Shin Splints!!!

[Coreyatdel]

Thanks for all you guys help!

[.V.]

What kind of workouts are causing your shin pain? Most often it's running. If that's the case, you are gonna have to do two things:

1- invest in running shoes that are a perfect fit for you, taking into consideration that your feet will swell up to 1/4 or even 1/2 a shoe size while running.

2- get used to it through constant conditioning. i.e. keep doing it...a lot.

[Merrida]

Shin splints are easy to get rid of. In fact I'm sure I've posted at least twice how to do it. What shin splints are, technically, are the two tibialis muscles pulling away from your shin bone upon impact. That's why trainers (athletic trainers) tape/cross-tape the shins to reduce the pain, and you'll notice it works. With the pressure applied, the muscle (while still pulling away) can't be felt by you (until you take the tape off, then it hurts like hell). But the trainers goal is to get you to run, not necessarily safely or by building up the strength to heal and prevent them.

I've never had this fail on me, not once.

You need to strengthen your tibialis muscles with toe raises or shin raises, and preferably not on a tib raise machine, such as the Hammer Strength. The HS version works indirectly by pulling, but doing them on a leg press works through concentric AND eccentric contraction (not just concentric),....you do them to fatigue. There's no magic number -- you just do them until the pain drives you nuts. The weight is always light (the weight of just the sled on the incline press, or no more than 40lbs on a flat sled like a Cybex). The only way to screw this up is by bending your knees which means you'll negate the efficacy of this exercise and frankly just waste your time.

I know this works not only because it worked for me, but as I said, rare is the case when I can say it's never failed me on one of my clients with shin splints. Running through the pain you just elongate and overstretch weak musculature when the goal is the opposite.

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[westside24]

Originally Posted by Merrida

You need to strengthen your tibialis muscles with toe raises or shin raises, and preferably not on a tib raise machine, such as the Hammer Strength. The HS version works indirectly by pulling, but doing them on a leg press works through concentric AND eccentric contraction.

I cant picture how you would do it. is there any illistration we can find ont he web to show us? Ive never seen a tib raise machine, and I dont get how you would them on a leg press??? Calf raise yea, but how is lifting the toes of the leg press do anything... I need a video or a drawaring <--lol

[Merrida]

Legs straight, locked out, flat sled or incline doesn't matter much to start off, light weight. Keep legs/knees locked, feet close together. Keeping heels on the plate, dorsiflex hard, hold 1 second, lower and almost touch the plate and quickly pull up again, 1 second of consistent constraction, lower.

The mistakes or lack of results will happen if: You try to make too small a move keeping the flexion only towards the upper half and not "almost full range" (remember, no touching). Keep feet together to keep rhythm the same. Movement is quick paced minus the 1 second tight hold peak contraction. No rep counting. Weight is light, reps high, you go until pain sets in or burning is so much you really can't deal with it any more and yes you'll feel it, along the ankle, up the SIDES of the calves, not necessarily within the tibs. Do not bend the knees ever during this. Small movement and it feels strange doing it, but I can firmly say I have never had it not work.

On an incline sled use the weight of the sled (45lbs give or take). On a flat sled again try 20-40lbs. Never do these with high weight regardless of your size or you'll undo all the good these will do. Do them 4 x week at least, be prepared to walk funny, but also be prepared to rid yourself of shin splints.

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[westside24]

4 times a week??? Should we just do one set to failure? or a couple of sets to failure?