It’s been a while since my last post. A kind of communication silence on my part was caused by the athletes’ preparations for their new seasons. But as they say, we managed to do it on one “front” and all of my charges returned to their teams, so I can safely return to writing my regular posts. And here I will bridge to today’s name, from which it is clear that we will also talk about calf muscles.

Recently, an interesting post came to my attention on a social network. After the initial look, I was so interested in it that I began to explore it more deeply, until I found a very interesting study that I would like to share with you. In the study, they pointed to the effect of power peaks on individual muscle segments in the area of our lower limbs when performing running steps. But I would like to note that it is not only for running that it is necessary to have the muscles of the lower limbs in good condition, as even such an ordinary walk requires creating a certain force into the floor to be able to move in any direction. It is also true that the forces we exert on individual muscle segments when walking are much smaller than when running. Because walking is always characterized by the support of one foot on the ground when moving, which is not the case when running, as the flight phase is added here. Running is a kind of controlled fall, in which the legs alternate in the air and the subsequent impact on the ground increases the effect of forces on individual muscle segments several times . We can say that the intensity and duration of the load affect the lifespan of our lower limbs, i.e. their ability to perform work, the movement itself. This means that by focusing on the development of the right muscle groups, we can extend their lifespan .

Now I would like to point out what our lower limbs have to endure when running. If we talk about moderate-intensity running, then our individual muscle segments involved in movement will have to withstand the action of forces of different sizes – namely the large gluteal muscle – one and a half to two and a half times our own body weight; median gluteal muscle – two and a half to three and a half times your own body weight; quadriceps thigh muscle – four to six times your own body weight; biceps calf muscle two and a half to three times your own body weight; and oblique calf muscle six and a half to eight times your own body weight. Here I will pause and point out why the calf muscles are mentioned in the name – the truth is that when we talk about calf muscles, we are talking about the triceps calf muscle, consisting of two heads that are visible from the back on the inside and outside of the lower leg and one muscle, which is located deeper, has an oblique course, which is also the basis for its Slovak equivalent “oblique calf muscle”. The calf muscles are, technically speaking , plantar flexors, i.e. they “bend” our leg downwards. To give you a better idea, we need these muscles and especially the oblique calf muscle to push the toe against the floor, the ground.

Another such curiosity of the aforementioned oblique calf muscle is that it connects to the Achilles tendon on the heel, the course of which continues downwards to the smaller muscle bundles that run at the base of the foot, the plantar fascia. This muscle loop is very important when performing a step, because weakening it can often lead to pain that can drag on for quite a long time. Now for reflection and I will say again, this does not only apply to running! How many times have you encountered pain in any of these areas? Why is this so? In case you haven’t walked on nails or jumped on rocks, the answer may be a lack of strength capacity in these muscles. The calf muscles and especially the oblique calf muscle is not a postural muscle, so it does not help with our posture, but it is a “moving” muscle that should have the ability to produce great force in the shortest possible time! In movement, it is a more active muscle compared to the gluteal muscles. If you are already a runner of any level or even a non-runner, its development and the development of the entire muscle loop involved in our steps are definitely worth paying attention to.

An example of how we can influence the stretching and strengthening of the oblique calf muscle and the entire muscle loop performing plantar flexion (bending the leg downwards):

Stretching the oblique calf muscles

Stand leggy, we clutch a rolled towel between our knees, the front surface of our feet is laid out on an elevated place. We start the movement with our knees forward, the hips move towards the ground, to give an idea of how we would perform the squat, we press into a rolled towel clutched between the knees during the movement. We try to move as much as possible, which will allow us to have a range in the ankle joints. Stay in the extreme position for a few seconds, then relax and repeat the exercise several times in a row. Do not forget that the heels are constantly in contact with the ground.

Strengthening the oblique calf muscles

Both stretching and strengthening the oblique calf muscles are performed while bending the knees. Here is the most common mistake why, even if we are engaged in strengthening the calf muscles, we constantly strengthen only the biceps calf muscle and not the oblique muscle. Most of the extensions are performed with the lower limbs extended, which is the main reason why the already mentioned oblique calf muscle is not sufficiently exercised. As already mentioned, while standing with slightly bent lower limbs, we are leaning against the wall in the lower back, repeatedly and in a controlled manner performing lunges. As shown in the images, we can perform the exercise with both legs or one-legged, which is much more intense.

Strengthening the entire movement pattern

Step – by increasing the difficulty of adding lability in both the opening and final positions. In the front of the back position, under the front leg we add an unstable pad (in our case an airex square, but we can also use another unstable platform) we focus on pushing into the mat, then the step up to the extension, the tip of the other leg slightly touches the wall and we try to stay in the upright position for a few seconds. The subsequent return and exercise is repeated several times on both lower limbs.