Loosening up your calves

Take a hot bath with epsom salts(at least 2 cups) then get out and stretch. This would not be advised the day prior to any hard workouts or races. Your legs will feel like Jello.

Mine had been super tight since long run on sunday, so I just got a half hour massage on legs...was well worth it, and that 'dead leg' feeling gone. There was a ton of junk in there.

Definitely going to try the epsom salts in the future, much cheaper.

You might want to purchase the stick or a foam roller and massage them daily after doing some eccentric calf raises.

grif wrote:

You might want to purchase the stick or a foam roller and massage them daily after doing some eccentric calf raises.

I know your trying to help, and really don't want to make fun f you. But did you even read my OP? I have the stick, I use it....

Stretch?

Massage is really good for breaking up scar tissue.

Alan

sorry there Blaze, I blazed through the opening so fast I missed that. I better take that Evelyn Wood slower reading course. But do you have a foam roller? That one might help

Punch and Slap them. Repeatedly.

On a more serious note, stretchthe calves but also stretch the hamstrings(focusing on the lower hamstrings right behind the knee), strengthen the front of the shin. Ice probably won't help a ton. Try easing into workouts with longer warm ups. Cool down better. 20-30 minute jogs very easy in the morning help too.

yeah, because insanely tight calf syndrome is a very serious which often develops into cancer. i once lost my left nut to ITC syndrome.

A foam roller works much better than the stick. You can get much deeper into the muscle. I just started using it and it helps.

Besides what you already do:

BENGAY - Cheaper than most IB relief creams and works great

TOE LIFTS - stand still and lift up your toes 15-20 times (many times standing on a stair or curb can over-stretch your calves which actually makes them tighter)

SHOCK THEM - hot for a few minutes then cold for a few minutes

STABILIZE - many times overly tight calves area a result of not having enough support in your shoes which causes the stabilizing muscles on the sides of your lower legs to get overworked. Find a good running store with gait analysis and get fitted for shoes.

PRE-HAB - obvious... but really being diligent about daily calf exercises will really help.

SEXY GIRL - find a hot little lady to rub those things out.... or pay $20 and have a small, strong handed asian lady do it... the latter often has benefits you were not expecting

maybe it sounds a little silly, but i find that the mentality of a person tends to have an effect on the looseness(?, you know what i mean) of their muscles. what i mean is that a person who is stress-free and leading a healthy lifestyle will have more flexibility, relatively, than a person who is uptight. of course, it varies according to genetics as well but, generally, this seems to be the case. relax and find balance in life, in running, in mind, and you might find it at least easier to stretch the muscles. this is not a scientific study (maybe it could be) but I think that it is an important part of distance running. your calves will thank your relaxed mind.

what is good stretch for lower hamstring behind knee as you said? this was an area that I had some knots....cant think of a good stretch

I have found that stretching the tibialis anterior muscles on the shin really helps relax and thus loosen the calf muscles.

I am happy to say that insanely tight calf syndrome does not cause dead floppy babies.

calf sleeves have worked well for me recently. i have a pair from DeFeet, but i;ve had issues with them unrolling from the top.

tight calves have been an issue with me for years, and nothing else (i think i've tried everything listed here) has worked as well as the calfskins (once i figured out how to get them to stop rolling...)

nutellalove wrote:

what is good stretch for lower hamstring behind knee as you said? this was an area that I had some knots....cant think of a good stretch

The normal touching of the toes and such does not work well as they hit the upper hamstring before the lower unless the lower if far less flexible then the upper. The best thing to do is to place one foot in front of the other (touching the front of the back foot to the heel of the leg you want to stretch). It should look like you are walking a tightrope. Then lean forward and try and touch the toes of your front foot. You should feel a nice stretch behind the knee of the front leg. Switch then repeat.