Stretching your calves

S

Sipowicz

0
This is the one aspect of stretching that I really struggle. My calves often hurt (more than burn) after a workout (or even aerobic exercise, i.e. walking/running. I've done the stretches where you keep your foot back and lean forward, supporting yourself against a wall. Also, the one where you have your heel on the floor and your toes on the wall. The former seems to work better than the latter, but I still have pain more than a workout burn, even on the front (shin).

I recently did some calf raises to beging working my calves, but I think I grossly overdid it. It has been over 48 hours and my calves still hate me. I know I used too much weight, but I was going with the more weight few reps to build muscle. Should have gone with less weight. :rolleyes:

Anyways, it feels good when I stretch them using the aforementioned methods, but it doesn't seem to stretch them as thouroughly as they should be. Any help?
 
To stretch the soleus (the deeper calf muscle), use the same position as the first stretch that you mentioned (one foot forward, one foot back, leaning towards the wall) but bend the (back) knee....remember to keep your heel down.

If the front of your shins also hurt, it could be from weakness in your anterior leg muscles (ankle dorsiflexors) and consequent muscle imbalance with the posterior leg muscles (calves). Try strengthening the anterior muscles:

Reverse calf raises: leaning against the wall, lift yourself up onto your heels

On leg press: feet on the platform, raise your toes off the platform by pushing with your heels

With a weighted plate: set the plate down on the ground over the top of your foot and lift the toes up off the ground

Try sets of 12 to 15 reps. My guess is that your calf muscles are already string, but inflexible, and that your anterior leg muscles are significantly weaker.
 
sindydoll said:
can you get someone to help you with PNF stretching?
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I'll show my ignorance by stating I do not know what the acronym PNF means. :eek:

Aside from that, unfortunately I do not have a work out buddy, nor could I afford a professional for any length of time. Even at the YMCA you have to pay for personal treatment. The most the staff will do is show you how to use the equipment and maybe answer some questions.

Fortunately, today my calves don't hate me as much. However, that might be due to my aerobic paced workout on the Total Gym last night. On the topic of the Total Gym, I have to figure out how to know what the approximate weight is so I can track results better. There are 6 or 7 settings for incline on the TOtal Gym 2000, and I am using the 3rd from the top.

Mogwai, I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the reply. Sindydoll, if you could clarify the acronym for me, I would appreciate it.
 
sorry...

PNF is proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation... it basically means u get someone to help you stretch...by getting them to apply force for say 10 secs while you push against it then relax for 10 secs and they push again and your flexibility has increased ..repeated a few times...

even without the contraction you could just get assistance from a partner.
Sit on floor...just get them to push your foot upwards towards your belly... and hold it there for a little while.

I have fairly flexible calves and these are the only way I've ever felt a stretch.
 
no no no.

A partener is absolutely unnecessary for PNF or isometric stretching. In fact it can be dangerous. A partener cannot feel what you feel.

Just use an immoveable force such as a wall or the floor.

for example, for the calves:

sit on the floor with both legs outstretched in front. Have a slight bend in the knee to emphaise the calf rather than the hamsting.

Grab the ball of your foot with both hands and pull your toes toward yourself to stretch the calf. point your toes forward against the resistance of your arms. your calf will strongly contract in a stretched position, but dont allow it to move at all (even though you are trying to move your foot, your ams are holding it back and not allowing it to move). Hold this tension for around 7 seconds.
relax, pull your toes further to increase the stretch, then contact again.
repeat.
 
can i just argue that the entire basis of pnf or assisted stretching is partner stretching...you can speak so i assume you can tell them to stop or not....

regards grabbing the ball of your foot....and pulling towards me...
I'm more likely to injure my lower back in the process of doing this than I am likely to stretch my calf.
 
Children, children, children! ;)

Thanks for the clarification, sindydoll. I can see both arguments RE assistance in PNF. Having someone help you could be both positive and negative, as they could stretch you too far by mistake. However, I think you could stretch farther with a helper without hurting yourself and going farther than you can on your own.

