How many reps of the peroneal raise should a beginner do?

Start with 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps, since this is light stability work rather than a heavy strength exercise. Add reps or a slower tempo before you ever think about adding load.

How do I make the peroneal raise easier or harder?

To make it easier, rest a hand on a wall the whole time and shorten the range you rise through. To make it harder, do it without wall support, add a two-second pause at the top of every rep, or try it on one foot at a time.

What is the peroneal raise good for and when is it unnecessary?

It strengthens the muscles on the outside of the lower leg that resist rolling the ankle outward, which makes it useful prehab for anyone in cutting or jumping sports or rehab after an ankle sprain. It adds little for someone with no ankle instability history and a training program already full of lateral movement, since that already trains the same pattern.

Beginner

Peroneal Raise

The fibularis muscles run down the outside of the lower leg and evert the foot, acting as the ankle's main defense against rolling outward. Rising onto the balls of the feet with the weight pressed through the big-toe side loads them directly and builds the lateral-ankle stability that cutting and jumping sports demand. Keep it light and deliberate; this is a stability and prehab drill, not a heavy strength lift, so hold a wall for support if needed.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Calves
Type: Balance, Strength
Browse by muscle: Fibularis Longus
Browse by movement: Calf Raise

How to do it

1
Stand tall with your feet hip-width and your weight shifted slightly toward the big-toe side of each foot.
2
Rest a hand on a wall for light balance if needed.
3
Keep your knees straight and your core braced.
4
Rise up while keeping pressure through the big toe and inner forefoot, so the ankles stay slightly everted instead of rolling outward.
5
Pause at the top and feel the outside of the lower legs working.
6
Lower slowly under control and repeat for higher reps.

Tips

Keep the weight on the big-toe side rather than letting the ankles roll out onto the little toes.
Use light effort and higher reps, since this is stability and prehab work.
Add a wall touch for balance so you can focus on the ankle action.

Variations

Common mistakes

The knees bend to help push the rise, which brings the quads into a movement that is supposed to isolate the outside of the lower leg.
Loading heavy enough that the set turns into a grinding effort defeats a drill that is meant to train control at low, precise loads.
The rise happens fast and bounces at the top instead of pausing there, so the peroneals never get the sustained squeeze that builds their endurance.
The weight drifts back toward the little toes partway through the set as the big-toe pressure gets tiring, quietly ending the exercise early.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the peroneal raise should a beginner do?: Start with 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps, since this is light stability work rather than a heavy strength exercise. Add reps or a slower tempo before you ever think about adding load.
How do I make the peroneal raise easier or harder?: To make it easier, rest a hand on a wall the whole time and shorten the range you rise through. To make it harder, do it without wall support, add a two-second pause at the top of every rep, or try it on one foot at a time.
What is the peroneal raise good for and when is it unnecessary?: It strengthens the muscles on the outside of the lower leg that resist rolling the ankle outward, which makes it useful prehab for anyone in cutting or jumping sports or rehab after an ankle sprain. It adds little for someone with no ankle instability history and a training program already full of lateral movement, since that already trains the same pattern.

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