Calf Stretch

One muscle that often becomes tight is the lower leg. Performing a calf stretch on a regular basis is the best way to both prevent this and treat it. It really only takes a second to perform a calf stretch and is something you can do anytime, whether you are talking on the phone, brushing your teeth in the morning or waiting for dinner to cook. Getting into the habit of doing this whenever you think about it will help to decrease soreness and also prevent shin splints, as they are often the result of tight lower leg muscles.

To perform a calf stretch, simple stand facing a wall about a foot away. Then prop one foot up so it is against the wall and lean inwards. It may help if you bend the leg you are standing on slightly but this is not necessary in order to do the exercise. When you feel a slight pull in the leg region, stop and hold this position for at least 15 seconds. It’s important not to jerk your movements at all as that could risk tearing the muscle and causing further pain. Afterwards, switch feet and perform again.

An alternate way to do this is to hang one foot off the edge of step. While holding onto a railing or something else for balance, slowly let your body sink downwards. Since gravity will be acting on you, you will really need to watch out that you do not let it pull you too far down. This exercise is slightly more risky than the former since you aren’t in quite as much control with regards to how much stretch you get.

If you really want to get a good workout in before performing the flexibility work, first do a few raises in this stair position. Since you will be increasing your range of movement you will stimulate more muscle fibres. Just be sure on the last rep to pause at the bottom and allow the lengthening process to take place.

Calf Exercise

Individuals should always include some form of calf exercise in their workout program if they plan to be doing any type of activity that involves running in the near future. Calf exercise works one of the smallest muscles in the leg and does not take very long to do provided you understand correct technique. When performing a calf exercise, you must make sure the feet are positioned right or else you may not receive the full benefits you are hoping to achieve.

Furthermore there are many different variations that you can do when performing this type of workout. You can do one set where the feet are facing directly forwards. This will really help to strengthen the muscles that will directly translate over to your running performance. Typically this is the position you use while running so it will be what is most beneficial to you.

After that you can also do a set where you turn your feet inwards as far as you can go so you assume a pigeon-toed position. This is really great because it will enable you to really work the lateral portion of the muscle. When you are doing various activities, especially sports that involve a lot of stop and go type of movements, your ankles can really get into awkward positions that you must then propel yourself off of. By having strength trained the muscles from various angles you will be fully prepared to do this. If you aren’t, ankle injuries could result.

Finally, to finish off the combination, try a set with your feet turned out. Many people commonly walk this way due to the natural hip placement on their body so it will also prove to be beneficial.

After performing all of those sets, you could also perform a stretching exercise in the same machine you were just in. Now, rather than raising the body up using the muscles, you want to let it sink further down, aiming to get as close to the ground as possible (assuming you are performing this on a step of some sort). It is very helpful to take the time to do this last step in order to prevent muscle soreness after the workout.

Calf workouts

If your looking to develop your calf workouts then understanding your anatomy will help so you can create stronger more defined muscles.

The bottom portion of your leg is composed largely of your calf muscle which, while it is a small muscle, plays a predominant role in many activities.

Also to create appropriate calf workouts you need to known its movement & function, as one of the most important functions of the calf muscle is to help support and stabilize the ankle joint. If you have very weak calf muscles, you might find that you are more prone to ankle rollovers. Runners in particular should be concerned with developing strong defined calf muscles through their workouts as they can also help to prevent the occurrence of shin splints, which is quite a debilitating condition.

Since you use your calf muscles in almost every movement you make while standing, they are going to be constantly partially tensed and would therefore be classified as more of an ‘endurance’ muscle. Most times when training them you can afford to take your rep ranges slightly higher because of this. However, if muscle strength and size increases are still a main goal, you need to be lifting heavy weights. Doing hundreds of raises without any weight may increase their resistance to fatigue but it isn’t going to do a whole lot in terms of maximum levels of strength.

This muscle also can become tight quite easily so be sure to stretch it out thoroughly both before and after any running activities. You can perform a stretch by simply placing your ankle up against a wall so that the pad of your foot is raised and you are feeling the stretch in the back of the leg. Alternatively you can also stand off a step so that your body weight falls off the back of your heal such that the muscle is lengthened and stretched that way.

So be sure to include exercises for this muscle regularly. It is one that is too commonly overlooked, which would be considered a major workout error.