Conditioning: Phase 4
The following is the final phase that will guide you from calf strain toward healthy running. Progress from each phase as instructed.
Duration: 2 Weeks
Goal: Plyometrics and functional training, including previous phase exercises (as desired) to maintain muscle balance and strength.
Frequency of Exercises: Daily (2-3 days per week)
- Single Leg Agility: 3 x 30 seconds (each). Single Leg Hops, Cross Jumps, and Single Leg Balance (On Toes). Purpose: increase dynamic load to the calves in different planes.
- Single Leg Calf Thrusts: 2 x 20 reps (each side). Facing a wall in a split squat stance, come up on the front leg and thrust up on your toes, putting more load on your calf. You should feel the calf muscles working. Purpose: increase load on the leg muscles and calves to improve resilience of the tissue.
- Front Planks: 3 x 30 seconds or until fatigue. On your elbows and knees, bring your knees off the ground and hold. Try to keep your body level throughout this exercises by keeping your hips level and engaging your abdominals and glutes. Keep your elbow below your shoulders and push up to engage your scapular muscles. Purpose: strengthen core and glutes for running form stability.
- Up & Backs: 3 x 30 seconds. Go up and back in a running pace. This will increase load capacity on the tissue and guide you back toward sprinting-type activities. Add time as endurance improves. Purpose: increase pressure on joints to improve resilience.
- Jump Squats: (on box first, then on ground) 3 x 8-10 reps. With your legs shoulder width apart, bend down by bringing your hips back and knees bent, and then come back up. As you land, try to make the landing quiet, which indicates shock absorption. If you’re too loud then you are not landing with enough knee and hip bend. Do this one at a time at first, then do intervals over time (sets of 3, 4, etc.). Purpose: increase load on the leg muscles and calves to improve resilience of the tissue.
- Single Leg Balance (On Toes): 3 x 30 seconds. Stand with both hands on your hips with your feet directly under you. Keeping your pelvis stable, bring one leg up without causing your pelvis to tilt or rotate. Once stable, come up on your toes as best as you can. Purpose: improve calf/ankle stability and strength.
- Single Leg Calf Raises (With Weight, On Step): 2 x 25 reps (each side). Standing on a step with one leg, come down on your heels toward the ground and feel some discomfort. Go slowly (3 count going down, 3 count going up). If too easy, place more weight on the involved side. Purpose: increase load on the calf to improve resilience.
- Progressive Run/Walk Program
- Calf Stretching: 1 minute per position, each side. Standing with one foot back, place your toes on a half roll or rolled-up towel to increase the stretch. Lean forward while keeping your knee straight. Purpose: improve calf mobility to decrease strain on the calves.
TO GRADUATE FROM PHASE 4
Pain is minimal and manageable, allowing you to continue your running progression while implementing exercises from previous phases as needed or desired to maintain form.
- No pain with single leg jump ropes for 30 seconds
- No pain with single leg calf raises with weight
- No pain with running on flat ground for 20-30 minutes
Principles of Calf Strain: A Review
- CAUSE – overloading of the calf muscle
- NEED – reduce pain
- PLAN – once pain is managed, progressively load the tissue to increase strength while also improving flexibility
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