The Run Smarter Podcast

Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍

For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚
- Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓
- The Run Smarter Book 📖
- Access to Research Papers 📄🔍
- & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟
👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨

In this rerun episode, we dive deep into foot strength, control, and coordination with one of the world’s leading authorities on running biomechanics, Jay Dicharry.

Jay is a physical therapist, biomechanical researcher, and author of Running Rewired and Anatomy for Runners. He’s also the creator of the MOBO Board and has analysed thousands of runners’ gait patterns across elite labs in the US.

This conversation breaks down why foot strength is so often misunderstood, why simple exercises like towel scrunches fall short, and how runners can build durable, efficient feet that translate directly to better running performance and fewer injuries.

Despite a chaotic recording (blackouts, platform failures, and tradesmen mid-interview), the first 40 minutes in particular are packed with high-value, practical insights you can start using immediately.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why foot strength actually matters for runners

• Why the foot is often the missing link between strength training and running injuries
• How poor foot control can contribute to injuries up the chain (calf, knee, hip, spine)
• Why runners haven’t seen injury rates drop despite better shoes and more research

Coordination comes before strength

• Why most runners don’t have a “strength” problem, but a coordination problem
• The difference between:
  • Coordination
  • Stability
  • Load
• Why skipping coordination leads to poor results—even with good exercises

Simple self-tests you can do today

• The Toe Yoga test (and what failing it actually means)
• The single-leg balance test to identify poor foot strategy
• How to tell if you’re cheating with your hip and trunk instead of using your foot

How to load the foot properly

• Why calf raises alone are not enough
• When runners are not ready for heel-off or calf-dominant exercises
• How to progress from:
  • Flat-foot control
  • → single-leg stability
  • → loaded exercises like split squats and single-leg deadlifts
• Why heavy single-leg lifts actually make sense for runners

Flat feet, high arches & foot “type”

• Why foot shape isn’t something you need to “fix”
• When foot structure matters—and when it doesn’t
• Why some runners with very flat feet run pain-free at elite levels

Orthotics: who actually needs them?

• Why Jay now prescribes very few orthotics
• The test that determines whether orthotics are necessary
• How long-term orthotic use can reduce intrinsic foot muscle activity
• How to safely wean off orthotics if appropriate (and why cold-turkey is a bad idea)

Minimalist shoes vs cushioned shoes

• Why barefoot running didn’t “fail” (and what it actually changed)
• Why minimalist shoes are a training tool, not a moral identity
• How shoe cushioning affects proprioception and running economy
• Why most runners benefit from a shoe quiver, not one “perfect” shoe

Common misconceptions Jay sees all the time

• “Running alone is enough to make me strong”
• “Everyone should transition to minimalist shoes”
• “Foot motion is dangerous”
• Why most running injuries are load management problems, not form flaws

🏃 Practical Takeaways for Runners

• Foot strength isn’t about doing more exercises—it’s about doing the right progression
• Master coordination before adding load
• Train your feet year-round, not just when injured
• Barefoot strength work improves learning and control
• Strong feet support better running economy, not just injury prevention

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• moboboard.com – Foot-specific strength and coordination exercises
• anathletesbody.com – Jay’s educational resources and programs