I’m a Trainer and These Are the 4 Daily Flexibility Exercises You Need to Keep Walking Strong After 60
Most people assume that changes in the way they walk are simply a normal part of aging. As a trainer, I do not. What I often see is a loss of efficiency within the movement system that has been developing for years, and sometimes decades, before a person notices a change in their gait. The good news is that the mechanism behind efficient walking can be trained, and these four daily exercises can help you keep walking strong well past 60.
The Windlass Mechanism, Explained
One of the most important concepts in walking, and one that very few people have ever heard of, is something called the windlass mechanism. The windlass mechanism is a biomechanical process that occurs in the foot every time you take a step.
As the big toe extends during the push-off phase of walking, it tightens the plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot. Think of it like winding a rope around a winch. As the fascia tightens, the arch of the foot rises and the foot transforms from a flexible shock absorber into a rigid lever capable of efficiently transferring force into the ground.
This process happens thousands of times throughout the day, and most people never think about it until it stops working properly.
When the windlass mechanism functions well, walking is efficient. Force is transferred smoothly through the foot and into the rest of the body. The foot accepts load, stores energy, and then releases that energy to help propel us forward.
When the Foot Becomes a Single Point of Failure
When the windlass mechanism becomes compromised, the entire system must adapt. This is where I often see what we call a single point of failure. In engineering, a single point of failure is one component that can negatively affect an entire system when it stops functioning properly. The human body works much the same way.
For many people, the foot becomes that single point of failure. Loss of mobility in the big toe, restrictions within the plantar fascia, decreased ankle mobility, or changes in the structure and function of the arch can all interfere with the windlass mechanism.
The body is remarkably adaptable, so it will continue to find ways to move. The problem is that those adaptations often come in the form of compensation. If the foot loses its ability to efficiently transfer force, the knee must often compensate. If the knee compensates, the hip may begin compensating as well. Changes at the hip can influence pelvic mechanics, spinal movement, and even the way the rib cage rotates during walking.
Because these changes occur gradually, most people don’t recognize them. They simply assume they are getting older. I think a better question is why the body is becoming less efficient in the first place.
Flexibility Is the Ability to Adapt to Force
This is where the fascial system becomes important. Fascia is the connective tissue network that surrounds every muscle, organ, nerve, blood vessel, and joint in the body. One of its primary responsibilities is transmitting and distributing force. The plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot is one of the clearest examples of this system in action.
Every step you take requires the body to absorb force, store energy, transfer that energy through the system, and then release it. The windlass mechanism is one of the primary ways the body accomplishes this task.
When the system functions efficiently, movement feels smooth and coordinated. When it loses adaptability, movement becomes more costly. More energy is required. Walking speed often decreases. Stride length may shorten. Balance can become less predictable. Over time, the body begins working harder to accomplish something that should be automatic.
This is why I rarely think about flexibility as simply stretching a muscle. I think about flexibility as the body’s ability to adapt to force. A healthy foot must be flexible enough to absorb force when it contacts the ground, but stable enough to transfer force during push-off. The windlass mechanism allows the foot to perform both of those jobs.
As we age, maintaining that adaptability becomes increasingly important. The goal is not to become more flexible for the sake of flexibility. The goal is to maintain efficient movement. Efficient movement allows us to walk farther, move with greater confidence, maintain balance, and remain active throughout life.
Walking is one of the clearest reflections of how well the entire movement system is functioning. In many cases, preserving the ability to walk well begins with preserving the mechanisms that make walking possible in the first place. The windlass mechanism is one of those mechanisms, and it may be one of the most important factors in maintaining efficient gait as we age. Here are the four exercises I use to improve the windlass mechanism and keep you walking well past 60.
Toe Coordination
The first exercise in our windlass mechanism series is toe coordination. We want to see if we can lift the big toe without lifting the other four, and without any movement through the rest of the foot. Your ankle shouldn’t move, and your knee and hip shouldn’t move. This movement is specific to the foot itself.
Muscles Trained: Intrinsic foot muscles, big toe extensors and flexors
How to Do It:
- Stand with your feet flat on the floor.
- Lift just your big toe, keeping the other four toes down.
- Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, then set it down.
- Now lift the other four toes while keeping the big toe down.
- Hold for 20 to 60 seconds.
- Once you can do both isometrically, start alternating back and forth between the two positions.
Form Tip: If you’re having trouble, reach down and hold the four toes down while you work on the big one, then hold the big one down while you work on the other four. If you don’t want to bend down that far, use your other foot to hold down the toes you don’t want to move.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets per foot, making sure you train both sides.
Rolling and Unrolling the Feet
The second exercise in our foot function and windlass mechanism training is rolling and unrolling of the feet. One foot at a time, you’ll roll nice and smooth all the way up onto the big toe, then roll back down nice and smooth. We want to get proficient at each foot moving slowly through that full range of motion before putting them together.
Muscles Trained: Plantar fascia, intrinsic foot muscles, calves, ankle stabilizers
How to Do It:
- Standing, roll one foot smoothly up onto the big toe.
- Roll it back down with the same control.
- Repeat on the other foot until both feet move smoothly through the full range of motion.
- Once comfortable, alternate: as the left foot comes down, the right foot comes up.
- Set a timer for 30 to 90 seconds and keep rolling and unrolling.
Form Tip: Start very slow and smooth. As you get comfortable, you can pick up the pace, but make sure you’re hitting the full range of motion every time.
Myofascial Gastroc Stretch
The next exercise in our windlass mechanism series is myofascial stretching of the gastroc, or the calf muscles. I like to use a little incline block because it allows your heel to stay on the ground. If you don’t have a block, you can use a book, a towel, or even a step.
Muscles Trained: Gastrocnemius (calf), plantar fascia
How to Do It:
- Place the ball of one foot up on the block with the heel on the ground.
- Lift your toes on that foot.
- Straighten the knee of the stretching leg.
- Bring your other leg forward as far as you need, bending that knee, to feel a stretch through the back of the calf.
- Keep a little tuck in your pelvis.
- Hold for 30 to 90 seconds per position, per leg.
Form Tip: To bias one side of the gastroc, adjust your heel. Heel straight stretches both heads. Turn the heel in slightly to stretch more of the outside, or lateral gastroc. Turn the heel out slightly to stretch more of the inside, or medial gastroc. The timing stays the same: 30 to 90 seconds per position, per leg.
Myofascial Soleus Stretch
The final exercise in our windlass mechanism series is myofascial stretching of the soleus. If you were to take the calf muscle off, the soleus is the muscle below it. The soleus is important. In fact, we call it the second heart, because it’s the primary muscle responsible for pushing blood back up the leg.
Muscles Trained: Soleus, plantar fascia
How to Do It:
- Come down into a kneeling position with an incline block in front of you.
- Place your foot up on the block, everything straight to start.
- Lift your toes up off the block.
- Push your knee forward to create a stretch into the soleus.
- Hold for 30 to 90 seconds per position.
Form Tip: Just like the gastroc, you can bias each side. Turn your heel slightly in as you glide forward to stretch more of the outside, or turn your heel out as you glide forward to stretch the inside. Same time under tension as the gastroc: 30 to 90 seconds per position.