Runners, in particular, need to focus on developing strong calves and flexible ankles. When you put weight on your foot, the functional stability of the entire kinetic chain is dependent on a solid and flexible foundation. However, training methods frequently ignore that foundation. If you're plunging off a cliff on skis or hitting the pavement, your calves and quadriceps will take the brunt of the impact. The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles, located on the inner and outer sides of the lower leg, respectively, make up the bulk of the calf muscle group, which in turn attaches to the Achilles tendon. Raise One Leg to Raise Your Heels The concentric strength of your calves can be measured using the single-leg heel rise. Put your heels over the edge of a step and stand barefoot on the balls of your feet. If you need to, grab a door frame or wall for support, but don't use your hands to pull yourself up. Raise one foot off the ground and do calf raises (heel rises) with the other. Go as far down as you can and as far up as you can to fully utilize your range of motion. Do as much as you can while maintaining a complete range of motion in your joints. Move on to the opposite leg and do it again. Proctored Lung Function Exam (Knee-to-Wall Test) Plantar fasciitis, as well as issues in the calf, knee, hip, and back, can be brought on by constriction or stiffness in one or both ankles. This simple test can be done at home to find out how much your ankle joint can move. Place one foot about a hand's width away from a wall, toes facing the wall. Bend your knee as if you were lunging into a wall, keeping your heel planted firmly on the floor. If you have to lift your heel to get your knee to the wall, try moving your foot closer; if you have to move your foot back to get your knee to the wall, try moving your foot closer again. Range of motion (dorsiflexion) and symmetry at the ankle joint are evaluated. Heel-raise With Both Legs Stand barefoot on the balls of your feet with your heels dangling off a step like you would for an evaluation. Heel rises should be performed with a full range of motion (using both legs) for four or five sets of six to ten repetitions, with a minute of rest in between each set. The goal of this exercise is not to build muscular volume but rather to strengthen the muscle; therefore, you don't need to go all the way to failure. It's great for increasing calf muscle through concentric contractions (only necessary if you cannot do ten or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion). Progressive Heel Raise (Two Legs Up, One Leg Down) Keep doing heel raises, but this time, lift both calves off the ground as you do so, and switch legs for a slow, three- to four-second lowering and raising. Repeat this process four or five times, this time doing six to ten reps on each leg and resting for one minute in between sets. Repeat the single-leg heel raise test once you've gotten to the point where the exercise feels routine. You should go on to the sport-specific exercise below if you can now perform ten to twelve (or more) single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion. If so, keep going with this workout because it strengthens your calves with eccentric movements. Rope Jumping If you haven't already reached a level of strength where you can do ten or more fully extended heel raises on one leg, you should wait until you do before starting this exercise (see above test). Just skip the rope. Start with four sets of 15 seconds of jumping, then work up to six to eight sets of 30 seconds, and finally aim for ten sets of 60 seconds, with one minute of rest in between each set. Keep in mind that you should aim to touch down on your toes rather than your heels. The calves get a good eccentric load, and overall muscle endurance for the sport improves. Muscle endurance can also be improved by standing on an incline board for 3 minutes a day for a week to stretch your calves.
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Runners, in particular, need to focus on developing strong calves and flexible ankles. When you put weight on your foot, the functional stability of the entire kinetic chain is dependent on a solid and flexible foundation. However, training methods frequently ignore that foundation.
If you're plunging off a cliff on skis or hitting the pavement, your calves and quadriceps will take the brunt of the impact. The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles, located on the inner and outer sides of the lower leg, respectively, make up the bulk of the calf muscle group, which in turn attaches to the Achilles tendon. Raise One Leg to Raise Your Heels The concentric strength of your calves can be measured using the single-leg heel rise. Put your heels over the edge of a step and stand barefoot on the balls of your feet. If you need to, grab a door frame or wall for support, but don't use your hands to pull yourself up. Raise one foot off the ground and do calf raises (heel rises) with the other. Go as far down as you can and as far up as you can to fully utilize your range of motion. Do as much as you can while maintaining a complete range of motion in your joints. Move on to the opposite leg and do it again. Proctored Lung Function Exam (Knee-to-Wall Test) Plantar fasciitis, as well as issues in the calf, knee, hip, and back, can be brought on by constriction or stiffness in one or both ankles. This simple test can be done at home to find out how much your ankle joint can move. Place one foot about a hand's width away from a wall, toes facing the wall. Bend your knee as if you were lunging into a wall, keeping your heel planted firmly on the floor. If you have to lift your heel to get your knee to the wall, try moving your foot closer; if you have to move your foot back to get your knee to the wall, try moving your foot closer again. Range of motion (dorsiflexion) and symmetry at the ankle joint are evaluated. Heel-raise With Both Legs Stand barefoot on the balls of your feet with your heels dangling off a step like you would for an evaluation. Heel rises should be performed with a full range of motion (using both legs) for four or five sets of six to ten repetitions, with a minute of rest in between each set. The goal of this exercise is not to build muscular volume but rather to strengthen the muscle; therefore, you don't need to go all the way to failure. It's great for increasing calf muscle through concentric contractions (only necessary if you cannot do ten or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion). Progressive Heel Raise (Two Legs Up, One Leg Down) Keep doing heel raises, but this time, lift both calves off the ground as you do so, and switch legs for a slow, three- to four-second lowering and raising. Repeat this process four or five times, this time doing six to ten reps on each leg and resting for one minute in between sets. Repeat the single-leg heel raise test once you've gotten to the point where the exercise feels routine. You should go on to the sport-specific exercise below if you can now perform ten to twelve (or more) single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion. If so, keep going with this workout because it strengthens your calves with eccentric movements. Rope Jumping If you haven't already reached a level of strength where you can do ten or more fully extended heel raises on one leg, you should wait until you do before starting this exercise (see above test). Just skip the rope. Start with four sets of 15 seconds of jumping, then work up to six to eight sets of 30 seconds, and finally aim for ten sets of 60 seconds, with one minute of rest in between each set. Keep in mind that you should aim to touch down on your toes rather than your heels. The calves get a good eccentric load, and overall muscle endurance for the sport improves. Muscle endurance can also be improved by standing on an incline board for 3 minutes a day for a week to stretch your calves. Archives
February 2023
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