Protect Your Knees With Soleus Raises
The Soleus Raise is a key exercise for strengthening your lower legs including your knees, calves and improving your balance. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do the Soleus Raise properly so that you can get the most out of this exercise. Let’s get started!
What is the Soleus Muscle
The Soleus muscle sits below the calf muscle and attaches to the Achilles tendon. The main function of the Soleus muscle is to assist in plantar flexion, which is pointing your foot downwards. The Soleus muscle also works with the Gastrocnemius muscle (aka calf muscle, another muscle in the lower leg) to help pump blood back up to the heart from your lower extremities during runs/walks/jogs. The main difference between the soleus and the calf is that the calf muscle attaches above the knee, whereas the soleus attaches below the knee. So to stretch / strengthen the solues muscle your knee should be bent. Due to modern day living (think heeled shoes and chair sitting), the Soleus muscle can be tight and/or weak in many people. A good way to prevent this, or to loosen and strengthen it up if it’s already tight, is by doing Soleus raises!
Types of Soleus Raises
Seated Soleus exercise
Sit on the floor or on a bench with your legs out flat. Place a resistance band under the sole of your foot and hold the ends in each hand. Point your foot down, into the resistance of the band and slowly release. Do 15-20 repetition per leg for 2-3 sets.
Body weight Soleus raise
Stand up, facing a wall so your hands can rest on the wall for balance. Bend your knees slightly so they sit forwards of your toes. Then light your heels up as high as you can and lower them slowly to the ground, repeat this for 15-20 reps for 2-3 sets. To begin with do both legs at the same time, as you get stronger you can stand on one leg to increase the load going through the muscle and do 15-20 reps per side per set.
Seated Soleus raises
This can be done with just a few simple steps. First, sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Next, raise your heels so that you are on your toes, and hold this position for a few seconds. Finally, lower your heels back down to the starting position. Keep your knees bent throughout the entire exercise. You should also avoid jerking or bouncing as you raise and lower your heels. Start with three sets of 15-20 repetitions, and increase the number of sets as you get stronger. To progress with this you can than rest some additional weight on your thighs such as a sandbag, kettlebell or weight plate.
Things to keep in mind
There are a few things to focus on in order to prevent injuries and ensure you’re doing the movement correctly.
- Be sure to warm up your muscles before attempting the raise – a few minutes of light cardio will do the trick.
- Always use proper form.
- Start with only a pain free range of motion and gradually increase it as you get more comfortable with the move.
- Focus on contracting the muscle, not just moving your leg through the motion.
- Be sure to keep your core muscles engaged during the exercise – this will help protect your lower back from strain.
With these simple tips in mind, you should be able to achieve great results.