Working the Calves

[EarlJam]

Calling Greybeard!

Here's an odd thing. As many of you know, it's been one year since I tore my Achilles and had surgery. It's been a long road but I've been playing tennis, competitively, now for about two months and just recently started playing basketball again.

As time went by with the cast on last summer and fall, my calf muscle shrank considerably. Since I've been exercising, the outer calf muscle has gotten quite a bit bigger, stronger. But the inner calf muscle isn't growing nearly as fast.

No problem until.....

Softball. I went out to hit the other day and noticed that when I swung the bat, something about the rotation of the body works, pulls at, that inner calf muscle (right leg, right handed hitter).

What's that all about? It scared me a little. I never thought the calf muscle played such a big roll in hitting a softball. Much less the inner calf muscle.

So, if I'm to play regularly, I'll need to build that inner calf muscle up.

BUT HOW?

I've looked on line but haven't really found anything helpful.

Thanks,

-EarlJam

[TillyGalore]

I know you asked for Greybread, but having a few calf related injuries requiring rehab I've learned a little about exercises to strengthen the calf muscles.

Do heal raises with your feet pointing forwards, start of with 10 reps 3 times and increase the number of reps as you feel you're getting stronger.

Do heal raises with your toes pointed in, and with your toes pointed out. Again, 10 reps 3 times, etc.

This really has helped me. I tend to do them in the morning and evening when I'm brushing my teeth.

Now, if the pain is on the front of your shin, do toe raises. In fact you probably should do those any way to balance out the strength of your calves.

[EarlJam]

I know you asked for Greybread, but having a few calf related injuries requiring rehab I've learned a little about exercises to strengthen the calf muscles.

Do heal raises with your feet pointing forwards, start of with 10 reps 3 times and increase the number of reps as you feel you're getting stronger.

Do heal raises with your toes pointed in, and with your toes pointed out. Again, 10 reps 3 times, etc.

This really has helped me. I tend to do them in the morning and evening when I'm brushing my teeth.

Now, if the pain is on the front of your shin, do toe raises. In fact you probably should do those any way to balance out the strength of your calves.

Thanks. I've done these but I only feel like it's working the outer calf muscle. I can't seem to find the right positioning, exercise for working the inner muscles. That's where the "toe pointed in, out" comes in right?

[TillyGalore]

That's where the "toe pointed in, out" comes in right?

I believe so. But I'm no expert, even though I've stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

[Fish80]

I thought this thread was about taking the baby cows for a walk. Come to think of it, maybe that would exercise your inner calves (especially if you herd the cows and concentrate you exercise regime on those cows towards the inside of the herd).

[Shammrog]

Calling Greybeard!

Here's an odd thing. As many of you know, it's been one year since I tore my Achilles and had surgery. It's been a long road but I've been playing tennis, competitively, now for about two months and just recently started playing basketball again.

As time went by with the cast on last summer and fall, my calf muscle shrank considerably. Since I've been exercising, the outer calf muscle has gotten quite a bit bigger, stronger. But the inner calf muscle isn't growing nearly as fast.

No problem until.....

Softball. I went out to hit the other day and noticed that when I swung the bat, something about the rotation of the body works, pulls at, that inner calf muscle (right leg, right handed hitter).

What's that all about? It scared me a little. I never thought the calf muscle played such a big roll in hitting a softball. Much less the inner calf muscle.

So, if I'm to play regularly, I'll need to build that inner calf muscle up.

BUT HOW?

I've looked on line but haven't really found anything helpful.

Thanks,

-EarlJam

Walk around (e.g., on way to and from car, etc.) from time to time - every few days do this a few times - on your tiptoes. This works really well; no kidding.

[TillyGalore]

Walk around (e.g., on way to and from car, etc.) from time to time - every few days do this a few times - on your tiptoes. This works really well; no kidding.

Yeah, yeah do that too.

[greybeard]

The toe lifts with the toes pointing various ways should get all phases of the calves like TG says.

