Everything Relevé

How many relevés do you execute in a day? How many times do you point and flex the foot? Understanding how these movements occur anatomically, as well as what exercises condition the calf and shin, will revolutionize your efficiency and injury-resilience.

Calf Muscles

The calf is comprised of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastrocnemius (or “gastroc”) is closest to the surface and more dominant, working to raise the heel while the knee is straight. To rise with a bent knee, we use the underlying soleus. Many dancers have weak soleus muscles because they spend a disproportionate amount of time performing straight-legged calf raises. A well-conditioned soleus, however, will transform your allegro, helping propel you from plié into the air with straight legs and back into plié with control. 

PBT Rises 

Option 1: Place the Pilates ball (you can substitute a tennis ball) between the lower calves in parallel, facing the barre. Execute 8 straight-legged rises, controlling the heel on the way down so that minimal weight sinks back into it. Repeat with 8 straight-legged rises only on the right leg and then repeat left.

Now, to condition to soleus, repeat the sequence from plié. Do not straighten the knee as the heel lifts, keep it bent the entire time. You may need to do 4-6 single-legged soleus rises at first, as they are intense. 

Option 2: As above, but in 1st position without the ball. 

Option 3: Face the barre in 6th position. Rise on two feet, then lower down with control on one. Place the lifted foot back to rise again and lower by lifting the same foot as before. Complete 8 repetitions on both sides. 

While you should feel your calves working hard in each class (especially pointe), they can be overworked like any other superficial muscle. To avoid tears, we need to develop intrinsic control that supports the work of the gastrocnemius and soleus. The tibialis posterior (see “Tendons of the Foot” in the Dancing Feet Digital Guide) lies underneath the calf muscles and controls the raising and lowering of the heels. To practice accessing this support system, integrate seated rises into your warmup routine. 

Seated Rises

This is an exercise that is not likely to be successful the first many times you try. It is also one that needs to be repeated regularly, as the muscle memory leaves quickly. Seated rises are a wonderful, gentle preparation for the ballet class, and build a methodical movement pattern we lack in our technique. 

** To access this and other exercises, visit the Dancing Feet Digital Guide.

 

Understanding the relationship between the calf and the shin helps us visualize how we point and flex the foot in any step.

Plantar & Dorsiflexion Hayden Creech

Peroneal Muscles

The peroneal muscles are three muscles spanning the outer edge of the fibula that contribute to the hinge action of the foot. The peroneal brevis and peroneal longus help to point the foot (plantar flexion) and contribute to eversion (big toe down, pinkie toe up). Thus, with a long series of pointing and flexing on the yoga ball in PBT, it is very common for the outer shins to be sore. 

The third of that group, the peroneal tertius connects the fibula to the 5th metatarsal and works to flex the foot (dorsiflexion). Like its neighbors, the peroneal tertius contributes to the action of eversion. Other contributors to dorsiflexion are the flexor hallucis longus (a tendon that connects to the big toe), flexor digitorum longus (acts on the little toes), and the calf muscles. 

Peroneal Stretch

Lay on your back with the center of a resistance band placed around the ball of the right foot. Raise the right leg to 90 degrees while extending the left actively on the floor. Invert the foot, bringing the toes towards the midline of the body, while maintaining the flex. (This is a bit like a fish foot and is not something to practice while weight bearing). Walk your hands up the resistance band until you feel a stretch on the outer shin. Breathe in this position and experiment with moving in and out of it.

 

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