Why your calf stretches should always involve your feet, too
Peloton instructor Matt Wilpers explains why your calf warm up exercises should include foot stretches, too, plus which stretches to do before your workout.
Why your calf stretches should always involve your feet, too
Peloton instructor Matt Wilpers explains why your calf warm up exercises should include foot stretches, too, plus which stretches to do before your workout.
Warmups are super important before working out because they wake your muscles up. This rings especially true for the lower half of the body ahead of cardio workouts like running and cycling. While it’s easy to focus only on the big lower body muscles, to loosen up the calves (which are incredibly tight for many), stretching out some of the often-forgotten muscles can make a big difference, too. One stretching tip to remember, according to a trainer? You should involve your feet when doing calf warm-up exercises.
This is something that Peloton instructor Matt Wilpers discovered after attending physical therapy sessions for Achilles tendinitis. “My physical therapist had me start stretching the bottom muscles of my feet,” he says, adding that foot stretches helped him perform better—and without pain—when running. “All of the muscles and tendons are connected, so when one’s really tight, it affects everything else. That tightness can pull and yank and can even cause tendinitis.”
When warming up before a run (or cycling or really any other type of workout), Wilpers explains that restoring mobility to your foot muscles allows your body to perform easier. “Your stabilizer muscles are just as important as your primary muscles, because without them, you’d put an extra workload on the primary movers which fatigue them more quickly,” he says, pointing to the many stabilizers in the foot. If the muscles in your feet aren’t woken up or stretched, Wilpers likens them to “paddles” when you move. “When you don’t wake up the muscles under there, they can feel like a paddle, which puts a lot of extra stress on your Achilles tendon.”
Including your feet in your calf warmup will also help with your overall range of motion. “You want everything to be able to move through its full range of motion,” says Wilpers. “That way, when you start jogging or moving, you’ll be able to distribute your force evenly throughout your muscles.” As for how to warm your foot and calf muscles up, keep scrolling for his go-to moves for optimal mobility.
3 calf warm up exercises that also prep your feet for movement
1. Downward dog: The staple yoga pose stretches both your calf muscles and your feet. “You can do a downward dog or modified downward dog and pedal out your feet and calves,” says Wilpers. “As you’re doing that, think about spreading out your toes and bending at the toe a little bit as you stretch the muscles underneath your feet.”
2. Modified lunge: Wilpers is also a fan of working through modified lunges. Start with your left foot forward with your knee over your ankle, and your back knee on the ground or hovering and your toes curled. Spread out your toes and hold for a few seconds before switching legs.
3. Toe spreading: The easiest thing you can do is to spread out your toes while barefoot before you start running or working out. “You can simply stand up without socks or shoes on and dig your toes into the ground as you spread them out,” says Wilpers, noting that this will help to wake up those muscles for better mobility when you move.
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Thanks to innovations in health and wellness tech, you don’t have to book an expensive lymphatic drainage massage to give your system a boost. Dry brushes, gua sha tools, foam rollers—they’re all readily available and more accessible than the cost of manual lymph work. And now, apparently, we can add “lymphatic drainage onesie” to the list of recovery tools out there that can potentially give your lymph nodes some love.
bioregulator medical expert at the BioMed Center in Scottsdale
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I was skeptical when I first heard about Heat Healer’s Activated Lymphatic Onesie ($200), a one-piece jumpsuit that claims to reduce bloating, improve recovery, and increase circulation just by wearing it. It sounded too good to be true. But as someone training for a 10k and traveling frequently for work, I decided to try it for 30 days—couldn’t hurt, right?
The timing was spot on—I was about to head to Mexico City for Marriott’s Masters of the Craft, a culinary competition where I’d be eating and drinking my days away watching a cook-off between Marriott’s top talent. If there was ever a time to test a garment promising to reduce bloating and improve recovery, this was it.
