Heel Flicks
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
A running warm-up drill that alternates the heels towards the glutes, raising the cadence while dynamically flexing the knees and preparing the hamstrings.
- Main focus
- Cardio and endurance
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
No special equipment. A clear space and shoes or bare feet with a good grip.
How to do it
- Stand tall with the feet under the hips and the arms bent as for running.
- Begin jogging lightly in place.
- Flick one heel up towards the same-side glute without driving the knee forward.
- Switch feet quickly and continue alternating at an even rhythm.
- Stay light on the forefeet and keep the torso upright for the full interval.
How much
To start: Begin with 5 to 10 minutes at an easy to moderate effort. Add a few minutes each week as it feels easy.
As it gets easier: Work toward 20 to 30 minutes at a moderate effort, building over weeks. Add intervals only after steady work feels easy.
How it should feel: Moderate effort means you are breathing harder but can still talk, and could not sing.
Make it easier
Use the other ways to do this movement below.
Make it harder
Use the other ways to do this movement below.
Tips
- Aim for quick relaxed contacts rather than forcing the heel into the glute.
- Keep the knees pointing down instead of lifting them like high knees.
- Start slowly and increase cadence only after the rhythm feels smooth.
Safety
- Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
- Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
- Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.
Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.