Then again, if you don't have any assistant, immovable objects can be good companions.

I've gotta browse the forums. In general I am not that flexible. I'm sure somewhere in here there's something on gaining flexibility.
 
when pulling your balls of feet towards you, it is an assumption that you will keep your back straight, and immediately stop if you feel severe pain or discomfort - this is what prevents injury.

The definition of PNF does not state the use of a partner being essential, just the use of an immoveable force.

Sure you can shout out if a partner stretches you too hard, but by that time the damage is already done. Why risk injury when you can acheive good quality stretches without the help of a partner?

Time with a partner should be spent on exercises that cannot be done alone, for example, sparring, grappling, gymnastic spotting,
conditioning exercises where both partners work such as throwing and catching a medicine ball.
 
"such as throwing and catching a medicine ball."

"Sure you can shout out if a partner stretches you too hard, but by that time the damage is already done."

What if his aim is bad......
 
PNF is widely accepted and is perhaps the most effective method of stretching out there. Most athletic trainers and other sport related personnel use this form of stretching. It is rare, unless you have some imbecile assisting you, that the partner will stretch you too far to the point of injury. PNF is so effective because when you stretch and resist to the point you do, you take the GTO out of the equation - allowing you to stretch farther. I really do not think you can get the same stretch, on as many body parts, without having a partner.
 
Personally I prefer using a partner when doing PNF. Along the same lines, have you ever tried "active isolated stretching"?


This method of muscle lengthening and fascial release provides effective dynamic facilitated stretch of major muscle groups, but more importantly functional and physiological restoration of superficial and deep fascial planes.

Over the past decades many experts have advocated prolonged stretch up to 60 seconds. For years, this prolonged static stretch technique was the gold standard. Prolonged static stretching actually decreases the blood flow within the tissue creating localized ischemia and lactic acid buildup. This potentiates irritation or injury of local muscular, tendonous, lymphatic as well as neural tissues, similar to the effects and consequences of trauma and overuse syndromes.

AIS: The Mattes Method, is an effective treatment for deep and superficial fascial release, restoring proper fascial planes for optimal physiologic function. Performing an Active Isolated Stretch of no greater than 2.0 seconds allows the target muscle to optimally lengthen without triggering the protective stretch reflex and subsequent reciprocal antagonistic muscle contraction as the isolated muscle achieves a state of relaxation. Maximal beneficial stretch can be accomplished without opposing tension or resulting trauma.

Mattes Method myofascial release technique incorporates AIS which uses active movement and reciprocal inhibition to achieve optimal flexibility. Using a 2.0-second stretch has proven to be the key in avoiding reflexive contraction of the antagonistic muscle. Without activating muscle group contraction, restoration of full range of motion and flexibility can be successfully achieved.
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ice massages with heating pad compresses help me out alot along with epsom salt baths. for the ice massage, tahe a small paper cup and freese it. then use it like one of those small hand massagers, just rub it in on the area that hurts the most. and after a mintue or so put on a warm heating pad for a minute, repeat as often as you like. epsom salt is dirt cheap and works pretty well. pour a couple of cups into a warm bath and soak.
 
it is not 'wrong' to use a partner, just unnecessary.

Here are some photos of me and a friend stretching. We have never used partner stretches, just combinations of dynamic, static-passive, atatic-active and isometric stretching:
 
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"no no no.
In fact it can be dangerous."

hmmm...no that doesn't give the impression it wrong!

Anyways, back to your sample pics....if someone can get themselves into those type of stretches in the first place i cant really see where they have flexibility or tight muscle problems! I cant imagine the general client being able to do the splits!
 
OK sorry, my viewpoint is that use of a partner in stretching is unnecessary for the reasons I previously posted.

Stretches arent just for people with problems. the thread kind of drifted of course into the benefits of PNF stretching, so those pics were just to demonstrate the effectiveness of different stretches without use of a partner.
 
yeah i know im just being argumentative! Sorry! :)

but i still reckon i wudn't be able to get into those poses!
 
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