About the Heat Healer Activated Lymphatic Onesie
Heat Healer’s Activated Lymphatic Onesie is effectively a compression suit that amplifies your body’s natural detox system. Using what the brand calls “Antigravity Technology,” this onesie combines strategic compression and raised fabric patterns to stimulate lymphatic flow, helping your system clear excess fluid and waste while boosting circulation and oxygenation. Think of it as a wearable self-care tool for optimizing your body’s drainage network.
“Moving lymph allows your cells to breathe ‘freely’ and is akin to doing a biological oil change,” explains Jeoff Drobot, NMD, a bioregulator medical expert in Scottsdale. He adds we filter about 5 liters of lymph daily—equivalent to our total blood volume. When this system isn’t flowing efficiently, it can leave us feeling bloated, fatigued, and sluggish. However, with proper stimulation, like that provided by lymphatic drainage techniques (or in this case, the Activated Lymphatic Onesie), people often report improved energy levels, digestion, and even better sleep.
“Lymphatic onesies can be helpful after workouts to support recovery, reduce muscle soreness, and minimize swelling,” says Carrie Riley, lymphatic massage specialist and founder of Cincinnati Massage for Mental Health. “They’re also a great option for long flights, as they can help counteract fluid retention and improve circulation during extended periods of sitting. The same is also true for someone with long hours at a desk job.”
My review
What I love
Feeling better just by wearing a jumpsuit sounded great, but could it really deliver on its claims? I was determined to find out.
I can confirm that the onesie—a short-sleeved jumpsuit with leggings—provided immediate relief, starting from the very first wear; my body felt light and floaty as if I’d somehow shed fatigue buried in my bones. During my time in Mexico City, where I sampled everything from tequila to Michelin-star tacos, the onesie was a lifesaver. Between the elevation and rich meals, my body was working overtime, but slipping this suit over my skin back at my hotel brought me a sense of recovery I didn’t expect.
Photo: Author
Its benefits were even more apparent after an especially enthusiastic evening at Handshake Speakeasy (currently ranked as the World’s Best Bar). Normally, cocktails leave me bloated and shaky the next day. But, waking up in the middle of the night with the sense of an oncoming hangover, I crawled into the onesie and collapsed back into bed, hoping for the best. By morning, I was shocked by how much better I felt—so much so that I even took a class at a local fitness studio. During my 10K training, it became an essential part of my recovery routine, easing post-run fatigue and helping me bounce back faster—I like to think that it helped me hit my personal record on race day.
I found the onesie was also a game-changer for long flights. While bathroom breaks were challenging (airplane gymnastics, anyone?), its ability to counter travel-related gastro-stress made them worth it. Over 30 days, I wore it on eight flights and experienced a level of comfort I’ve never had before. It helps that the onesie is fashionable and easy to pair with sweats or oversized button-downs. While Dr. Drobot says that the lymphatic onesies such as Heat Healer’s pale in comparison to manual lymphatic drainage from a highly-trained practitioner, I appreciated that I could take it on the go with me.
What I don’t love
Getting into the onesie requires dedication, especially that first time. I followed the recommendation to size down, and although it wasn’t as tight as shapewear, I still performed an interpretive dance just to shimmy it on. Once it was on, the effort felt worth it, but the process was still tedious.
As mentioned, bathroom breaks presented another challenge, only from a logistics standpoint. Wrestling with the onesie in an airplane bathroom felt like an Olympic event. But as soon as I stepped out of the stall and felt its effects, I forgot the inconvenience.
Final thoughts
After 30 days of testing—from excessive evenings in Mexico City to 10K training and long-haul flights—I’m convinced it’s worth a spot in your recovery routine. While it’s not a miracle solution, the lymphatic onesie supported me through bloating, recovery, and even hangovers.
Riley offers some perspective for anyone considering a lymphatic drainage onesie, “Think of the onesie as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for professional care.” That said, while lymphatic drainage has anecdotal support and some research backing, the science around wearable tools like this isn’t yet conclusive. As always, consult your doctor before trying new wellness products, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns. In the meantime, while I don’t foresee myself wearing my onesie every day, I will definitely be pulling it out on days I need a little pick-me-up.
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