Hands, Fingers, Feet and Toes | The Flexibility Challenge

These exercises will help you improve strength and flexibility in your hands, wrists, fingers, feet, ankles, and toes.

Often times we forget about the most important parts of our body, our supports! Wether you’re standing on your feet, balancing on your hands, or gripping an apparatus, you are using your your supports; so lets whip them into shape so they can carry us along safely!

You can perform any of these exercises in between your focused stretching routine, or by themselves in front of the tv or at the office.

1a. Pointed Toes

25x

Sitting with your legs straight out in front of you, flex your feet.
Curl your toes first, as much as possible.
Pull your feet downwards, maintaining your pointed toes, trying to get your feet flush with your shins.

I say to my students, as they pull their feet downward “push through the cramp zone!” The stronger your feet in a point, the less your feet will cramp.

When pointing your feet and toes, you want to point towards your pinky toe. Basically if your feet turn inwards it’s called sickle toes, and it doesn’t look pretty. So point those feet and toes outwards.

Continue with exercise 1b to get a more exaggerated understanding.

1b. Pointed Toe Turnouts

25x

Continuing from 1a, turn your legs outwards and maintain your pointed feet and toes.

2a. Ankle & Foot Flexibility

20x each foot

Standing, curl your toes under on 1 foot.
Push your ankle and heel forward, making your foot flush with your shin.

2b. Pointed Toe and Ankle Strength

25x

Start by squatting with your toes curled under.
Push your heels and ankles forward.
When you’re ready, start to straighten your legs.

You can use yoga blocks to prop your hands.

3a. Flexed Hand Arm Twists

5x up and down.

Flex you hands backwards with your hands down by your side.
Twist your arms back and forth as you raise them slowly, and back down.

Make sure you have have good posture.
Keep your arms drawing backwards as you do this.

3b. Clenched Fist Arm Twists

5x up and down.

Clench your fists like the incredible hulk, starting with arms by your side.
Twist your arms back and forth as you raise them slowly, and back down.

Make sure you have have good posture.
Keep your arms drawing backwards as you do this.

4. Entire Arm Stretch

20 seconds each arm.

Put your hand against a wall straight back behind you, at shoulder height, with your palm flat on the wall, and fingers spread wide.
Start to turn your torso forward.

Make sure your arm is straight behind you, not too far forward or backwards.

5a. Wrist Rocks

20 rocks back and fourth.

Kneeling, put your palms on the ground with your fingers facing towards you.
Rock forward to try and get your palm firmly pressed against the ground..
Rock backwards and try to maintain your palms against the ground.

5b. Wrist Rocks – Back of Hand

20 rocks back and fourth.

Kneeling, put the back of your hands on the ground with your fingers facing towards you.
Rock forward to try and get your wrists flat against the ground..
Rock backwards and try to maintain your wrists against the ground