two Percent posts and their audio versions. Become a Member below:

ICYMI:
- On Wednesday we ran a deep dive into how much muscle you really need for health.
- On Friday, our monthly Expedition post covered topics like whether DEXA scans are “worth it,” when to eat after a workout, a great hotel room exercise, and more.

Audio/podcast version

The post

When I went to the Arctic for a month to report The Comfort Crisis, it wasn’t necessarily the grizzly bears I was most afraid of. Nor was it the flights in rickety death-trap planes, or the blood-thirsty wolverines.

It was my ankles.

My ankles had been shaky ever since a few catastrophic rolls during high school sports. Those had messed me up enough that I’d often roll my ankles while running in the desert.

So I needed to fix my shaky ankles—it would be a long hobble back to civilization if I rolled an ankle way out on the tundra. Assuming the wolves didn’t get me first.

I began hitting a handful of ankle bulletproofing exercises hard.

And they’re worthwhile for anyone who plays sports or spends time outdoors. Ankles are a weak spot for humans.

When humans started walking on two feet, we accrued many advantages. But there were tradeoffs.

Walking on two feet also has some disadvantages—we’re less stable than four-legged animals and far more prone to ankle sprains (and knee and low-back problems).

Consider that two million people seriously roll their ankles annually.

Ankle sprains are the most common musculoskeletal reason people visit the doctor.

One study found:

Ankle sprains are among the most common recurrent injuries of the lower extremity. Up to 40% of ankle sprains go on to develop chronic symptoms, including pain, swelling, instability, and recurrence that persists at least 12 months post-injury.

When I mentioned ankle rolls in a recent Two Percent post, many of you took to the comments and asked me to publish exercises that would make your ankles more resilient.

If you roll an ankle out on a trail, it can be dangerous. It’ll also mess up your ability to exercise over the long haul. If you don’t build your ankles back better, you’ll continue rolling them.

So today we’re covering the exercises that will bulletproof your ankles.

I reached out to Kyler Brown for his wisdom. I met Kyler through Peter Attia as we were planning our 50-mile ruck in Normandy, France in June, which Kyler did.

Kyler is an Austin-based sports rehab chiro who treats everyone from active weekend warriors to pro athletes. He founded WellSport in Austin. It’s become an off-season destination for athletes from every major league to repair quickly.

But he doesn’t just help pros—he works with plenty of everyday athletes to prepare them to withstand the stress of their favorite fitness activities. He also, with Peter Attia, co-founded 10Squared, a private exercise coaching practice.

Watch the video above. Kyler’s exercises will help you build ankles that won’t die so you can run trails, ruck, and play sports for the long haul.

Instructions

Note: Most of these exercises are for people who are already active. I.e., Two Percenters. Ease in: “The most important detail is knowing where you should start and what your body can tolerate,” Kyler said.

Dumbbell Calf Rockers

Helps strengthen the muscles that are important for shock absorption.

Add these to your strength workouts or warmups.

Do: One to three sets of many reps as you can until you’re burned out.

Split Stance Hovers

Strengthens the muscles in your ankle and lower leg while they’re moving in a position that mimics running.

Add these into your strength workouts or warmups.

Do: One to three sets of many reps as you can on both legs until you’re burned out.

Band-Assisted Plyos

Helps build stiffness and force-absorption in your tendons.

Add these into your warmup.

Do: As many explosive reps as you can until you lose power. Once you lose power, quit the set. Do anywhere from one to three sets.

Have fun, don’t die, bulletproof your ankles.

-Michael

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