Let’s find out ‘How Do You Do A Heel Raise: Top 6 Reasons To Do Them And How Many Heel Raises Is Required Per Day’ Calf rises and heel lifts might help you build your calf muscles.
When you walk, run, or leap, your calves support and stabilize your knee and ankle joints. Calf muscles must be trained in a variety of methods since different types of rises target different regions of the muscle.
Both rookie and expert athletes can benefit from the heel lift workout. This workout will assist runners and badminton players who spend most of their time on their toes and rely heavily on the calf and Achilles tendon underneath them.
How to Do Heel Raises
- Stand on a firm surface or at a higher elevation to improve your range of motion. Take a hold of something to help you stay afloat.
- You can elevate your heels by using your calves.
- Slowly and steadily lower yourself to the ground and then repeat.
The emphasis of this workout is on strength training rather than cardio. High loads are well tolerated by the Achilles tendon. After 5-10 reps, you should be able to feel the tension in your muscles. The most basic is to perform a heel lift on two legs with equal weight distribution on each foot. A single-leg heel raise is an option for more experienced runners. Make sure you go through the whole range of motion for each exercise.
If you think the 50/50 version is too simple and the single-leg version is too difficult, you may utilize one leg to aid with the other in a 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, or 90/10 ratio. That one leg is mostly responsible for pushing forward, with both other legs providing support. This method requires no additional equipment to enhance the resistance on one leg. Instead, you may add weight to this exercise using the same strategy you did for the single-leg squat.
It’s a good idea to vary your repetitions and weights. If possible, attempt to complete three to five sets of 5 to 10 repetitions twice a week.
Anatomy And Function Of Lower Leg Muscles
The lower leg, sometimes known as the shank, has four muscular compartments:
Tibialis Anterior, Flexor Digitorum Longus, Extensor Hallucis Longus, Peroneus Tertius Anterior Compartment – Tibialis Anterior, Flexor Digitorum Longus, Peroneus Tertius Lateral Compartment – Peroneus Longus, Peroneus Brevis Tibialis Posterior, Flexor Digitorum Longus, Flexor Hallucis Longus, Popliteus Superficial Soleus, Gastrocnemius (Medial and Lateral Heads), Plantaris (Posterior Compartment).
Heel raises engage the muscles of the lateral and posterior compartments, in addition to the popliteus, but this essay will focus on the gastrocnemius and soleus (also known as the triceps surae). The gastrocnemius has two heads, one medial and one lateral, that join proximally to the femoral distal end. The soleus muscle, on the other hand, connects the tibia and fibula. The Achilles tendon connects these muscles to the calcaneus, or heel bone.
In a non-weight-bearing position, the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles govern plantar flexion and inversion of the ankle (pointing the foot down and in). This is known as a calf or heel raise in a weight-bearing position. Because muscle spans the knee joint, the gastrocnemius helps with knee flexion, particularly between 0 and 15 degrees. Walking calls for the usage of both muscles.
Soleus
Before we get into the six reasons why you should practice heel lifts, let’s look at the size and force-producing capabilities of the soleus muscle. According to research by Albracht et al in 2008 and Ward et al in 2009, the soleus can account for up to 60% of the calf’s mass and physiological cross-sectional area. (Only the soleus and gastrocnemius are included). According to Ward and colleagues, “muscle architectural values are the best predictors of muscle function,” and the “PCSA is proportionate to a muscle’s maximal force-producing power.” According to Lieber and Frieder, the soleus is an exception to this rule since it is intended to generate considerable power with a tiny excursion. The soleus is a beast in general!
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Do Heel Raises
1. Increases Running Performance
Many people wrongly assume that running is all about the glutes! However, it should most likely be all about the calves! Particularly the soleus! The ankle plantar flexors, according to Dorn et al in 2012 and Schache and colleagues in 2014, are one of the key engines for firmly pushing into the ground at speeds of up to 7 m/s, or a 3.8 minute/mile. This results in a longer stride length, which correlates with quicker running speeds. During the stance phase of running, muscle-tendon forces can reach up to 8 times the bodyweight of the soleus!
2. Tendinopathy Of The Achilles Tendon
- In 2006, Mahieu et colleagues stated that “the strength of the plantar flexors was revealed as a predictor for an Achilles tendon overuse injury, with patients having a lower plantar flexor strength at greater risk.”
- In 2019, O’Neill et al found that people with Achilles tendinopathy had deficits in plantar flexor strength and endurance on BOTH sides (symptomatic and asymptomatic compared to controls), with “weakness of the soleus appearing to be responsible for the majority of the deficits” (symptomatic and asymptomatic compared to controls) (symptomatic and asymptomatic compared to controls).
- According to Willy and Paquette in 2019, “Achilles tendinopathy is the most common running-related problem faced by the Master runner,” and there are numerous other consequences of aging and changes in training as it relates to plantar flexor strength and Achilles tendon tightness.
- Beyer and colleagues showed in 2015 that eccentric calf rises, also known as heavy and slow calf raises, can be an effective treatment for Achilles tendonitis.
In either event, whether you’re at danger of getting Achilles tendinopathy or recovering from it, your plantar flexors should be strengthened.
3. Anterior Cruciate Ligament
The hamstrings can protect the ACL by pushing on the tibia posteriorly during dynamic movements (known as an ACL agonist), however Elias et al in 2003 and Mokhtarzadeh et al in 2013 shown that the soleus can also protect the ACL despite not crossing the knee.
4. Shin Splints Or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
Shin splints are a frequent running injury. “The two main mechanisms of injury appear to be traction-induced periostitis, where the cause is likely to be the soleus and/or FDL, and microtrauma involving oedema and microcracks in the cortical bone, which results in debonding of the osteons and subcutaneous periostitis on the tibial surface,” Franklyn and Oakes concluded. To be honest, I feel the diagnosis is still poorly understood. “A mix of graded tibial loading exercises and ankle plantar strengthening activities may therefore be the best therapy for athletes with MTSS,” says Marinus Winters, a leading specialist in the subject.
5. Dorsiflexion Of The Ankle
A range of mobility exercises to promote ankle dorsiflexion is a good idea. Those workouts, on the other hand, often target only one biomotor ability: flexibility or range of motion. Instead, by executing high-intensity heel raises throughout a wide range of motion, we may improve mobility while simultaneously improving strength, endurance, tendon stiffness, and other characteristics. In the same period of time, you get a lot more bang for your buck.
6. Balanced Looks Or Aesthetics
While their shape and capacity to change are generally linked to heredity, strong calves are a muscle area that can be trained just like any other!
