Toe Crawling
Stand tall and barefoot on a surface with some grip. Shift your weight gently from one foot to the other, and let the lighter foot pull itself forward with your toes. That's how you work your way forward, bit by bit.
In toe crawling you carry your own weight and move it forward at the same time, using nothing but your toes.
The pull calls on the muscles that sit entirely inside your foot, together with the long ones that run down from your shin to your toes. They work as one unit here: your foot holds the weight and has to work its way forward at the same time. This is work for your feet, done standing, under load.
Barefoot, you feel more as well. The skin on the sole of your foot keeps telling your balance system how your weight is spread.
You make it harder by covering more distance and by unweighting the pulling foot less. The hardest version pulls both feet forward at once.
Starting position
Take your shoes off and stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart. The surface needs some grip: carpet, turf, rubber or a mat. On a smooth floor your toes will just slide out.
Shift your weight gently onto one foot. That frees the other one enough for your toes to grip and pull it forward a little. Then your weight moves across and the second foot follows.
Carry on like that, one foot at a time. Your upper body stays tall and quiet — all the work is happening at your feet.
The more grip the surface has, the more you have to take the weight off the pulling foot. A yoga mat grips your foot more than turf does.
The three cues
- Stand tall
- Weight shifts, lighter foot pulls
- Grip with your toes and pull forward
- Keep alternating
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your upper body sags forward or travels with the pull | Stay tall. You can look down, but keep your trunk upright. |
| Your foot sticks and jerks | Put more weight on the other foot and the pulling one comes free more easily. |
| Your toes slide out | Find a surface with more grip — carpet, turf or a mat. |
| You're pulling too far each time | Take small pulls. The distance comes from many short pulls adding up. |
| Your heel lifts on every pull | Keep your heel on the floor and pull from your toes. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Take the weight right off | Your weight moves firmly onto one foot while the other pulls through with almost no weight on it. Move on when every pull runs smoothly. |
| A lighter shift | Your weight only shifts lightly from foot to foot, and the pulling foot already carries some of the load. |
| Both feet at once | Your weight stays on both feet and you work your way forward with both together. |
Reps and load
Andreas uses this in his foot routine, after the seated toe work and before the work that builds on top of them. It fits into a warm-up, and you can do it barefoot anywhere the floor has some grip.
The distance sets the volume, and how much you unweight sets the difficulty.
From the studio: carpet, turf, rubber or a yoga mat all work. The more your foot sticks, the more you have to unweight it as you alternate. That's just what I've found.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Flexor digitorum brevis M. flexor digitorum brevis | Prime mover | Bends your toes and pulls your foot forward once the toes have grip |
| Abductor hallucis M. abductor hallucis | Prime mover | Guides your big toe and supports your arch under load |
| Flexor digitorum longus M. flexor digitorum longus | Synergist | Comes down from your shin and adds power when your toes curl |
| Flexor hallucis longus M. flexor hallucis longus | Synergist | Bends your big toe and drives you forward |
| Quadratus plantae and interossei M. quadratus plantae, Mm. interossei | Synergist | Line up the pull of the long tendons and keep your toes together |
| Tibialis posterior M. tibialis posterior | Stabiliser | Supports the arch while your foot carries weight |
| Calves M. gastrocnemius, M. soleus | Stabiliser | Keep your ankle quiet as your weight shifts from foot to foot |
| Glutes and trunk M. gluteus medius, M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keep your pelvis level and your upper body tall through the weight shift |
The work comes from the muscles that sit entirely inside your foot, together with the long toe flexors coming down from your shin. Your tibialis posterior and calves hold the arch and ankle, while your glutes and trunk keep you tall as your weight moves from foot to foot.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the alternating pull, the harder both-feet version and which surfaces work. · 1:19
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
Gooding TM, Feger MA, Hart JM, Hertel J. (2016). Intrinsic Foot Muscle Activation During Specific Exercises: A T2 Time Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. J Athl Train 51(8):644–650. DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-51.10.07 — Eight healthy runners around 20 years old, plantar foot muscle activity before and after four foot exercises using T2 imaging. The basis for listing the muscles of the sole as prime movers. The exercises measured were not toe crawling, and the sample is small and very young. (Evidence type: MRT)
Kelly LA, Cresswell AG, Racinais S, Whiteley R, Lichtwark G. (2014). Intrinsic foot muscles have the capacity to control deformation of the longitudinal arch. J R Soc Interface 11(93):20131188. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2013.1188 — Fine-wire recordings from the plantar foot muscles under increasing load in standing. The muscles actively resisted the arch flattening, and the demand on them rose with the load. The basis for describing this as foot work done standing, under load. It says nothing about training effects. (Evidence type: EMG)
Jaffri AH, Koldenhoven R, Saliba S, Hertel J. (2023). Evidence for Intrinsic Foot Muscle Training in Improving Foot Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Athl Train 58(11-12):941–951. DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0162.22 — Thirteen controlled studies in mixed adult groups. Training the plantar foot muscles improved foot posture, strength, balance and self-reported function, though there was no benefit for pain. Effect sizes varied widely. The basis for describing foot work as trainable without promising a particular outcome. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Wei Z, Zeng Z, Liu M, Wang L. (2022). Effect of intrinsic foot muscles training on foot function and dynamic postural balance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 17(4):e0266525. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266525 — Sixteen studies, mostly in physically active adults. Training the plantar foot muscles affected the shape of the longitudinal arch and balance in movement. The authors note that training methods differ widely between studies. The population skews young and athletic. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Mickle KJ, Munro BJ, Lord SR, Menz HB, Steele JR. (2009). ISB Clinical Biomechanics Award 2009: toe weakness and deformity increase the risk of falls in older people. Clin Biomech 24(10):787–791. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2009.08.011 — 312 people aged 60 to 90 followed for a year; 107 of them fell. Weaker toe flexion strength and toe deformity came with a higher risk of falling. It puts into context why toe strength is a topic at all. The study identifies a risk factor; it does not show that training prevents falls, and the group is older than the Academy's audience. (Evidence type: Cohort study)
Quinlan S, Fong Yan A, Sinclair P, Hunt A. (2020). The evidence for improving balance by strengthening the toe flexor muscles: A systematic review. Gait Posture 81:56–66. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.07.006 — Nine studies, all participants over 60 and mostly women, largely cross-sectional data. Toe flexion strength and balance were related. The authors state explicitly that no study exists for younger groups, so for people aged 40 to 60 any balance claim is an extrapolation downwards. That is why the page promises nothing about balance. (Evidence type: Übersichtsarbeit)
Kato M, Kito K, Nakano S, et al. (2025). Plantar cutaneous sensation is independently associated with postural balance and lower limb motor function in older adults: the Shizuoka study. Eur Geriatr Med 16(2):625–634. DOI: 10.1007/s41999-024-01141-4 — 1,659 people around the age of 74. Poorer sensitivity of the skin on the sole went along with poorer standing balance. The basis for the line that the skin on your sole feeds information to your balance system. It shows an association; it does not show that barefoot exercises improve that sensitivity. (Evidence type: Querschnittsstudie)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.