The anterior tibialis muscles run down the front of your shins. Stretching these muscles helps you avoid conditions such as shin splints and helps minimize the potential for lower leg injury. You should stretch before and after every workout, especially workouts that focus on shaping up your lower body.
Sit Back and Stretch
The easiest and most efficient stretch for the fronts of your shins uses your body weight and stretches both shins at once. Get down on your knees, feet flat on the floor, so the soles of your feet face the ceiling. Sit back with your butt on your heels, feeling the stretch along the fronts of your calves, through your ankle and into the top of your feet. If sitting with your bottom resting on your calves is too difficult, use a cushion as a wedge to support you.
Manual Stretch
Manually stretching your anterior tibialis gives you control over the stretch, which is useful when your shins are especially tender. Sit down and cross one leg over the other. Hold your foot in your hands and gently press your foot into a point. Do not jerk or force your foot into position. Press only until you feel a stretch down the front of your shin and into the top of your foot. Hold for 30 seconds and switch feet.
Tapping Stretch
Another method to stretch the muscles that run down the front of your shins is a tapping stretch. Sit down, feet flat on the floor. Lift your foot up, keeping your heel on the floor. Tap your foot back down. Repeat up to 20 times, stopping when the motion is too fatiguing for the muscles near your ankle. Switch feet for 20 taps, then switch back until you have completed the tapping motion on each foot about 100 times.
Considerations
If the fronts of your shins are very sore, you may have shin splints. This condition may result from running or jogging on hard surfaces or not having enough heel cushioning. Along with stretching, rest, ice and elevate your shins to resolve the shin tenderness. While you don't have to stop running or jogging, participating in an alternative, such as an indoor cycling class, lets you avoid working your calf muscles with impact when they're sore. If the pain continues after 72 hours of rest, see your doctor for advice.
