Quote:
Originally Posted by jnewmanrl
actually ran into a bit of a snag today. i guess i need to stretch more. my joints feel fine but it felt like whatever muscle is behind my shin bone on both legs was real stiff when i started walking today. any ideas?
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Ohhh, I used to get that too! When I first started doing the crosstrainer on higher levels, I started to get sharp pains in that very muscle... I always stretched before my workouts, but I didn't know much about which specific muscles needed warming up before such strenuous work.
Anyway I have a solution for you! You should have your sneakers on when you do this stretch.
The way to target this muscle in your pre-workout stretching is to stand facing a wall or a bar (preferably a bar or ledge a few inches from the ground if you can find one, you'll get better leverage with that than a wall). Keeping your heel on the floor, put the toes of that foot flat on the wall/bar, so your foot is slanting up from the ground. Transfer all your weight to that heel and push a bit forward on your tilted foot-- right away, you should feel that muscle stretching out. You can adjust the the slant of your foot/the amount of weight you put on your heel to the degree that feels comfortable... you'll know when you've stretched it out enough, especially if you stretch while you're still sore from yesterday's workout.
Let me know if that works for you, and CONGRATS on your workout success!!!