You may have seen or heard about the benefits of incorporating a slant board in your daily workouts. If you’re interested in exploring how a slant board, also known as an incline calf stretcher, can amp up your routine, read on. This article will cover everything you need to know about slant boards, their benefits, and how to use one yourself.
What is a slant board?
A slant board is a flat-surfaced device that is made from durable wood or lightweight plastic material and is used to keep muscles and tendons in tip-top shape.
By standing in a slanted position on this board, you improve the performance of your muscles for exercise and cut down on cases of injury. Different slant boards come in different angles and can sometimes be adjustable. With any incline board, you can stretch your calf without the fear of falling backward.
What are the benefits of a slant board?
Any health-conscious person will be quick to learn the advantages of this simple yet powerful device. A slant board is useful not just for leg-related pains and injuries, but also for ensuring proper blood circulation and the relief of back pain.
Let's explore some of the key benefits of using a slant board:
- The calf plays a great role in our daily activities and movement such as running, walking, jumping, and standing. Hence, you need a slant board to help you stretch your muscles and make them flexible.
- It helps to prevent inflammation which often comes with pain.
- Using a slant board allows you to protect the Achilles tendon which is the strongest tendon in the body.
- It's also useful for relieving the stress around muscles which tend to ache after exercise.
- Preventive medicine also values slant boards to ensure that possible leg injuries are avoided.
- A slant board helps in the circulation of blood to the leg to prevent swelling.
Other benefits that are attached to a slant board include improved digestion, improved posture, easier breathing, headache relief, and much more. Especially while working from home, these benefits are needed even more than ever.
Who can use a slant board?
Any individual without major underlying medical conditions that is looking to increase their flexibility is an ideal candidate to use a slant board. However, we recommend starting off at the least steep angle for the first few sessions. This will give your body and muscles time to acclimate to the new exercise without risking additional injury. Once you’ve become familiar with the slant board, you can begin gradually increasing the angle.
What conditions can a slant board treat?
One of the most significant benefits of a slant board comes from its versatility. In addition to the many benefits above, slant boards can be especial for treating certain types of leg injuries, including:
- Calf muscle strains
- Shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles & patella tendonitis
How can I use a slant board to stretch my calf?
Set your slant board up in front of you and adjust the height to a comfortable level. If you haven’t stretched your calves before, keep the board as level as possible. The higher the slant, the more intense of a stretch you’ll get.
Once you’re ready, step onto the board, with your heels at the bottom and your toes pointed up. If you need extra stability, place the board by a wall or table that you can grab onto.
From there, stand with your legs straight on the board. You should feel your calf muscle stretching. If you’re ready for a deeper stretch, you can bend over and reach for your toes. If you don’t feel much of a stretch, increase the incline on your slant board.
What are other good stretches with a slant board?
The only limit to what you can do with a slant board calf stretcher is your imagination. From stretching to strength training to cardio, slant boards can have a place in any part of your work out. Explore some of our favorite basic and advanced stretches with an incline board, then be sure to share your own exercises with us on social!
Which calf stretcher is right for me?
There are many different kinds of slant board calf stretchers. We’ll focus on our professional wooden slant board and our portable slant board. Both are completely customizable, allowing you to select the right height for your stretch.
While portable, a wooden slant board is heavier and typically easier for use in home workouts. If you find yourself stretching at the gym or on the go, a portable slant board will be lighter and easier to carry around.