Front calf stretch

The calf muscles are one of the core muscles of the human body. People need to use this part when performing various exercises. People need to warm up and stretch their calves properly before performing these exercises, otherwise cramps may occur. Stretching the front of the calf is something that people need to pay special attention to. So what are the exercises to stretch the front of the calf? Let's introduce them in detail below.

Stretching after exercise does not reduce muscle

Regarding the question of whether stretching after exercise can reduce muscle mass, Coach Feng explained that stretching after exercise will not reduce muscle mass. Instead, it will enhance the synergy between muscles and help increase the rate of muscle growth. However, female friends do not need to worry that stretching and muscle training will lead to thicker legs. Stretching after exercise will make muscles more elastic, avoid muscle stiffness and "dead" muscles, and make the calves more linear rather than stiff and thick.

There are two main reasons why some people's calves become thicker after exercise. On the one hand, the legs are muscular, and after exercise, the calf muscles are exercised and grown, making the legs appear strong; on the other hand, if you do not relax in time after exercise, the muscles are in a state of tension for a long time, and the flexibility decreases, which leads to muscle stiffness and thick legs.

If you want to slim down your legs, you must first figure out whether you have muscular legs. If you are born with a tendency to grow muscles easily in your legs, then when exercising, try to avoid doing muscle training for your calves. You can make your legs appear even and slender by exercising your thighs and stretching your calves.

Strength training + aerobic exercise for thinner legs

Some female friends are worried that strength training will cause muscle growth, so most of them choose aerobic exercise as their first choice when choosing leg slimming exercises. But in fact, combining strength training with aerobic exercise can achieve twice the result with half the effort in slimming down your legs.

There is no denying that aerobic exercise is indeed very effective in reducing fat. However, when doing aerobic exercise to lose fat, muscles will also be lost. As muscle mass decreases, the basal metabolic rate will decrease. In this case, if you stop aerobic exercise or don't pay attention to your diet, the fat you lost will quickly rebound. However, if you build muscle through strength training to consume body sugar before doing aerobic exercise, and then consume fat through 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time, and your legs will lose weight faster and rebound more slowly.

Demonstration of leg slimming stretching movements

Action 1

Stretching exercise 1

1. Stand facing the wall, stretch your arms out, shoulder-width apart, and press your palms against the wall.

2. Bend your right knee so that your thigh and calf are close to 90 degrees. Take a big step back with your left leg, into a lunge.

3. Stay for a moment and switch legs.

Action 2

Stretching exercise 2

1. Hold the railing, table or other support of a certain height with your right hand, and keep your back straight.

2. Lift your left leg backward, grab your left ankle with your left hand, and pull hard so that your calf is pressed against the back of your thigh.

3. Straighten your right leg, hold for a few breaths, slowly lower your left leg, and then switch to the other side.

Action Three

Stretching exercise 3

1. Stand facing a railing, table or other object at a certain height with your legs together.

2. Lift your right leg, place your heel on the railing, curl your toes, and flex your ankle.

3. Straighten your legs, straighten your waist, bend your upper body forward, and stretch your right hand to touch your right toe. (If you can't touch it, just get as close as possible)

4. Maintain even breathing, stay for a moment, and switch to the other leg.

Action 4

Stretching exercise 4

1. Stand facing the wall with your legs together, palms against the wall, elbows bent, and do wall push-ups.

2. Take a small step back with your right leg, lift your heel off the ground, and form a straight line with your leg and body.

3. Place the front of your left foot against the wall, with your heel on the ground, and press down hard to stretch your calf muscles.

4. Keep your back straight, do not hunch your chest, maintain even breathing, stay for a moment, and switch legs.

Proper stretching to avoid injury

It is recommended that you do some stretching exercises before and after exercise. Stretching before exercise can exercise the elasticity of muscles, stretch the muscles and play a good warm-up role. This way, you can avoid muscle strain during exercise. The main purpose of stretching after exercise is to relax muscles and improve muscle elasticity. Not stretching after exercise will lead to decreased muscle flexibility, lactic acid accumulation and muscle soreness, and hinder muscle recovery and growth.

Post-exercise stretching should mainly be static stretching. In addition to maintaining the correct posture when stretching, you must also control the strength of the stretch. Stretch until the target muscles feel moderate pain. Never stretch with brute force, otherwise, it is easy to damage the muscles and ligaments.