The question on every runner’s mind is how to stretch your calves? Running can cause pains and cramps in the calves, so it is important to know how to do these stretches and calf exercises properly. As always, you should consult a professional trainer before embarking on any calf stretching program. However, even if you have already consulted a trainer or have read up on the matter, here are three great stretches for your calves.
The first stretch starts with the basic of all calf stretches, the standing calf raise. Take a barbell and lay it flat on the floor with your feet hip distance apart. Now, position your left leg straight and comfortably bend your knee to the left. Now, slowly lower the weight to the floor until your left leg is straight and your thigh is parallel to the floor. Repeat on the other leg.
The second exercise is also very similar to the first, just that you will be doing it on the side. This time you want to raise the barbell straight up with you legs bent. This exercise, like the first, increases the tension in the hamstrings calves muscle group and requires that you contract your hip flexors and quadriceps more strongly. In order to do this properly, you want to practice proper form, so don’t just try to do the exercise in this way. If you aren’t sure how to do the exercise correctly, then you can either ask a trainer or watch someone else do it the proper way.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your feet, hips, knees, and ankles must work together when performing any of these exercises, so make sure to get these parts of your body moving as one. For the standing calf raise, your legs should be almost straight, but not quite as straight as they were in the previous exercise. Then, you want to extend your right leg out and pop up the left heel, and this should pull your right knee up and toward the hip. You will want to keep your heels down and don’t go back down to the floor. The goal here is to have your heels and knee in the same position, so that you can work on calf flexibility.
Now that you understand what you are trying to accomplish by performing these exercises, it is important that you understand how to stretch your calves properly. There are three main things you can do to help increase and improve the effectiveness of your stretching workouts. The first thing is to focus on getting all of the muscles to move together, instead of working separately. Another good idea is to stretch out your calves as much as possible, while concentrating on keeping the muscles from bouncing around. Finally, stretching helps to release the adhesions that hold the muscles in place.
There are some other ideas that may help you stretch your calf muscles more effectively. If you have a doorway in front of you that causes you to have to bend over, try to walk through it, slowly but surely, each time you pass through it. This can increase the amount of time it takes for you to stretch your calf muscles. You should also make sure that you have enough room to stand and walk around before you start a stretching routine.
How to Give Yourself a Calf Massage
There are many different techniques for learning how to give yourself a calf massage. One of the most popular is using your hand, on your calf muscle. Your hand should be glided up and down the sole of the calf, slowly and gently. The movement should come from your calves, not from the leg or hip. Your massage strokes should be smooth and leisurely. Start at the front and work your way back.
In some cases it is easier to just use your hand. To do this simply place your fingers on the inside of the heel and just massage inwards. You should only be able to massage the muscles of the heels and not the entire calf. Do this by moving your hand up and down the heel and in a slow, careful motion. Massage the pressure off the Achilles tendon and tendons in the area.
A more complex technique is to stand with your feet forward and place both hands on the back of the calves. Gently lift the calves up into the air and then lower them gently back down. Your goal with any calf massager is to give the muscles a full stretch. Do the massage from the top of the calf all the way down to the bottom, taking care to gently tug at the Achilles tendon at the same time.
Learning how to give yourself a calf massage isn’t difficult. However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind to make sure you get a full stretch and minimal stress to the calf muscles. First you should be wearing comfortable, well-fitting clothing. If you’re going to be lying on your stomach then you’ll want to wear flat-front shoes. Make sure that you scrub your calves thoroughly, but don’t massage too hard as you could stretch the muscles further.
The best time for this massage is after a workout because gravity helps to reduce stress on muscles. It can also help to alleviate muscle aches from overexertion. Just like any other type of massage, you should only have about a quarter of an inch of space between you and the person receiving the massage. You can either do the massage right before or after a work out, depending on how your muscles feel.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when learning how to give yourself a calf massage is that you should always go slowly and efficiently. If you rush the process, you may end up stretching the muscles even more. If you find yourself in this position then stop the massage and try it again a few minutes later. Also, you should try not to rub yourself during the massage. Although rubbing the massage helps to ease the tension, it can also cause irritation.
