Single foot raises
May 9th, 2013
It has been a while since my last post. I have been swimming almost every day and getting stronger after being a couch potato for 7 months. I find that there are things I cannot do for the life of me like a squat, and then one day I can just do it. I can even jump up. However, I feel like I have made little progress with the single foot raises. Does anyone have some advice on exercises that gradually help build those muscles? Clearly I don’t have those back.
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I’m 7 weeks ahead of you and still can’t do a single-leg heel raise either (without compensating). If it help here are the exercises I’m going to increase calf strength
30 squats (Every other time)
30 Leg presses at 240 lbs.
30 single-leg presses at 120 lbs.
50 Calf raises at 160 lbs.
3 Controlled Heel drops with 160 lbs.
50 Single-leg Calf Raises at 100 lbs.
3-5 Single Leg Calf raises at 120 lbs. (max for now)
You can adjust the reps and weights, but don’t introduce too much at once. The leg press machine has become my best friend. I also think that jogging and incline walking have been very benficial. I hope this helps.
I can do it now but I don’t know when I started being able to do single leg heel raise on my ATR leg. The only single leg heel raise exercise I did was sitting down with max of 40 lbs on my knee. 3 sets of 15 heel raises. I guess I built up the calf strength, slowly over time, more from running.
I’m not sure that weighted seated heel raises help with standing heel raise. The “common knowledge” is that the former isolate the Soleus muscle, and the latter the Gastroc muscle. Both pull on the AT, at different spots, and each connection can heal long or short or like Goldilocks. Up on two legs then “challenge” the injured leg on the slow drop, is my fave. Initially that challenge isn’t a big fraction of full body weight, but it increases. And eventually you could shift ALL your weight to that leg, or even add weight (or push on a counter or table, etc.)
And avoid “arching” your foot, which loads a smaller mid-foot muscle-tendon pair that can’t handle FBW. See the discussion betw me and MikeJP on his blog page.
You’re already at the pool… I’d start working on the single heel raise there. Start in deep water (lot’s of buoyancy for assistance), and get used to doing the motion. Gradually reduce the water depth, to increase resistance. These definitely helped me regain the strength and confidence required to do them.