Step 1

Sit barefoot or with socks, placing one ankle on your opposite knee so your foot is free in space.

Step 2

Place your index and fore fingers, behind your small toe and gently move your foot up and down. Notice how easily your foot rises and falls.

The ease of this movement reflects your ankle’s stability or instability.

Step 3

Place your index and fore fingers on the ball of the foot and press the ball of the foot towards your knee.

Notice how easily your arch collapses.

The majority of people will experience an unstable ankle in Step 2 and a collapsing arch in this Step.

This is the dynamic that is occurring when standing, walking, or running when wearing most shoes.

Step 4

Raise your toes, and notice that immediately a natural stable arch is created and your ankle stabilizes.

While maintaining raised toes, repeat Steps 2 and 3.

Press on the ball of your foot as firmly as you can.

Notice that with your toes raised, it takes little or no muscle effort to maintain a strong, stable ankle and arch.

This is the functional strength that Biopods entrains.

Step 5

Relax your toes, then press firmly against the ball of your foot, collapsing the arch again. and maintain that pressure.

While maintaining that pressure, try to raise your toes.

If you can't, or you can only raise them a bit with significant effort — that's an indication of functional weakness and instability entrained by your habitual footwear, orthotic, or insole use — that support, cushion, or restrict.

Most people can only raise their toes a little, if at all.

This functional weakness and instability is the underlying cause of the vast majority of foot-related lower limbs hip and back problems, and most non-contact related athletic lower extremity injury.

If you can raise your toes with relative ease, you are exhibiting functional strength and stability.

The good news is that functional foot strength and stability is easily retrained by using Biopods footwear and insoles.

What Insoles Should I Use?

Biopods: If you want to achieve optimal foot strength, stability, and athletic performance – when used consistently in soft, flexible, non-restrictive footwear.

Barefoot Science: If you are seeking comfort over foot strength, stability, and athletic performance – when used consistently in soft, flexible, non-restrictive footwear.