🐮 Technique matters when testing your calf strength! 💪
Don't underestimate technique in calf strength testing! In a recent study conducted by Brady Green and his colleagues, participants were tasked with comparing their performance in the single-leg heel rise test with and without receiving technique cueing.
The findings unveiled a significant difference: when participants were instructed to maintain proper technique, they completed an average of 12 fewer repetitions compared to when no cueing was provided.
❌ Common technique faults were ⬇️ plantar flexion height (49.1%), knee flexion strategy (24.6%), hip hike strategy (10.5%), trunk rocking back & forth (8.8%) & foot/ankle alignment during plantar flexion (7%).
This study highlights the importance of ensuring good technique when performing the single-leg heel rise test, otherwise, the individual performing the test can effectively "cheat" their way to a higher score.
To ensure an accurate test, use the following cues:
🔑 Keep the knee straight
🔑 Align the middle of the ankle joint over the second toe
🔑 No rocking the body back & forth
🔑 Avoid hiking the hip
🔑 Ensure full height is reached on each repetition
🔑 Use a metronome set to 60 beats per second, going up 1 second & down 1 second
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📚Reference
Green, B., et al. (2024). "Form Matters—Technical Cues in the Single Leg Heel Raise to Failure Test Significantly Change the Outcome: A Study of Convergent Validity in Australian Football Players." BioMed 4(2): 89-99.