As everyone knows, padel is a sport that greatly strengthens and works the lower body, as it constantly demands you to be tense and prepared for great changes of pace, direction, and requires a lot of explosiveness. Furthermore, in all padel shots, the function of the legs is fundamental, as their positioning will allow for correct execution of the shots.

To fine-tune a bit more, both the calves and the soleus (a muscle intimately related to the movements performed by the calves) perform a great deal of activity and are subjected to a lot of stress during a padel match. In changes of direction, explosive starts, the completion of a smash, and many more situations, the calves and, consequently, the soleus will become highly congested.

It should be explained that the calves and soleus are responsible for plantar flexion (toes pointing towards the ground), so they are involved in practically all movements. To avoid overloading them, both prior muscle work and post-activity care are important.

As we just mentioned, prior muscle work is very important. That the musculature has good tone will help us to avoid future problems. For this, we can perform strengthening and toning exercises such as:

• Squats on the balls of your feet; perform squats by only using the front part of your foot (ball of the foot) to push yourself up.
• Skipping: in a static position and on tiptoes, we tap our feet as fast as possible, feeling most of the effort in the calves.
• Jump rope: with a jump rope, perform jumps alternating one leg and the other, always jumping on tiptoes.

After playing padel, it is advisable to follow certain guidelines to help us keep the muscles in the best possible condition after physical exertion. For this, the fundamental thing, which can be extrapolated to any muscle area involved in padel, is to STRETCH. Stretching should be a fundamental part of sports practice. It must be added to our routine, just like changing the overgrip or wearing a wristband. In the case of the calves, the stretch to perform is very simple:

• Standing, with the front part of your foot resting on the court fence, let your weight fall forward, feeling the tension build in your calf.
• The second alternative is to stand, grasp the front of your foot, and pull it towards you.
• Stretches should be held for around 45 seconds and should always be intense but without causing pain.

With these simple guidelines, we will be able to take good care of our muscles, avoiding future injury problems.