"A Runner's Guide to Connective Tissue" explains the importance of building the strength of your connective tissue—your bones, tendons and fascia—in order to be a less injury-prone runner. These wobble board exercises should help:
Wobble boards are supported by a ball projecting from the base. This routine works your kinetic chain (the interconnected muscles, nerves and other structural components of your running body). It helps immunize your body against shin splints, plantar fasciitis, Achilles problems, patellar tracking syndrome and IT band syndrome. Allow two to three minutes for recovery between sets. Repeat on opposite side.
Wobble—Forward and Backward
This is a great exercise for strengthening and stabilizing plantarflexion and dorsiflexion.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate, Advanced
A. Hold on to a chair or other support. Center your weight over the middle of the board (often, the best balance requires moving your heel closer to the center). Rock forward and touch the front of the wobble board to the floor (or as close as you can get). Limit the bend at your knee. Focus on using the ankle's range of motion.
B. Rock backward until you touch the floor (or as close as you can get). One rep includes both the forward and backward rock. Start with five to 10, then increase by no more than 10 reps per week to a maximum of 100.
Wobble—Side to Side
This exercise helps to stabilize against inversion and eversion (rotating the foot inward or outward).
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate, Advanced
A. Begin as you did the previous exercise. This time, rock inward and touch the side of the wobble board to the floor (or as close as you can get).
B. Rock outward until you touch the floor (or as close as you can get). One rep includes both the inward and outward rock. Start with five to 10, then increase by no more than 10 reps per week to a maximum of 100.
Wobble—Around the Clock
Wobbling in a circular motion builds on the strength and stability that you've developed from the previous exercises.
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate, Advanced
A. Rock forward to touch the front of the wobble board to the floor (or as close as you can get), then begin a clockwise rotation, keeping the edge of the wobble board against the floor.
B. After one full rotation, reverse direction, doing the same exercise counterclockwise. Use the same reps progression as with the previous wobble board exercises. One rep includes both rotations.
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This post was excerpted and adapted with permission from Build Your Running Body: A Total-Body Fitness Plan for All Distance Runners, from Milers to Ultramarathoners, Health & Injuries.
