Here's the Ultimate Stretch to Loosen Tight Calves
Lee Boyce is a Toronto-based strength coach who helps clients and athletes reach strength and conditioning, sports performance, and hypertrophy goals. In his new column, Basics Made Better, he'll help you tweak classic exercises to squeeze out even more muscle gain. Follow him on Instagram.
Whether you’re spending most of your day in office gear, or you're just somebody who likes to crank out seriously tough running workouts on the road or track multiple days a week, there's a good chance you've felt some calf soreness here and there. And that's no surprise: The muscles of the lower body can get tight and bound up.
Specifically, the calves can be huge culprits to create chronic pain, plantar fasciitis, and a host of other chronic issues that can be tough to deal with. It’s something basic stretching can go a long way to counter – but the catch is, it has to be done right.
You've done the basic calf stretches. One popular one has you getting on all fours to push the heels toward the floor. Another has you lying on the ground face up, a band or towel wrapped around your forefoot, pulling the foot toward you. These can create reasonable calf stretch, but they don't address the true issue. For that, you must dig deeper.
Start With Your Feet
The tissue that surrounds the calves actually extends to below the foot. It’s a huge contributor to plantar fasciitis. For that reason, it makes the most sense to start here. So grab a lacrosse ball and take your shoe off (you can leave your socks on. Lightly hold something for support, then step on the ball. Firmly roll the ball under your foot, along and around the arch. Make sure the ball reaches everywhere from the heel to the ball of the foot. Spread the toes wide while you do it.
Do this for 2 to 3 minutes on each foot.
Now You Can Stretch
Once the plantar fascia is loosened up, you’ll have a better shot at tapping into some good calf tissue.
To properly stretch the calves, wear a pair of shoes, and find an elevated surface that allows your heel to drop down off of it. The first step of a staircase works great. Position your foot so that the ball of the foot is on the step, and the heel is hanging below the level of the step. To enhance the stretch, simply place the other foot gently around the back of the stretching foot, for added weight.
Then (and here's the key) contract your glutes as you go through the calf stretch. It'll pull your entire posterior chain through the fascia, intensifying the calf stretch. You’ll instantly notice the difference. Try this before and after your next run, your next workout, or your next long day at the office. You’ll be glad you did.
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