Heel Drops for Achilles Rehab
If you’ve had a calf or Achilles tendon injury, here’s a great technique to rehab back to strength, and to prevent further injury: (the example is for injury on the right leg) 1. Stand with your heels just off the edge of a step, with your weight on the balls of your feet. Hold onto something to help you balance. 2. Raise up until you’re in the ‘on your toes’ position. 3. Remove your left foot from the step, and slowly lower down on your right leg until the heel is down below the level of the step, as far as possible. 4. Raise up using both feet, slowly lower again on your right leg. Repeat until you’ve completed 15 slow drops on your right leg. Do 3 to 5 sets each day. If it’s too easy do both the up and down phase on one leg. This combines strengthening with stretching, and is the gold standard exercise for Achilles rehabilitation. It is to be used after initial inflammation has settled down. In the absence of injury, single leg heel drops on a step are a great way to sculpt chiseled calves!