Are heel lifts effective in strengthening the legs?
in any sports when we start our journey it is logical not to understand very well how to begin to mold and strengthen our body. It is very useful to watch some videos or read some articles observe those close to us to know how to move and what machines to use to achieve our goals. However, it is not enough. Technique sometimes is everything. And, in addition, there are certain exercises that are not practiced enough, such as heel lifts. Therefore, we have to inform ourselves in specialized pages, for example, to really know what suits us and what parts of the body we have to involve to achieve our goals.
How to do foot heel lifts
After reading the name of this exercise, standing heel lifts, it is quite intuitive to know what the movements we have to perform consist of. Therefore, to do it correctly, we have to stand up,putting our feet apart, approximately to the width of the shoulders. On the other hand, the knees have to be slightly bent. At this point, it is necessary to take off the heels from the ground, while carrying out an extension of the feet in order to raise the body while it holds all its weight at the tips of the feet.
something t you have to keep in my mind that is the back has to be totally straight at all times. Also, the only thing we have to do to elevate the body is to lift the heels. Of course, there are certain variants. Whether you choose one or the other will depend on your needs.
Exercise variants
In this way, there are those who use a bar that is placed on the torso when performing the elevations of standing heels. Likewise, there are those who prefer to choose to grab a dumbbell with each hand. In this case, the weight will be selected by you depending on the strength you have in your arms. In addition, there are many who also use a bank to do this exercise. In this way, the difficulty is multiplied since the heels carry out a hard task during the exercise.
Likewise, it is possible to perform the elevations of standing heels from a specific machine. In this case, it is necessary to put the shoulders under lined pads. Also, the feet must be placed on a platform. Moments later, you have to mobilize the contraption raising the heels taking into account the extra weight. Of course, both the elevation and descent of the heels has to be slow and in addition, it is essential to control each movement. It is the only way to work in the right way each of the muscles that are involved in this exercise.
What muscles are worked on in heel lift?
The elevations of heels of foot are an exercise in which they work, in principle, the lower and posterior parts of the legs. We are talking about an area that in most cases we neglect when it really deserves our attention. On the other hand, we have to say that with the elevations of foot heels is worked specifically the triceps sural muscle. This is composed of other muscles, such as twins and soleus.
In this case, it will be the inner twin that develops a greater work if we choose to place the feet in a "V" shape. This means that they have to be joined in the heel area and separated at the tips. However if we opt for the opposite position, that is joining the tips and separating the heels, getting an inverted "V", what will be worked on the most will be the external twin within the elevations of standing heels.
Tips for performing heel lifts
As we have been through in previous paragraphs, we have to master the technique good enough for any type of exercise and training. This means that we must know each movement that we are going to develop with our muscles in order not to damage them and that they develop in the right way.
Therefore, there are many tips that you can take into account to correctly do the elevations of standing heels. For example, if you want the twins to work integrally, we propose you to carry out the exercise by performing variations with the feet. In this way, the different portions of the muscles will work intensively.
On the other hand, you should not bounce when you are doing the heel lifts. This means that the tour you have to do should be smooth and steady. It's the only way to concentrate the work on the twins. Also, keep in mind that, as we have told you before, the back should remain straight and that the knees should not bend excessively at any time. The goal is not to hurt you.