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Stretching & Foam Rolling

How to Stretch and Release Tight Calf Muscles

Alice Halvorson · August 7, 2023 ·

Oh our little calves. They seem to always take the back seat to other bigger and more sexy muscle groups like our glutes. But – they are such an important part of our body and may hold one of the keys to increased circulation and mobility.

Circulation

Did you know that your body has a second blood pump? It’s your calf muscles! With each and every step you take, the calf muscles pump venous blood back toward your heart. Our heart can pump blood to our lower extremities in seconds, but, since the blood is flowing against gravity, sending it back towards the heart will take more than a single pump from the heart. Because of this, the body uses the calf muscles to pump blood from your lower legs back to the heart.

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Here is how it works:

The veins in your calf act like a reservoir for blood your body does not need in circulation at any given time. These reservoir veins are called muscle venous sinuses. When the calf muscle contracts, blood is squeezed out of the veins and pushed along the venous system. One-way valves in the leg veins keep the blood flowing in the correct direction toward the heart. The valves keep the blood flowing in the right direction and prevents gravity from pulling the blood right back down.
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When you walk, your foot plays a role in the pumping mechanism as well. The foot also has a (smaller) venous reservoir. During the early motion of taking a step, as you put weight on your foot, the foot venous reservoir blood is squeezed out and ‘primes’ the calf reservoir. Then, in the later stages of a step, the calf muscle contracts and pumps the blood up the leg, against gravity.
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When you are immobile for long periods of time, like on an airplane seat or sitting at a desk for hours, your calf muscles are not contracting much and blood can pool in your lower extremities. That’s why walking is so good for the circulation in your legs. And it’s not just walking though,…the best way to improve circulation is to get moving in general! Whether that is walking, running, swimming or participating in a Flostate live or on demand class.

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Mobility

Abnormally tight calf muscles cause issues up and down the kinetic chain. You can think of your kinetic chain as interrelated groups of body segments, connecting joints and muscles that work together to perform movements. This helps explain how the movement of one joint can affect the movement of another joint within the kinetic link. In a nutshell – everything in the body is connected. The good news is we can use this information to help us figure out what is happening in the body.

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Calves can become tight for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re a basketball player or a runner, wear high heels or even sit for extended periods of time. Let’s take one of these as an example. Wearing high heels puts the ankle in an excessive plantarflexion (“toe point”) position. This can lead to tightness in your gastrocnemius and soleus – the main muscles of your calves – causing your imbalances like overpronation or the flattening of the arch of the foot. This causes the knee to move inward and the hips to be misaligned – further altering movement patterns. This can lead to plantar fasciitis, shin splints, knee pain and lower back pain. That’s quite the chain reaction – all starting from our calf function.

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To get things back in balance, a few things need to happen. First, we need to release the tight muscles via inhibitory techniques such as foam rolling (Self-Myofascial Release). Then, lengthen the muscles by stretching. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, when self-myofascial release is applied in conjunction with stretching techniques, it was shown to significantly increase range of motion.

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Next we “activate” underused muscles with targeted strengthening exercises, and finally “integrate” via dynamic strength exercises.

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Step 1: Foam Roll

Sit on the floor, sporting your body with your hands. Place the foam roller underneath your calf muscles, possibly stacking one leg over the other for added weight. Roll your calf muscle across the roller – down, up and side to side – pausing the rolling action over painful areas until a “release” is felt in the area or the pain sensation dissipates a bit. Hold tender spots for 30-90 seconds depending on the intensity of application.

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Step 2: Stretch

Place your hands against a wall with arms relatively straight. Bend one knee, and lean into the wall. Straighten the other leg behind you (careful not to lock or hyperextend the knee), working the heel of the back foot down to the floor. Lean forward a bit to accentuate the stretch through the back calf muscle. Hold the stretch 20-30 seconds or 60 seconds for exercisers over 65 years of age. Do 1-4 repetitions.

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Step 3: Isolated Strength

Let’s do some strength work.

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Calf Raises: Stand on a step or platform with just the balls of your feet (widest part of your foot should be on the edge). Lower your heels down and lift heels up so you are standing on your “tip toes”. Squeeze the calf muscle at the top.

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Anterior Tibialis Pull: Take a loop band (any size) and wrap it around a bench leg, banister – something to anchor it. Put the top of your foot in the band. Point and flex the foot back towards your body to work the anterior tibialis – the muscles located in the front of your calf. Do 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps. Take 4 counts to release back to a pointed or neutral position with the foot and hold 2 counts at the contracted position when the foot is flexed.

