We’ve all heard of the calf stretch where you stand in front of a wall (hands on the wall) with one foot in front of the other, front knee bent and the back knee straight pressing down through the heel to stretch the calf on the back leg. Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds and then switch sides.
While this stretch is good, it’s not great. Not to mention the importance of the breath is rarely emphasized.
I played a lot of sports growing up and don’t remember the coaches teaching us how to stretch… like, for real. We tapped into the surface of the muscles, but did not do enough to prevent injury and feel amazing so that we could perform our very best!
With two older brothers who I wanted to be just like, being active and outside was natural for me. We hiked in the creeks, played soccer in the side yard and I hopped in to play football with them and their friends whenever they let me. I remember getting the wind knocked out of my lungs one time and that was the last time I wanted to play football with the boys.
I continued to play soccer throughout my youth and was really good. I played fullback, forward, left or right wing and even goalie. One of the best memories I have was a game when I was about ten years old and playing up in the front. Our team was down a few points and during halftime the coaches and parents said they would give me cash for each goal I scored. Even then, money motivated me and I proceeded to score five goals. I plowed down the field with my big side ponytail and knocked the ball into the goal with ease. It was effortless and fun!
Soccer was so effortless and fun for me that I played a lot of it. All those years playing soccer blessed me with super duper muscle calves. My calves were rock hard solid because no one taught me how to stretch them the RIGHT way. Before soccer practice we would stand around in a circle and do half ass stretching, and looking back I realize how ineffective it really was.
Oh, how I wish I would have known then what I know now.
You see, our muscles are like an onion. There are layers and layers in the muscle tissue just like an onion has many layers. To create lasting change you need to get to the deepest layer of the muscle tissue. By holding a stretch for a longer period of time (3 to 5 minutes) with proper breathing you can do that.
This is one stretch you can do to stretch rock hard calves. I have been working through the layers of my calf muscles for years trying to undo all of the damage from when I was younger. The tightness and knots did not go away overnight, but with consistent work I have been able to melt my rock hard calves like butter.
Here’s how to do the stretch.
Grab a chair and stand in front of it. Fold forward and place your hands on the chair or on the floor if you can reach. Rest your forehead on the chair. If you cannot reach simply bring the chair up to you by placing a pillow under your forehead. Point the toes straight forward and press down into all four corners of the feet. On your inhale, lift all 10 toes and spread the toes. On your exhale, lower the toes. You will feel this stretch in your hamstrings and deep into the calves. Continue to lift and lower the toes as you breathe. Notice how proper breathing and lifting the arches helps to get deeper into the calves. Hold this stretch for 5 minutes.
Be sure to breathe properly as this is essential to the effectiveness of the stretch. If your forehead does not reach the chair, do not force yourself any lower. Raise the chair up to you using a yoga block or pillow as suggested above. Give the hamstrings time to elongate and calves time to let go. You will get there with time and a consistent stretching routine.
For questions, reach out to heatherfeather@pain-free-feet.com