The Four Reasons all Runners Get Calf Injuries
So here’s what’s up with me. I reckon I’ve touched more calves in the last three months than in the preceding five years.
I’m not mad about it - it’s a really cool area to treat. It isn’t, however, usually among my clients’ favourite areas to get treated. If you’ve ever had a firm massage to the lower leg you’ll know what I’m talking about.
As usual, I’m kind of talking myself out of a job here, but I’d like to intervene a few weeks/months before you get to the point where we have to demolish your baby moomoos on the treatment table. Even if you’re already at a point where massage feels “necessary”, here’s a secret : it won’t make the hurties go away for good. 99.99% of the time, if you don’t also address the root cause of a problem, massage is only ever going to be a temporary solution.
So what is the root of the problem? To grossly generalise, lately it’s got a lot to do with running.
With gyms closed and team training’s off, a lot more people have taken up jogging as their primary form of exercise - which is awesome. However, some of us are pulling up with particularly sore and tight lower legs, and I think a lot of that comes down to a few main trends I’ve noticed lately in my calf-based clientele.
Increasing volume (or intensity or load) too fast.
The age-old rule with volume is that you shouldn’t increase by more than 10% each week, and your program should include regular deloads. I would add another principle to that : just because you can doesn’t mean you should*.
For example: if your longest run of the week is currently 5km, it should take at least eight weeks to work that up to 10km. You’re probably already more than capable of 10km, but if you up the volume up in one step, you risk overloading the system without giving it enough time to adapt. And that can equal cooked calves.
I get the impatience to get to a goal ASAP, but honestly, you will get there faster this way - rather than making the jump too soon and spending six weeks injured, only to have to start again from square one.
It can be harder to quantify, but the same principle usually applies to intensity (speed) and load (running with weight/ introducing slopes).
A common trap here is people who come in hot from other types of training, and so are fit enough for, say, a one hour run, but aren’t conditioned to that kind of volume on the trot. Similarly, those who used to do a lot of running, but haven’t for a long time, can have a tendency to forget the process of working up to big runs.
Not using the posterior chain for power
I’m yet to meet a struggling runner who hasn’t benefited from activating their glutes and hammies. Often the main mechanism that overloads the calves during running is a failure to produce the necessary force further up the chain. Ideally, the hamstrings and glutes should be generating a significant amount of running power, with that proportion going up as speed increases.
This is particularly relevant for those of us who find that we spend even more time sitting down than usual during isolation, which can cause the glutes to become ‘lazy’. Activating the posterior chain before runs, and training the hips, glutes and hamstrings for strength at the very least once a week are the keys rebalancing your running engine.
Mindset is also fundamental : do you see distance as your only running goal? If 100% of your training is grinding away at crazy long runs no wonder your calves have given up the ghost.
The faster you run, the more you’re going to recruit your glutes and hammies, so try some shorter, faster sessions and interval running with even more speed. You can even switch up the goal of your whole program - are you just training for a marathon because that’s what everyone does? IMHO, a super fast 5km is a lot sexier - and the program is generally more fun.
One of the best things about running is its “functionality” - all humans should be able to move fast on their feet. I would argue that shorter runs are a lot more functional. I mean, if the zombies do come and you haven’t outpaced them over the first few kilometres, I don’t see you doing it over the next 40.
Calf strength
Sorry, but your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are probably not strong enough for long distances. Welcome to the club, there’s a few billion of us.
I’ve said it before, but if a muscle isn’t coping with a certain load and we can’t reduce that load, then we have to increase its capacity. To try and exemplify this with completely made-up numbers: if the calf is exerting 1 unit with each stride, but your maximum calf raise is only 10 units, that’s a 10% effort on every step. That muscle is going to fatigue fast. If you can increase the maximum to 20 or 30 units, then each step is only requiring 5 or 3% effort from the muscle, which is going to be a helluva lot more sustainable.
Calves, particularly the soleus muscle, have incredible endurance. Just ask any bodybuilder - they will cop an absolute belting without budging in size. You can train them several times a week - ideally in a program that includes concentric, eccentric and isometric exercises at moderate and high loads. Controlled loading, particularly isometric, is also crucial for tendon/ connective tissue troubles such as Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fascial pain.
Technique, technique, technique
This is a mega huge root of the problem. If you’re getting hurt because you’re not running well, then all the massages and foam rolling and new shoes and compression socks and magnesium supps and recovery machines in the world will not make a jot of difference.
Running often gets approached with an “I already know how to do that” attitude. When you set your mind to almost any other sport, you know in advance that you’re going to have to watch and learn from more advanced athletes, repeat drills, progress slowly and get feedback and follow instruction from a coach. Running, however, involves tying up your laces and heading out the door, right? Yeahnah can do, but not always. Even if you’ve been doing it for years or decades, professional input can be a gamechanger.
Obviously you can do it without one, but if you a) are trying to get into running with an existing injury, b) have a history of running injuries or c) are looking to improve performance in any way, there is nothing I would recommend more than an experienced coach.
“A lot of people are averse to getting a coach because they feel their flexibility will be taken away; they will be locked in to do what the coach says when the coach says it. But it doesn't have to be like that. A good coach will be flexible with your plan and understand that you're doing this because you enjoy it, not because it's your job. Get a coach to shorten your learning curve and avoid the mistakes that will cost you time and performance.”
So there you have it - my very incomplete list of things that may be making your calvies give you grief. We love comments, so feel free to add yours below!
*If anyone wants to call me out on calling the kettle black at this point, I hear you.