Calf stretch full#

If the muscles in your feet aren't woken up or stretched, Wilpers likens them to 'paddles' when you move. 'Your stabilizer muscles are just as important as your primary muscles, because without them, you'd put an extra workload on the primary movers which fatigue them more quickly,' he says, pointing to the many stabilizers in the foot. Hold on to a wall or doorframe for balance if necessary, but don’t use your hands for upward assistance. Then relax, lift your foot off the floor, and rotate it in circles to loosen up your calf and other lower leg muscles. Contract one of your feet against the floor for 3 - 4 seconds using your calf muscle. Hold onto something (wall, bar, etc.) to keep your balance. When warming up before a run (or cycling or really any other type of workout), Wilpers explains that restoring mobility to your foot muscles allows your body to perform easier. Stand straight up with both feet on the floor. That tightness can pull and yank and can even cause tendinitis.'

Calf stretch full#

Watch more Ask Doctor Jo videos featuring full rou. 'All of the muscles and tendons are connected, so when one's really tight, it affects everything else. A calf stretch in long sitting is a great way to stretch your calves and ankles before or after an injury. 'My physical therapist had me start stretching the bottom muscles of my feet,' he says, adding that foot stretches helped him perform better-and without pain-when running. Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, repeat 3 times. Our earlier blog post, Tight Calf Solutions, covered why flexible calves are critical to both performance and preventing lower leg, ankle, Achilles tendon. Keep your back heel on the floor and your knee straight and feel the stretch in your calf muscle. This is something that Peloton instructor Matt Wilpers discovered after attending physical therapy sessions for Achilles tendinitis. Stand at arm’s length facing a wall and lean in, stepping one foot in front of the other and placing your hands on the wall. How to: Face the wall with both legs straight and hip width apart.