Davis Love's old man, in a book on golf, recommended that to improve strength in the ankles (his term, not mine) to support the golf swing, one can do an exercise he said skaters do--walk around a bit on the insideedge of your feet.

I'd try to do something more dynamic, like walking up stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can. What might be inhibiting the development of the inner calf might be how your foot works, which of course, will depend some on how your pelvis and hips work.

So, here we go EJ:

First, we need to make sure we have the same understanding when I use the term "hip." I have recently learned that, for most all my life, I think of my hips as being where they are not. Your hip joint is actually under you, much closer to the middle of you then to the sides of you. The hip sockets are interior to the femur, which has a head that takes a right angle inwards and has a ball at the end, forming a ball and socket joint called the hips.

When hitting a baseball, walking, running, it is helpful that you know that when you pivot and turn your hips, what it is you are turning. Your leg right leg will pivot much more smoothly if your pelvis tilts in a way that provides room and freedom for the right knee to move left and slightly down.

Try this: stand with your feet at normal width, as if you were going to begin to walk. Shift your weight so that it comes onto the left foot, squarely onto the foot. Let that leg be straight but do not lock it back; let there be a slight bend to the knee.

When you are comfortable with your sense of balance on the foot, let your right heal come off the ground and rest on the ball of your right foot with no weight on it. Let your right hip relax, and then relax some more. Your right knee will be bent as if you were beginning to take a step.

When your right hip fully relaxes, you will feel your hip, actually the right side of your pelvis drop a couple of inches.

When it does, see what that feels like for a second or two, and then come back to standing on both feet. Repeat a dozen times or so. Pausing a couple of seconds when you come to standing to let your weight settle on both feet.

2. Then, the next time you do it, lift your right foot up by bending the knee, and let it settle to the ground in a forward position in which the entire foot hits at the same time. Will not be very forward. Then slide your foot back to where it began, all the while maintaining the softness in the left hip (the pelvis will be tilted lower on that side. Then bring your weight back to both legs. Repeat about a dozen times.

3. Then do 2 again, but let your weight come onto your right foot, your right leg will lengthen but keep a slight bend in the knee, while your left foot comes onto the heal. Repeat about a dozen times.

Then repeat 1-3 shifting your weight onto the right leg. This in 3, you will experience something of the motion that needs to take place when you shift from right to left in the swing.

When you swing do not tighten your abs, or hold your breath. Tightening your abs will inhibit the turn of your pelvis, which will cause you strain all the way down into your pivot and will slow down your swing.

I could tell you to let your ribs be loose, but that is a meaningless nothing. How to do that is a whole other lesson, or should I say series of lessons.

In sum, if your foot does not function right as it takes on and transmits weight to the other foot, making progress with the part of the calf that you are interested in will remain problematic. It might well be just the foot and ankle that are not functioning in the proper range of motion due to the new tendon, but it also might be your out-of-whack body organization that developed over the time you were immobile and relearning.

If you didn't purchase that series of Feldenkrais tapes I suggested that you buy way back, I suggest that you consider doing so. Feldenkrais Resources on line, david zemach-berzin and a woman whose name I forget. It is an introductory series of lessons; they are moving their local and have stuff on sale. david really is great at leading these lessons, and the lessons learned reach your nervous system/less-than-fully conscious mind that handles routime organizational issues that we do rotely but can be quite disfunctional, especially after having to live in the distorted reality/body that an Achillies rupture brings. As I mentioned to BostonDevil last week, another excellent series is one on Walking by Mark Reese. You need a walkman for that.

If you could see a Feldenkrais practitioner for a few (three is the usual minimum) sessions, you might well get a feel for how that foot in context can function in a more normal fashion. If so, the development of the calf will be less one sided.

My gut tells me EJ, that your pelvis and right hip are relatively frozen, and that greater freedom in both will help the right foot and ankle function more nearly the way you'd prefer. You will then know how you currently organize yourself over your feet to ambulate and pivot, and you will also know something about options that might be easier. You then will be able to figure out which way is best. You will have a choice.