The Most Underloaded Muscle in Rehab
This past weekend we had the great opportunity to host our nephew from Chicago. Jess did an awesome job planning the action-packed weekend with lots of different activities. From hiking, climbing, to white water rafting, I got to the end and I was exhausted to say the least. Got back into the clinic Monday and it's been non-stop getting ready to head out for my cousin’s wedding this weekend in Minnesota and I feel like all I’ve talked about is feet and calves this week.
Calves, or how most people label them, the sexiest muscle to talk about. But to me, it's the most underloaded body part when it comes to rehab and physical therapy.
If you’ve ever injured your lower leg, be it an achilles injury, plantar fascitis, even a simple calf strain, you know how miserable it can be performing the countless calf raises during the rehab process. I’m here to tell you it's not enough!
Your calf complex, made up of your gastrocnemius and soleus, or in other words the best duo in sports since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, requires a stupid amount of strength to perform mundane movement. Stairs, 1.5x bodyweight. Jogging 2-3x bodyweight. Running, 4-8x bodyweight. Get the heck out of here! Think about trying to climb a 14er, run a marathon, or backpack the Colorado Trail. It's insane to me how much strength is required for your calf to do all these things!
So what do we do about it?
To simply oversimplify it, we need loaded calf raises and jumping.
Loaded calf raises such as on the smith rack, a barbell, heavy DB or KB, or a calf raise machine to replicate the forces needed to run, hop, and perform. Then jumping exercises to build in stamina, elasticity, and springiness (I had to look up if this was actually a word). If we only rely on unweighted calf raises, and I’m talking both with one or two legs, we’re going to have a bad time.
Don’t fall victim to underloading that lower leg of yours. Get out those heavy dumbbells or load up the barbell, and build up those meat sticks we call legs!
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