Jumping rope

[Fate]

Hey all,

Been following the CFE S&C WODs for a little now, so I'm doing a lot of barefoot jump rope (actually, I'm doing it in Vibrams). I'm having some trouble with pain in my ankles and feet from the repetetive impact, especially when doing single leg jumping or double-unders (which I can only string together in shoes). Does anyone have any tips on strengthening the ankles or the tendons in my feet, or is "you will get better with practice" the answer?

[tuckaaron]

It takes time to build up the all the normally unused muscles in the feet, shins, and so on. It took me something like a month or maybe two to be able to really feel comfortable in them doing most activities. I now run 5 miles or so on everything from roads to single track and feel fine. What did it for me was wearing them everyday. This is what really got my feet used to them. I also have the luxury of being able to wear them all day at work which made the difference. Hope it helps.

[marystella]

I jump rope in my vibrams too but I didn't notice foot pain from them until I did the 90:90x6 running in them. Then since I was so sore I didn't wear them the next two days trying to give my sore legs a break. Am I supposed to keep wearing them even if I'm sore from them?

[gary ohm]

Fate, are you jumping on concrete or a softer surface? I use water socks and have a horse stall mat in my garage. The mat affords just enough cushion so that I can go for quite a while now and not get sore. For certain it will get better with time.

[Fate]

I do my jump rope workouts at my local CF box. The floor is the dense black rubber matting that is typical at other boxes I've visted. Solid, but with a bit of cushion over straight up concrete.

[gary ohm]

The floor is the dense black rubber matting that is typical at other boxes I've visted. Solid, but with a bit of cushion over straight up concrete.

That sounds like my horse stall mat. I might suggest backing off just a bit, and maybe adding a little more rest. I don't think you're doing anything wrong, you just need to give your feet time to catch up.

[2themax]

Does anyone have any tips on strengthening the ankles or the tendons in my feet, or is "you will get better with practice" the answer?

Practice (with ample rest) is definitely the first and most important step to increasing ankle and foot strength. I've also used two other simple techniques to help with my foot/ankle flexibility and strength and it's made a big difference. Although they may seem a little silly, I'd recommend giving them a try...

1) Pointing with your toes and bending at the ankle, spell out the alphabet in the air. Do this for a total of three times with each foot. Easiest while sitting (at dinner, work, wherever) but can also be done while standing, to increase the demand on the proprioreceptors.

2) Make a habit of picking things up with your feet by gripping items with your toes (i.e. dirty clothes, toys, whatever needs or can be picked up).

Give it a shot and see if it helps! This building of strength takes time, so don't expect to have feet of steel within the week, but with continued practice you'll make huge improvements.