Day 52 is a two-part lower body day with a new hold. Part 1 is 45 minutes of walking; Part 2 is 10 reverse lunges, a 10-count hold and 20 march steps, no rest, 3 to 5 sets by level. The hold is not the squat hold of Days 3 and 31. The card draws a figure standing tall with the hands clasped behind the back and the heels lifted off the floor - a calf raise held at the top for ten counts.
Calf raises have appeared three times in the program as reps; this is the first time they appear as a hold, and a hold is a different demand. Ten counts on the balls of the feet, heels high, after 45 minutes of walking, asks the calves to sustain the exact position they pass through on every push-off and never stay in. It also turns into a balance exercise the moment the heels leave the floor - the ankles and feet have to steady the whole body on a base the size of two toes. The lunges before it warm the legs and fatigue them slightly; the march steps after it bring the calves straight back into rhythm. Walking muscles, trained the way walking never does.
Lunge form as always: step back, knee to a hover, heel drives, torso tall. In the hold, rise as high as possible onto the balls of the feet, keep the heels level with each other, and hold the height for the full count - if the heels start sinking, the count pauses until they come back up. Hands stay clasped behind the back; a wall is allowed for a fingertip if balance goes. March steps at full height to close.
A hold on your toes after 45 minutes on your feet - the calves earn it twice.
Make it Harder: Keep the heels as high as possible for the entire 10-count with no settling, then extend it to 15.
Make it Easier: Hold the wall with one hand during the calf raise hold.
