Why should you raise your toes, not just your calves?

Your calves had their turn. Raising your toes works the muscles along the back of the lower leg.

Here's an exercise tip that sounds like it belongs in a nursery rhyme: Bring your toes toward your nose. This is how physical therapist Joseph Hrybik reminds patients to raise their toes. Fortunately, this isn't a flexibility test: your toes don't have to come anywhere near your face. Keep your heels on the floor, lift the front of your feet, and you'll work the calf extensors.

"Every time we step, we need to be able to clear our toes off the ground," says Hrybik, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. Otherwise, your toes may catch on the carpet or get caught while walking through the front door, making you more likely to fall.

If you've ever done leg raises, you know the opposite: lift your heels and rise on the balls of your feet. Raising the toes to the other side of the leg gives a little attention. They require no equipment, you can do them while sitting at your desk, and they can burn your shins (in a good way) after very few reps.

The star of the toe lift is the tibialis anterior, a muscle that runs along the front of the leg. This helps lift your foot as it moves forward—and then controls how your foot descends after your heel hits the ground, says Hrybik.

Your calves do the opposite: they help you move forward. Danielle Safford, assistant professor of physical therapy at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, suggests focusing on both sides of your lower leg. "If you just do those two things, you cover a lot of your bases," she says of calf raises and toe raises.

It can be helpful if the muscles that lift your legs are weak. But will lengthening your toes every day make you a faster runner or prevent you from falling? "It's more of a question mark," says Safford. These muscles are important for walking and balance, but studies have not proven that raising your toes alone provides these larger benefits. However, they are a useful addition to a routine that works the legs and challenges your balance.

You can do toe raises while sitting or standing. If your balance is not what it used to be, choose a chair. Place both feet on the floor and lift the front of your feet while keeping your heels down. The balls of your feet should come up with your toes – wiggling your toes alone doesn't count. Take one to two seconds to lift, pause briefly, then lower for two to three seconds. "If you just put your toes up and let them touch, you're not going to get much benefit," Hrybeek says.

For a bigger challenge, try them standing up. This means your feet are bearing your weight and it's a challenge to stay still, so keep a solid counter. Lift the front of both legs at the same time. It's okay to put some weight on your heels, but don't bend your entire body back to lift your feet off the floor, Safford says. Get up as high as you can comfortably; Even if your legs barely move, the muscles are still working

Shoes or bare feet? Whichever you prefer. With bare feet, you might even get a glimpse of the workout: Safford says the tendons can "kind of pop out of the top of the foot" during the lift, a bit like the tendons in the back of the hand.

How often should you lift your toes – and how often?

Safford suggests starting with five to 10 reps a few days a week. This may sound too easy, but try a set before you decide. "You may feel more tired than you expect," says Hribek.

As your calves get used to the exercise, add a few reps. Safford says you can eventually do up to 20 reps most days of the week, but give yourself a few months to reach that goal. "You don't want to set yourself up for failure," he says. Mild pain is possible when starting. If you have pain that is severe or does not go away, stop and get checked out. The same goes for the new foot lift problem or toes that keep getting stuck on the floor.

The best part about toe raises is that you can do them almost anywhere. Try a set at your desk, or do them standing up at the bathroom sink. "You can do this while you're brushing your teeth," says Safford. "Just hold the counter."