Three-way heel raises are an excellent sport-specific exercise designed to strengthen your calf muscles, which in turn provides ankle strength and stability. To perform this exercise, place the balls of both your feet on a 2-inch riser or similar object. Start with your toes pointing in and ankles out. Slowly rise onto your toes and hold for 1-2 seconds. Return to your starting position and perform 5-10 repetitions. Perform your next 5-10 repetitions with your toes pointing out and the final 5-10 repetitions with your toes pointing straight ahead. You should feel this exercise in your calf muscles. Take a 20-40 second break and perform 2 to 3 sets depending on your comfort level. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, use one leg at a time instead of two.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.