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Running Specific Stretches

Presented by Janet Yiu, PT, FAFS, CSCS
Physical Therapist Fellow of Applied Functional Science Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

What is 3D? There are three cardinal planes of motion. Our muscles align and attach to the bones, which allows for movement in all 3 dimensions at the same time. Unfortunately, most stretches and exercises dont consider all of the planes of motion. Runners are especially good in the sagittal plane but neglect the frontal and transverse plane motions, which are accessory to the running movement.
Gastronemius/Soleus In upright activities, the heel contacts the ground first, and any tightness can alter the biomechanics up the body. As the heel strikes the ground, forces cause the foot to pronate as the body comes over the lower leg causing muscle contraction of the calfs. The bodys momentum, caused by the forward leg swing, creates a supinated position in the back leg while stressing the calf muscles. 1) Calf stretch: Gastrocnemius Place one foot in front while keeping the back leg straight. Lean body forward until you can feel a stretch in the calf of the back leg. Drive the knee of the front leg up and forward, swing front leg side to side and rotate front leg

2) Calf Stretch: Soleus Place one leg in front of the other with both knees bent. The stretch should be felt lower, closer to the Achilles area. Repeat above - Drive the knee of the front leg up and forward, swing front leg side to side and rotate front leg.