Why Everyone is Using Ankle Straps for Fitness Training
Ankle straps have become one of the most popular fitness accessories in gyms and home workouts worldwide. These versatile resistance training tools are revolutionising how people approach lower body workouts, offering targeted muscle activation that traditional exercises often miss.
Whether you're targeting underdeveloped glutes, addressing hip stability deficits, or refining movement for better performance, ankle straps provide the isolated resistance and range of motion control that can bridge gaps in your training.
Below, we'll break down what ankle straps are, why they're dominating functional training circles, how to use them safely, and how to work them into your program for serious results.
What Are Ankle Straps and Why Are They So Popular?
Ankle straps are adjustable fitness accessories that attach securely around your ankles, connecting to cable machines, resistance bands or tubes, such as PTP PowerTubes to create customisable resistance training systems. The surge in popularity stems from their ability to isolate specific muscle groups while improving functional movement patterns.
Unlike fixed-weight equipment, ankle straps offer variable resistance throughout the entire range of motion, allowing for constant muscle tension that maximises time under load. This continuous tension principle is particularly effective for muscle hypertrophy and strength development in the posterior chain.
The rise of functional fitness and Pilates has made ankle straps essential equipment for:
- Targeted glute activation
- Hip stability training
- Rehabilitation exercises
- Lower body isolation movements
- Home gym workouts
How to Use Ankle Straps: Setup and Safety
Using ankle straps correctly ensures maximum effectiveness and injury prevention while protecting the ankle joint and surrounding soft tissues:
- Secure Attachment: Fasten the ankle strap comfortably around your ankle, ensuring it's snug but not restrictive. The strap should sit just above the ankle bone, allowing full range of motion.
- Cable Connection: Attach the strap to your cable machine or resistance bands at the appropriate height. Most lower-body movements work best with the cable set at the lowest position.
- Resistance Adjustment: Gradually increase weight or resistance as you feel comfortable and your strength improves, ensuring you can maintain good form throughout the full range of motion.
- Form Focus: Maintain proper posture and controlled movements throughout each exercise. Focus on initiating movement from the target muscle group rather than using momentum, and ensure your core remains engaged to provide stability.
4 Essential Ankle Strap Exercises for Better Results
Here are four foundational movements that form the cornerstone of effective ankle strap training, each targeting different aspects of lower body strength and stability while building functional movement patterns.
1. Hip Abduction (Side Leg Raises)
Target Muscles: Glutes, hip abductors, outer thighs
Secondary Muscles: Core stabilisers, standing leg musculature
Set the cable at the lowest position and attach to one ankle. Standing tall, lift your leg straight out to the side until you reach approximately 45°. Focus on leading with your heel and maintaining a slight forward lean to maximise gluteus medius activation.
This exercise can tone your glutes and improve hip stability when performed with proper form. Hip abductions are particularly valuable for runners and athletes who need strong lateral hip stability.
2. Standing Leg Extensions (Kickbacks)
Target Muscles: Glutes, hamstrings
Secondary Muscles: Core, calves, anterior tibialis
This challenging exercise requires good balance and core stability while delivering exceptional glute activation. Position yourself facing the cable machine, then extend your leg backward in a controlled motion, focusing on squeezing the glute at the peak contraction. Use a mirror to monitor your form, and hold onto a stable surface if needed while building strength.
Avoid arching your back excessively. The movement should come from hip extension, not lumbar hyperextension.
3. Lateral Lunges with Resistance
Target Muscles: Quadriceps, glutes, inner thighs, stabilisers
Secondary Muscles: Calves, core, hip flexors
Traditional lateral lunges become significantly more challenging with ankle strap resistance. The added tension forces you to maintain better control, balance, and form throughout the movement, creating a more comprehensive lower body workout.
Step out to the side while keeping your toes pointing forward, then push through your heel to return to the starting position. Keep your chest lifted and core engaged to avoid leaning forward excessively. Lateral lunges with resistance bands or tubes can improve frontal plane movement patterns often neglected in traditional training, making them great for sports performance and functional movement development.
4. Standing Hamstring Curls
Target Muscles: Hamstrings, calves
Secondary Muscles: Glutes, core stabilisers
Hamstring injuries are common in fitness, making this exercise crucial for injury prevention. Focus on slow, controlled movements while bending your knee to 90° to properly activate and strengthen your hamstring muscles.
Face the cable machine, keep your knees close together, and curl your heel toward your glutes without swinging your leg. Squeeze at the top before slowly lowering to maintain constant muscle engagement. Maintain tension throughout the entire range of motion for optimal results.
Hamstring curls with resistance tubes can help address the strength imbalance between quadriceps and hamstrings that contributes to many knee injuries.
Benefits of Adding Ankle Straps to Your Workout Routine
Incorporating ankle straps into your training program can enhance strength, improve stability, and support injury prevention. Here are five key benefits of adding them to your workouts.
1. Enhanced Muscle Isolation
Target specific muscle groups more effectively than compound movements alone, allowing you to address weak links and muscular imbalances that limit overall performance and increase injury risk.
2. Improved Functional Movement
Develop better movement patterns for daily activities and sports performance. The multi-planar movements possible with ankle straps mirror real-world activities better than traditional machine-based exercises.
3. Injury Prevention
Strengthen stabilising muscles often neglected in traditional workouts, particularly the smaller hip and ankle muscles that play crucial roles in joint stability and movement quality.
4. Versatile Training Options
Use with cable machines, resistance bands, or suspension trainers, making them adaptable to any training environment or fitness level. This versatility ensures consistent training regardless of location or available equipment.
5. Home Gym Friendly
Compact and portable for anywhere workouts, ankle straps offer professional gym-quality training in minimal space with minimal investment.
Choosing the Right Ankle Straps
When selecting ankle straps for your fitness routine, prioritise comfort, adjustability, and durability to ensure they withstand regular use and provide consistent performance. Look for features like:
Padded neoprene construction that provides comfort during extended training sessions while wicking moisture away from the skin.
Adjustable Velcro straps with multiple adjustment points to accommodate different ankle sizes and ensure a secure, comfortable fit.
Machine-washable materials that maintain their integrity and comfort after repeated washing cycles.
Quality ankle straps like PTP Ankle Straps offer maximum comfort and adjustability, featuring reinforced stitching and premium materials that ensure your workouts remain effective and comfortable throughout their lifespan.
Getting Started with Ankle Strap Training
Begin with lighter resistance and focus on mastering proper form before increasing intensity. Start with 2–3 sets of 12–15 repetitions for each exercise, gradually progressing as your strength and stability improve. Focus on movement quality over quantity, ensuring each repetition is performed with control and proper muscle activation.
Consider incorporating ankle strap exercises 2–3 times per week as part of your lower body training, either as primary movements or as accessory exercises following your main compound lifts. This allows adequate recovery while providing consistent stimulus for adaptation.
Ready to Level Up Your Training?
Ankle straps are a simple but effective tool that can improve your workouts by targeting muscles that regular exercises often miss. They work well for beginners and experienced athletes alike, helping build strength while reducing injury risk.
What makes ankle straps particularly useful is their ability to fix muscle imbalances and add resistance that you can increase as you get stronger. They're used everywhere from physical therapy clinics to professional training facilities.
Ready to give ankle strap training a go? Explore PTP’s range of ankle straps start with the exercises above, and discover why they’re becoming a staple in so many fitness routines. With regular use, you’ll soon feel the difference in your lower body strength and stability.
