Try these three calf stretches with a theraband or a resistance band and see which one works best for you.
Once you know how to improve your calf flexibility,
you can add the exercises before or after your workouts or perhaps at the end of the day.
We'll be using a grey theraband for this which is extra extra firm and it's 1.5 meters long.
My name's Claire. I'm a Physiotherapist from Physiofit Health.
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Your first exercise for the calf stretches with a theraband is in long-sitting.
It's very nice and simple you're going to loop the band around the top of your foot
and hold the band fairly tight. Keep the knee straight
and then you're going to pull your toes and foot toward you
and pull on the band to try and increase that stretch down your calf.
Point the toes away and then pull the toes toward you.
Now, with these stretches, you have two options
either dynamic or static if you're doing dynamic it just means that you're moving
so I'd suggest doing 5 or 6 repetitions
pointing your toes, pulling your toes towards you
or if you want to do your static hold, you'd pull your toes towards you
pull on the band, find that calf stretch hold it for 20 seconds.
Now, you're wanting 5 lots of 20 seconds if you do the static hold.
With any calf stretches you do, you actually need to repeat with the knee bent as well.
So, start with the knee straight but you want to bend your knee
and it just gets a deeper calf muscle.
The action is exactly the same. Pull your toes toward you and pull on the band
just get that calf stretch. Point your toes away and pull back.
Repetitions are the same, 5 or 6 if you want to go for the dynamic
or 5 lots of 20-second hold if you are going for your static.
And then you're obviously going to repeat on the other side.
For your second calf exercise, you need a spiky massage ball
or something just to create a little bit of pressure into the calf muscle.
And so, you're using the ball to just try and pinpoint a few areas
so the ball can just isolate areas of the muscle that can get a little bit tight.
I would suggest working on the outside of the calf that always gets particularly tight for people.
You're going to get the ball and find a point where you're feeling just a little bit of tension there.
Now, you can with the ball just pull your toes towards you.
Point your toes away, that will help with that calf flexibility.
With the bands, you're going to loop the band around your foot so top of the foot.
Find that tension with the ball
and then pull your toes towards you, pull the band towards you as well
so that just increases that stretch on the calf.
Point your toes away, pull toward you.
So, with the ball, you're just able to isolate a few different specific areas a little bit more than without the ball.
I'd suggest doing your dynamic stretches with this one
it's good your 5 or 6 or so repetitions
and then you can move on to the other side.
The third exercise to stretch the calf with a band, you need to loop the band around something really sturdy
tie it in a loop and you're going to get your left foot into the band
and then you need to put it on quite a lot of tension
so you're stepping away from where you've tied the band.
The band needs to be around the front of the ankle here.
And you're stepping forward with that right foot to keep that left knee straight
and you can push into a calf stretch on that left side.
The band is around the ankle and it's going to also mobilize the ankle joint.
You're going to hold it here.
This is your 5 lots of 20 seconds.
Now, as I'm hoping you're starting to become aware of any calf stretches,
you need your knees straight but you also need to repeat them with your knee bent.
Keep the foot flat, take your weight onto the back, onto the left leg
and bend your knee and it's going to get you a stretch just a little bit further down the calf.
Now, this one you can step directly in front of where you've tied the band
but it's a good idea just to step just to the side diagonally off to the left.
Keep facing forward, push, put yourself into that calf stretch and the knee bend as well
and then you're going to step over diagonally to the right.
Same thing, so you keep facing forward.
It's just got a slightly different pull on the band around the ankle joint
and so it's just going to select a stretch just a slightly different area.
That's your third one, 5 lots 20 seconds.
Those are your three calf stretches with a band to try out.
Try all of them and find the one that works best for you
or link them all together for a good calf flexibility routine.
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