Functional Achilles Stretch
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Sitting in full squat with heels down can be healthful and useful. Squatting for daily life is a built-in Achilles stretch, more effective and functional than the standard "lunge and lean stretch" against the wall, or lowering one heel from a step or ledge. Better Achilles Tendon Stretch shows one Achilles tendon stretch that is effective and quick. Sitting in a full squat is another. Rising from the squat adds functional leg muscle strengthening and balance.
I took the photo, above left, in an airport in Asia. The man was easily sitting to work on his laptop during the hour before boarding. Others were similarly sitting with laptops and mobile devices to get work done. Elders squatted that way to rest.
Achilles Stretch in the Bathroom introduced the full squat as a functional normal daily action used in many countries for resting, washing, gardening, working, washing, toileting, chatting on the phone, and other activities, and gave an idea of how to try it. Save Knees When Squatting explains how keeping the heels down rather than lifting heels to rest on the ball of the foot is safer for the knees. Reader Mim supplied a wonderful link in the comments for a great little film of the Asia squat. More Fun Squatting tells a funny squatting story.
People new to squatting may find their Achilles tendons are too tight to bend in this normal manner. Reader Ivy of New Zealand offered to demonstrate one easy way to practice this stretch in a safe way, and sent the photo at right.
Keep both heels down while holding something sturdy in front. Straighten your arms and lean back to shift weight away from the knee joints.
Squatting can be a nice stretch for your lower back too. I have been working, off and on, for some years on the interesting finding that slight forward spine rounding when just sitting on your heels in the squat (no weights) does not load the spine to the extent of sitting on your behind in a chair.
Be smart about trying it or not if you already have damaged knees. When rising, make sure to keep knees back over your feet, not sliding forward, which loads the knee joint, or inward at an angle (narrower than your feet), which can twist the joint. Either action can grind against the meniscus and cartilage.
Done properly, it should feel good on the Achilles and calf, lower back, be good exercise, not hurt the knees, and become an option for a functional stretch and even normal sitting ability.
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Read success stories and send your own.
See if your answers are already here - click Fitness Fixer labels, links, archives, and Index.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Labels: achilles stretch, balance, leg strength, leg stretch, lower back, sitting, squat, strength, stretch
8 Comments:
At Friday, May 18, 2007 9:27:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hi Dr.
I have a question about squats.
I have been doing some workout rountines where I do air squats. I came upon a teaching video on how to do squats properly. In your opinion what do you think of their form?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7043517896976843871.
Thanks
At Monday, May 21, 2007 1:13:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Severe hyperlordosis shown in the video needs to be controlled. Exaggerating the normal small lumbar curve (one clue is downward tilt to beltline in front) tilts the spine far out of neutral. What is Neutral Spine and Why Does Sticking Out In Back Harm. Also mechanical issues for potential long term effect on the knees.
At Thursday, July 05, 2007 5:28:00 PM,
Phat Mac said…
Thanks, Ivy, for your demonstration! It really helps.
Jolie, when are we going to see you doing some poses?!!! :-)
At Friday, July 06, 2007 3:25:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Phat Mac, it doesn't matter to anyone's health what tricks I can do. The magic is when you gain health and happiness using this stuff. Look at 70 year-old Ivy who did this and the lunge for the first time because of this information. Look at Bill, who would have been out on disability, Dr. Ernie swimming 50 miles across Cook strait, and Dr. Zoe restoring her health after crippling surgery and chemotherapy.
If you want photos of me doing one-arm, one leg pushups, and amazing Zen feats, sure, buy the books but you will also read how students who never tried it before also became able, and see their photos.
Come to the stretch and abs workshops July 24 in Snowmass and we can do them together. You used to work nearby in Aspen. Bring your friends. I'd love to have you and other readers there try these things and change your daily life into fun health.
Why not try the lunge right now and feel good. Send photos of how you use it to pick up the cat and clean the litter, and you will inspire countless readers to try it who still bend wrong and get backaches then write asking what to do to fix their back and strengthen their legs.
