<span style="font-weight: 400;">There are certain things we are taught as personal trainers that become so ingrained we forget to actually question it or look elsewhere for an alternative answer. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Today we are challenging the idea that, <em>“if it’s tight… we must stretch it”.</em></span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s take for example a client, whose squat is just not improving and you can see it’s because their calves are super tight and their ankles have limited dorsiflexion.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe we decide to do some ankle mobility which improves the movement for a while but then it returns to its limited range of motion again.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">So we stretch the calves repeatedly but no matter how much we teach various calf stretches, nothing changes long term!</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s at this point that I will refer to a quote by Einstein…</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”</span></i>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">If stretching isn’t working, then could there perhaps be another issue that’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">causing</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the tightness?</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s consider alternative causes for limited dorsi flexion or inflexibility of</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Gastrocnemius &amp; Soleus...</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">It is a common biomechanical compensation for ‘calves’ to appear, tight and to have limited range of motion at the ankle in the sagittal plane.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">In many cases, particularly when flexibility techniques like stretching dont work, there is a chance that something else maybe happening other than the muscle being tight.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Muscles can often be inhibited by the nervous system, in this instance the sciatic nerve portion in particular. </span>

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<h2><b>Deliberate Calf Tension?</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The sciatic nerve passes underneath the calf muscles and could be tight or ‘tethered’ somewhere else within the body. Maybe at the pelvis or lower back area for example. If this is the case then the body may </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">sense</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> there is risk  within other areas like the calves for example.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This could result in the muscle deliberately creating ‘tension’ so that they protect from an overstretching of the nerves. T</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">he body would rather we damage muscle instead of a nerve since muscle tissue repairs more easily.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">So if calf stretching isn’t working, we could consider the possibility that these wonderful muscles are actually ‘hanging on’ to protect your nervous system.</span>

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<h2><b>Sciatic Nerve Mobilisation: The Slump</b></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">A really simple way mobilise the sciatic nerve in particular is to use this slump technique. </span>

<em><strong>(NOTE: This comes with a disclaimer warning - do not use if you have any medical conditions, have been diagnosed with sciatica syndrome or experience pain in any area of your body. Do consult your practitioner in advance of trying any new form of exercise.)</strong></em>

https://youtu.be/Vr4ItLOv0zk

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">So as described in the video here are the points to remember:</span>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have your client sit thighs supported, hips at 90 degrees</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ask your client to gently lower their chin downwards &amp; slowly slump or round the back with the hands resting relaxed behind them, folding forwards</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next ask them to very slowly extend their knee until they feel the beginnings of tension - STOP here</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now slowly lower &amp; lift the leg to reduce and add the tension</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">THIS IS NOT A STRETCH - so we must encourage them to just find the start of tension rather than go into it </span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">8 reps x 2 sets before training</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">No more than twice daily to begin with to explore the dosage and their response to it </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">By doing this exercise you are likely to see an increase in their range of motion. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Often as if by magic, calf tension is reduced, dorsiflexion is increased and your clients squat dramatically improves! </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Finding the root cause rather than following symptoms is what Biomechanics Coaches specialise in! </span>

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Ready To Help Your Clients Move Better &amp; More Freely?</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">CONTACT rachel@biomechanicseducation.com FOR MORE INFORMATION!</p>
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