As we approach mid season of training and competition there is one injury we tend to see often. Calf strains! Maybe you have had it or know of someone who has had it. These can be very irritating as oftentimes it can not only limit your training, but even limit your everyday function including walking, or negotiating stairs. So what can you do to help prevent calf strains from benching you this season?
- Ensure you are incorporating a warm up. Warm ups are vital to get blood flow towards the muscles that will be exerted. A comprehensive warm up should take no longer than 10 minutes, and should include dynamic activities focusing on muscle activation specific to the muscles that will be exerted. For example, bridges, heel raises, A or B skips, to name a few.
- Do not skip cool downs! Cool downs are important to restore the flexibility of the muscles that were just exerted. Incorporate a light 5 min walk post run, and follow it with static stretches, especially the calf. As pictured below. You can do 3 reps of 30 seconds for each one. Notice the first one the back leg is straight, and the second picture the back leg is bent.
3. Do not skip strength training. One muscle commonly overlooked in the gym are the calves. However, as tri-athletes the calves are put under a lot of stress, so in order to help condition them to take the load, strengthening becomes a vital part. You can try incorporating double leg calf raises with weights, then progressing to single leg calf raises.
4. Incorporate gradual progression of workouts. When considering ramping up either mileage or speed in a week avoid doing both at the same time. This helps decrease overloading the calf muscles too quickly which can help prevent a strain.
5. Allow time for recovery. Listen to your body. If your calves are feeling tight or achy don’t ignore it. This is oftentimes a sign that your calves may be overloaded. So take a pause from your training and focus on stretching your calves, and foam rolling.
Try implementing these tips, and be consistent with it. You may even feel like you are able to run faster, by simply keeping your calves strong, and flexible. Happy training!
Written by
Dr. Anakaren Lopez, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
P.S. If you’re a runner or triathlete dealing with nagging niggles, don’t wait until they get worse. Please get them checked out so you’re not sidelined from training! Reach out to us by phone/text at 973-310-2678 or Click here to inquire.