Stretching sore calf muscles

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savannahribeiro
savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good afternoon!

I just got back on my exercising routine (Kind of fell off the wagon for a couple months. Yeeoww). ANYWAY. I just went for a nice, hour long jog (I am trying to work down the minutes to 40 for approximately 4 miles) and my legs are ****in' killing me. Does anyone have recommendations for stretching sore calves (Back of the leg below the knee, yes?). I can barely freakin' walk at this point. Glad to be back, and thanks for any info :)

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  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    Get a foam roller.

    Painful but works amazing.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    After doing some research on yoga stuff, from what I can see stretching actually likely offers very little benefit in relation to reducing stiffness/soreness.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I do basic calf stretches I learned in high school.
    calf-stretch.jpg

    ETA: If it's really bad, I might hop in the shower and stretch them (hot water helps relax some of the tension).
  • SusanUW83
    SusanUW83 Posts: 152 Member
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    Or a roller with a handle called "the stick." There are many static calf stretches but recommend you do them after your run when your muscles are warm than before the run. You can google "active calf stretch" and find ones that are better for before exercise since you are moving when you do them . The other thing I often do when my calf muscles are particularly tight or cramping is use a pair of compression sleeves or socks after my run. Sometimes during but I like them more after, for recovery.
  • savannahribeiro
    savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
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    Thank you for the information, everyone! :)
  • mblair1968
    mblair1968 Posts: 323 Member
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    stand on edge of a step, drop your heels, one at a time if you have too. ice afterwards.
  • clover04750
    clover04750 Posts: 7
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    I have to say this, "I know how you feel!" I know exactly what you're talking about and it happens to me quite a lot. Stretching afterwards does not help at all. The best thing to do is sit down for a while. For me, it helps to extend my leg and rock my foot from a regular position to a pointed toe. Shoot, sometimes I throw my whole leg up on the back of the chair to fully point that toe out, but laying off of it helps best. Give it a while. Knots like this rarely seem to last after a full night's rest.

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