Working on Calf Exercise/Ankle Dorsiflexion for Pike and Squats

[ddeutsch]

Okay so I consolidated everything from the first week of assessing where I'm at into this video: https://youtu.be/ROPN4qA0nPk

where I think the calf exercises are going to be the most beneficial for awhile. I'm noticing the more I press the big toe mound/ball of foot down that an engagement starts happening in the quadriceps... But my main question is...

Question: Does the cue to press the big toe mound/ball of the foot down like your going to point the foot into the ground help the talus bone move so the ankle can dorsiflex to allow the pike or squat to happen?

[Kit_L]

@ddeutsch: your video is set to "private" so unless you tell us the PW, we cannot view.

[ddeutsch]

Okay I unlisted it since I don't think it lets you share private unless to an email address. The works now.

I will add that the calf rolling exercise with the stick is probably beneficial for me to do everyday too. Right now I'm looking to pare down the exercises I have to do everyday so less instead of more.

[Kit_L]

21 hours ago, ddeutsch said:

Question: Does the cue to press the big toe mound/ball of the foot down like your going to point the foot into the ground help the talus bone move so the ankle can dorsiflex to allow the pike or squat to happen?

No, that action only contracts the gastrocnemius (and soleus) muscles; this is part 1 of the three-part 'contract–relax' approach. Your ankles are tight, so to get these bones to move you way you want (so that you don't feel that the joint is 'blocked', you must work on the other direction, toe 'point' or plantar flexion.

This is most easily done by this sequence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvAto6yIGLY

And focussing on the parts of the sequence that helps plantar flexion. Most likely, you will benefit from doing the whole sequence a few times over a couple of weeks, then using only the plantar flexion part before trying to stretch your calf muscles and ankles. And yes, rolling the calves a few times a week will help. We do not recommend doing the same exercises every day; adaptation (what we experience as 'becoming more flexible' happens when we rest; details here:

https://kitlaughlin.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1570-the-secrets-of-stretching/

[ddeutsch]

Thank you, Kit!

Plantar flexion seems to be fine for me. And my arch definitely doesn't need to be higher (ha ha). I will keep up with the foot work though and keep moving the ankle both directions.

I wrote down what you said about "the disease of western civilization" X|

[Kit_L]

You may have misunderstood: your feet and ankles are very tight, overall, as I see from your video. Working on the foot sequence will help this, and working on softening all the muscles on the top of the foot will directly help the bones we want to be able to move to move better, even if your toe-point/arches are good. Most people with high arches hold a lot of tension in the foot, and on testing, have reduced ranges of movement, compared to people with over-pronated feet (too much movement). 

In general, high-arched people need to soften the feet and ankles; low arched people need more proprioception and more strength in the feet. Two sides of the coin, IOW. If, when trying to stretch the calf muscles, the movement is 'blocked', softening is the direction that's needed. As well, see this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDUVp2nUk7Q

If someone can help you, use the same setup, and ask them to reach around to the front of the lower leg, and pull that back as you try to go into the stretch, This too will help the movement you need.

[ddeutsch]

So when I am doing any kind of the calf stretch whether hands on a wall or downward dog or even sitting with the toes tucked under as you show in the video above... What is a cue to "soften" the top of the foot?

In all those stretches I've been working on pressing the ball of the foot down and cutting the ankle bone back which seems to bring a good active-relaxed (non tensed) stretch. But I have no idea if I'm softening the top of the foot.

[Kit_L]

Any time you do the foot sequence, you will be softening the feet—this term simply means that the feet become softer over time. Formally, we would say that softening results in holding less tension reflexively (we all hold tension to varying degrees in different parts of the body, and this is a habit). Holding less tension  means it's easier to move the bones you need to move to go deeper into the squat. And to answer your question ("What is a cue to "soften" the top of the foot?"), the self-cue is to apply some force, and then on a breath out, let the let go soft—completely soft—and on the next breath out, let the foot go completely limp in the stretch position. In time, softening will happen.

And (the second part of what you write above now) the pressing the ball of the foot down is the contraction for the calf muscles; this action allows you to go further in the desired direction. The softening I have been talking about is needed so that the talus and navicular bones can move, and this gets over the blocking sensation. All this takes time, too. 

Have you read this?

https://kitlaughlin.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1570-the-secrets-of-stretching/

If I have not answered your question, please ask it another way, or a follow-up question.

[ddeutsch]

I did read it. Basically don't expect huge gains instantly but be alert to anything that is happening at any moment. And you never know when the miracle you started looking for will arise.

I'm redesigning how I work at the desk right now and using the pomofocus online timer app to take regular 5 minute stretch/yoga mat breaks between half hour work sessions.

I will let you know how it is coming over time. Thank you.