In the gym, there is always a corner forgotten. When dumbbells carve lines on the pectoral muscles, and when sweat flows along the ravines of the abdominal muscles, do we ignore a pair of feet that are silently deforming? Those toes curled up in the depths of running shoes may be hiding the most secret health crisis of modern people.
Have you ever realized that your arch is collapsing when you appreciate the posture of squatting in front of the mirror? The 28 bones of the foot actually constitute the most exquisite shock absorption system of the human body, and 90% of urbanites are on the road of "flattening their feet". The arch muscles of sedentary people are like springs that have been oppressed for a long time. At the moment when the treadmill accelerates, the arch, which should disperse the impact force, transmits the impact force of three times its weight to the knees. This is why countless fitness enthusiasts suddenly betray their knees when they hit the 5 km pace.
More dangerous signals are hidden in the joints of the thumb. When yoga practitioners try to keep their balance in the warrior pose, they find that the big toe can't resist the inertia of the little toe valgus, which is an early sign of the fracture of the foot fascia chain. The geeks who run in the gym wearing five-fingered socks are actually awakening the primitive foot strength that has been domesticated by modern shoes. The arch spring muscle group of the sole of the foot should provide elasticity for jumping like kangaroo's hind legs, but it gradually degenerates in the package of thick-soled sports shoes.
Interestingly, the power of thumb is more critical than you think. In the pull-up equipment area, those fitness experts with amazing grasping ability often have thumb-to-palm muscles that are beyond ordinary people. Those trainers who groan under the bench press are probably being dragged down by the strain of abductor pollicis brevis. When you try to hook the handle of the kettle bell with four fingers, the tiger's mouth of the thumb actually bears 60% centrifugal control force. This is why the thumb roots of powerlifting champions are often covered with calluses.
Nerve endings in the foot are more complicated than fingerprints. Those who squat barefoot on the beach are actually activating proprioceptors on the soles of their feet. The 8000 nerve endings of the foot can sense the ground deformation of 0.1 mm, but the midsole of modern running shoes isolates this perception by 95%. This is why barefoot runners not only activate the arch muscles, but also the awakening area of the amygdala of the brain-every touch of the foot is a ceremony to re-establish a contract between the body and the earth.
The real fitness wisdom is hidden in those neglected details. When you crush your calf on the foam shaft, you may wish to lift your foot and touch the scaphoid tubercle on the inside of your foot; When strength training enters the platform period, you can try to test the stability of your foot by standing on one foot. The seemingly insignificant toe strength training is being secretly used by top athletes-from the plantar fascia stretching of NBA stars to the toe separation socks of marathon champions, every fine-tuning of the foot is redefining the upper limit of sports performance. Next time when you fasten your running shoes, don't forget to leave some room for your toes to breathe. After all, they are the real foundation for you to conquer the gym.