Try the Leg Stretch that Strengthens Arms and write back, "Oooh, I did it for the first time!" like Kim said in the comments of Quick and Easy Strength and Balance Exercise. Send your photo of your success. I think readers will love that more than me saying, "do this."
At Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:13:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hello again,
I have a question related to squatting. Does this advice also relate to jumping, which necessarily requires using the feet to accelerate/decelerate for a jump, but if you intend to start/finish squatting, is there any particular point at which you should have transferred your weight off the soles of your feet and back to the heels for a deeper squat or are there different mechanics involved with jumping that help the knees if landing from a height? I've attempted some burpees and come accross the problem, not wanting to damage my knees but have yet to figure out a way of getting from a squat on the heels to a plank position and vice versa without having my weight forward on my toes. Perhaps I need longer arms...
Thank you in advance again, your advice is so helpful!
Tom
At Friday, August 24, 2007 1:59:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Tom, I think you will be delighted with the results when you try this answer for burpees. You don't need longer arms. You will get better abdominal muscles and better hip mobility.
Readers, a squat thrust (as I know it) is squatting quickly to put both hands on the floor, jumping both feet back to a pushup position, jumping both feet forward to the initial hands and feet squat, then stand and repeat, often in a brisk, martial 1-2-3-4 cadence. A burpee adds a pushup after jumping both feet back to pushup position.
For the jumping portions of the squat thrust, use a different technique than just throwing your weight forward and back, smashing down on toes/feet on each landing. Put far more weight on your arms. Lift feet and backside upward during the jump using much abdominal muscle control. The aim is to use core muscles to slow your travel and land exceedingly lightly. With high ab use, you can even stop halfway through the jump and hang in the air, standing only on hands, with knees bent, feet in the air, like a suspended drop of rain. Then lower ever so slowly. I do this with my martial arts and yoga students.
If your hip is too tight to squat down with the upper body upright like a frog, you will have to round the upper body forward/downward, and lean more to the toes just to reach your hands to the floor (similar to your previous question in the standing lunge post about tying shoes in a lunge position. Yes, stay more upright for improved all-over stretch and health). In the squat, heels lift particularly if the Achilles tendons are tight. Use good bending with heels down for daily bending to get increased functional Achilles range - Free Exercise and Free Back and Knee Pain Prevention - Healthy Bending.
For your question on "different mechanics involved with jumping that help the knees if landing from a height? If you mean heights higher than the few inches involved in squat thrusts and burpees (or even if you don't) pretty much the same - land lightly. Use muscular involvement of legs and hip for soft - silent- landing. Some jumping dynamics covered in Healthy Knees.
Try the controlled landing technique for the squat-burpee jumps.
Send me a photo sequence of starting, the squat, the light, lifted up jump, the soft landing to plank (with a tucked pushup if you want), the lifted hovering jump forward, the frog squat, stand, and so on. Make mpegs too if you want. I will make a whole step-by-step post. It is a fun better way for burpees.
At Wednesday, August 29, 2007 8:31:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
I shall definitely have a go for you, I'll borrow a camera from work...
Some interesting points there that I'm going to try at length, the only question I have is with regards to my original knee saving comment. When jumping, you advise to land using the front of the foot to cusion the impact, but when squatting further down, you advise having the weight back on the heel, so I just wanted to see how you would go between the two if at speed because I find myself landing back heavier than I would like on my heels if trying to go betweeen them. If that makes sense (probably not)
I was seeing if when landing from the upright jump there was some clever way of lowering the heels and at what point this is necessary. It should be obvious but I feel I'm doing something wrong as I can't land softly back on my heels quickly.
I shall see what I can do about photos!
Thank you so much again.
At Thursday, May 28, 2009 5:43:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
I've played with the movement in burpees and what's stated here works well. Instead of trying to crunch your legs up under you when bringing them back up, think of it as trying to raise your body enough to give your legs clearance. So rather than really folding the legs in tight you are engaging your arms, chest, and core more to give your legs clearance.
Another trick I use right now is using those push-up bars. They give you a few extra inches clearance that you can use if you are having problems getting your knees back up under you to come up.
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