Feeling tight and stiff calf muscles

People who love running as a form of exercise, or professional runners, all have a common goal, which is to run faster and farther. Therefore, they usually pay attention to how to land their feet better and how to swing their arms to run faster. However, many people ignore the fragility of the calf muscles, and as a result, they develop symptoms of tight and stiff calf muscles due to excessive exercise.

1. How to stretch your calves

1. Fascia relaxation

Myofascial release is a simple, effective relaxation method for loosening tight muscle knots in the calves. Generally, you can try to use a foam roller for massage. Place the foam roller on the back of your calf and roll it back and forth until your calf muscles are soft.

2. Relax with massage

If the calf muscles are extremely tight, stretching alone may not be enough to relieve the tension and stiffness, so massage is needed to assist. Self-massage needs to be performed with focused breathing and a high level of awareness. Sit on a mat and massage your calves up and down with your hands until the muscles on the back of the calves are soft.

3. Patting to relax muscles

Tight calves are usually not easy to lose weight, so the first step before and after exercise is to loosen up the firm calf flesh. The method is very simple. Sit on a flat surface, bend your feet naturally to 90 degrees, hold your hollow fists and hit the calf muscles. Alternate between your legs, and pat the sides and back of the calves from top to bottom. This patting action can also be performed before going to bed, no less than 200 times each time. It can effectively promote circulation, help relax tense calf muscles and reduce swelling.

2. How to properly stretch stiff calf muscles

1. Action 1: Calf Foam Roller Exercise

Place your hands on the ground to support your body, balance the foam roller under your calves, and slowly move your body to roll the foam roller back and forth under your calves. Pause if you encounter any tightness or soreness. Roll back and forth 5 times, 4 sets per day, 5 times per set.

2. Action 2: Straight-leg wall exercise

The patient faces the wall and stands with his legs forward and backward, with the hind leg about half a meter away from the wall. Bend the front knee and lean forward to stretch the hind leg until the calf of the hind leg feels a stretch. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and then switch the position of the legs after relaxing. Do 4 sets a day, 5 times each set.

Note: The heel of the hind leg should not leave the ground

3. Single-leg standing exercise

Fold the towel into a rectangle and place it flat on the ground; keep your feet standing with the injured foot on the towel. Slowly lift your other leg and keep standing on the injured foot for 15 seconds; then slowly lower the lifted foot. As your sense of balance improves, you can slowly increase the duration to 45 seconds and begin to slowly increase the difficulty of the exercise. Practice this move while standing on a pillow. Practice this movement with your eyes closed. Practice slowly until you can maintain this movement with your eyes closed for 1 minute.