The achilles is one the most-ruptured tendons in the human body. If you’re involved in sports that require a lot of running, you many notice your calf muscles shortening over time, causing a lot of strain and stiffness. If you don’t already have a flexibility routine, you should incorporate one into your workout regimen to prevent injury.
We suggest doing these stretches after your workout when your muscles are the warmest and least likely to result in injury.
Directions:
- Begin by bending at the waist with your hands placed on the back of your calves. Using the palm of your hands, rub the outside of your calves in a downward motion, circling around the bottom of the calf and coming up the inside of the leg. Repeat a few times.
- Next, starting at the top of the calf, grab the muscle with your hand and squeeze pulling outward. Repeat this motion along the length of your calf and back up again.
- Place your hands against a wall with your right leg bent forward and your left leg extended and engaged straight behind you. Bend the right knee slowly towards the wall. You should feel a stretch going down the back of the calf muscle.
- Repeat step 3 on the other leg with the left leg forward, and the right leg extended and engaged behind you. Bend the left leg slowly towards the wall.
- For the last move, place the hands on the wall as before. Raise your toes in the air before pressing them against the wall with the heel on the ground. Bend the right knee forward slowly and you should feel a deep stretch along the achilles tendon.
- Repeat step 5 on the left side by placing the toes at an angle against the wall and bending into the left leg.
Use these stretches in conjunction with your current workout regimen to prevent injury. Enjoy!
