4 Quick Calf and Ankle Exercises to Prepare for Pointework
If you have been dancing long enough to be on pointe, you know the importance of warming up properly before strapping on your shoes. Still, sometimes your schedule might not allow for even a barre warm-up before it’s time to begin. Rather than starting cold, it’s best to have a short warm-up routine in your back pocket that you can perform even in a hallway outside of the studio.
Angelica Pastrana, PT, DPT, a New York City–based physical therapist who works with performers, shares a series of relatively quick exercises that target your calves and ankles.
You’ll need:
- an exercise band
- a small ball, like a tennis or lacrosse ball, or a roll of socks
- a barre, the back of a chair, or wall space to use for balance
Dynamic Gastrocnemius/Soleus Stretch
- Place both hands on the barre.
- Stand in parallel with one foot in front of the other and both heels flat on the floor.
- Bend the front leg, leaving the back leg straight, and then bend the back leg and straighten the front leg. Rock back and forth for 2 sets of 30 seconds or 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
- Switch and complete the same exercise with the opposite foot in front.
Fun fact: You have two muscles that connect at your Achilles tendon: the gastrocnemius, which works when the leg is straight, and the soleus, which works when the leg is bent. You need to warm up both prior to dancing. Dynamic stretches, where you move continuously, are important to incorporate into your warm-up, rather than just static stretches, where you stay still.
Forced-Arch Sequence with a Ball
- Take the ball and place it between the bony part of your inner ankles, thinking of holding it in place without squeezing.
- Place both hands on the barre and with your feet in parallel, raise your heels, keeping the ball in place.
- Leave your heels high and bend your knees.
- Lower your heels with bent knees.
- Straighten your knees.
- Repeat for 2 sets of 30 seconds or 2 sets of 10.
Tip: As with any relevé, make sure your weight stays on the ball of your first and second toes.
Short Foot Press-Down
- Step on the end of a medium- to light-weight exercise band so that your entire foot is on the band. Hold the other end in one hand.
- Pull the band until your toes lift up while the rest of the foot stays flat on the floor.
- Without curling or scrunching your toes, press them against the resistance of the band until they touch the floor.
- Repeat on each foot for 2 sets of 30 seconds or 2 sets of 10.
Tip: You’ll know you are doing this exercise correctly when you feel it in the bottoms of your feet, rather than around your ankles.
Flamingo
- Step on the exercise band with only your first and second toes, and hold the band out to the side using the hand that’s on the same side as that foot.
- Bring your other foot to a parallel passé.
- Rotate your passé towards and away from the standing leg for 2 sets of 30 seconds or 2 sets of 10, without losing the positioning of the band.
- Repeat on the other side.
Fun fact: This exercise targets your first metatarsal phalangeal joint, the bony knuckle on your big toe that holds much of your weight when you are on pointe. It also warms up the stabilizing muscles needed for balance. The band serves as a cue to keep your weight on the ball of your first and second toes, because rolling onto the outer toes can cause ankle sprains.