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Step 4: Dynamic/Integrated Strength

‍Wall Ball Squat or Squat: Place a stability ball against the wall and stand with the ball positioned across your mid & low back. Squat down – lowering your body until thighs are positioned parallel to the floor. Squeeze your glutes and thigh muscles and stand back up to your starting position. If you don’t have a stability ball, just do a normal squat.

Do 1-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

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References:

NASM Essentials of Corrective Exercise

https://veinatlanta.com/your-second-heart/
Caring for your ‘second heart’

Release Muscle Tension with Myofascial Stretching

Rachel Larson · August 3, 2023 ·

Myofascial stretching helps release tension in the body which in turn helps reduce pain and helps you move better. In this article you’ll learn about: 1) What fascia is and why it is important, 2) What can happen when it gets too tight in certain areas, 3) How fascial stretches differ from standard stretches. 4) How myo stretches help release constricted areas.

What is fascia and why is it important?

You can think of fascia as a webbing and support structure for every part of your body and cells including muscles, joints, bones and nerves. It provides shape and structure to the body – it literally holds us together!

Fascia is a key element of every kind of physical training we do:

• Strength training

• Agility and speed work

• Flexibility

• Coordination

• Recovery

It surrounds and penetrates all of the structures of the body to:

• Create structure

• Transfer force

• Allow fluidity between structures

But what happens when fascia gets too tight or unhealthy?

Fascia can get constricted, shortened or tight due to injury, trauma, inflammation or chronically poor posture. These constricted areas can put extra tension on muscles, nerves,bones and joints – altering function and movement.  This often leads to pain, movement limitations, and malalignment of joints and imbalances in muscles.

How are myofascial stretches different from standard stretches?  

  1. Myofascial stretches are three dimensional. The body is positioned using all three planes of motion (sagittal, transverse, frontal planes).
  2. Myofascial stretches require strength.  Every stretch has a muscle contraction component.  For example, if we are trying to stretch out hamstrings, we contract the quadriceps.
  3. These stretches require concentration. These are active stretches that require thought and focus. You can think of them as a form of mediation!
  4. Finally, true myofascial stretches are held 90-120 seconds.  Much longer than your typical 20-30 second hold.

How we incorporate stretching into Flostate classes:

We have myo stretches included into the Yoga Restore Flo, Foam Roll and Lengthen, and Intensive Stretching classes. The stretches are woven into class and blended with more traditional yoga poses and stretches, creating a unique blend of movements designed to improve your range of motion, decrease aches and pains and leave you feeling more physically ready for anything. Try out one of our Flostate yoga restore classes and feel the difference!  

Contact Rachel at Flostate to learn more about how you can increase your joint health, improve your mobility, strength, balance and reduce pain at info@theflostate.com.

Which foam roller is right for me?

Rachel Larson · August 3, 2023 ·

When it comes to foam rollers, there are lots of choices to pick from. When choosing you must consider size, diameter, length, density, color and brand. In this article we break these options down to help you to select the best foam roller for you.  

What size foam roller is best?

Online you will find dozens of foam roller shapes and sizes. The most common and “original” size is the 9” diameter and 36” length. This allows you to lay length-wise on the foam roller for some unique core strengthening and posture enhancing movements.  Anything shorter will not work.  We recommend this 9”/36” foam roller as our top pick for Flostate classes.

How firm should my foam roller be?

Not all rollers are the same density or firmness. To the body, this means that some foam rollers will feel very hard and others softer.

Softer rollers:
Softer foam rollers are much more comfortable to use and allow a person to relax more while using it. This is because myofascial release of hardened or “locked” tissues can cause some discomfort. A softer foam roller will not press as deeply into the muscle/tissues and will be a more gentle solution. It can prepare tissues for a firmer foam roller as your body starts to unwind.

Firmer rollers:
Firmer rollers will help you “get right to it”.  You may be more uncomfortable at first using a firm roller versus a softer option, but you will eventually adjust.  The trick is to use the foam roller on a frequent basis- weekly for example.  Your body will begin to unwind, and as it does, the pressure will become more comfortable.  This is a sign that your fascia is responding and “unlocking” or improving.

Which foam roller is right for me?

Here’s one way to decide. Do you prefer a deep tissue massage? Or would you rather have a gentle soft to medium pressure massage?

If you you are a soft to medium massage pressure person, we recommend the pink OPTP foam roller.

If you are the deep tissue massage sort of person, we recommend the black Power Systems foam roller.

Still not sure? You could try them both?

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The Flostate | PO Box 251155, Woodbury, MN 55125 | info@theflostate.com | 651-412-1778

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