My calves are always 'tight'....or are they?
New year, New me is coming to the point when you'll potentially start to find reasons to put that new exercise regime on the shelf until January 2021.
One of the reasons that people can tend to lose interest is when they start to pick up niggles and pains which stop them continuing. Calf pain is a biggie.
A lot of new runners tend to find a tightening sensation increasing in their calves over a period of 4-6 weeks after starting running. And no matter how hard you massage, stretch, foam roll, needle, apply cupping. It doesn't seem to resolve the problem.
It's probably because your calves aren't tight.
When you're running between 6.5-8 times you're bodyweight can be put through your calf muscles. Compared to just 1.5-3.5 times the force produced through your hips (glutes).
Training the calves to accept this load is KEY!!!
4 Ways to strengthen my calves:
1) Single leg calf raises from a step
2) Wall squat calf raises
3) Bent knee calf raises
4) Hip bridge calf raise
6-10 repetitions on each leg and 2-4 sets a session. Twice a week is a good place to start.
If you find it too easy with your own bodyweight then adding a weight heavy enough to make the 6-10 repetitions a challenge will be much more beneficial.
Be Strong!!
Sam