7+ Best Calf-Strengthening Exercises for Runners: Calf Exercises

If you’ve been a runner for long at all, you’re no stranger to experiencing sore calves at the end of a long, intense run. Your calf and quad muscles receive the brunt of the impact with every stride, and that’s why calf exercises for runners are so important for keeping your calves healthy. This is especially true if you tend to run on the forefront of your feet–also known as a “toe-runner.”

When I ran cross country in college, I earned the nickname of “Prancer.” No matter how much I tried to correct my form, I always ended up running up on my toes. I adapted over time–but it also put a lot of stress on my calves. I relied heavily on ice baths, as well as these tried-and-true calf-strengthening exercises to keep my calves healthy.

Why Calf-Strengthening Exercises Are Critical

Strengthing your calves isn’t just about preventing injury to your calves. It’s about protecting your lower legs as a whole. For example, if your calves are too weak, it puts stress on your Achilles tendon and shins. No runner likes dealing with a painful, squeaky Achilles tendon or going through the agony of shin splints.

Want to know more about how to keep your calves in tip-top shape from the coaches at TRE? Check out the first video of Coach Kirk’s three-part series on calf health! 

Include these calf exercises into your training routine two to three times per week to improve your form and help prevent injuries by building muscle in your lower body. You can put them into the middle of your run or tack them on at the end while your muscles are warm.

The difference between good calf exercises and great calf exercises is the time and attention you put into them. Don’t just cruise through these so you can rush off to a shower and your post-run smoothie. Be diligent and intentional—take your time.

Good calf workouts aren’t an afterthought—they’re a priority.

It doesn’t have to take long–you just need 5-10 minutes each time. Your calves, shins, and Achilles will thank you for it!

7+ Best Calf Exercises for Runners

1. Best Dynamic Calf Exercise: Jumping Rope

Let’s start with the basics! An exercise as simple as jumping rope not only strengthens your calves, it amps up your cardiovascular ability–which as runners is what we want, right? You don’t have to use a jump rope to do this exercise, but we argue it’s more fun to see if you can set a new jump rope record without tripping!

It can also serve as a great pre-run warm-up. Jump in place on the balls of your feet for 30-60 seconds three times. Repeat for a total for three sets.

Tip: Be sure to land on your toes rather than flat-footed. Landing on your toes is what makes this a great calf exercise–you strengthen those muscles with every jump.

2. Best Static Calf Exercise: Simple Calf Raises

Stand on the edge of a step or sturdy box. Raise your left foot, putting your body weight onto your right foot. Balance on the ball of your right foot.

Next, lift your right heel and pause there for a few moments. Lower your heel and repeat. Alternate feet every 10-15 reps, completing a total of three sets for power up those calves!

Tip: You can also hold dumbbells at your sides to amplify this strength-training exercise.

3. Best Calf Exercise With Dumbbells: Toe Walking

If you have them, grab some dumbbells and hold them at your sides–but this exercise works fine without weights, too.

Lift up your feet and walk forward on your toes for about one minute to 90 seconds. Do three to five sets for stronger calves–particularly the soleus muscle in your calf that’s responsible for plantar flexion–helping you to power off when you run. Remember, don’t let your heels touch the ground–keep them as high as you can!

4. Best Calf Exercise At-Home: Ankle Mobilizing Knee Pushes

Assume a starting position in front of a three to four-inch mat or block and put your toes on it so they are elevated past your heels. Bend your right knee and push it forward until you feel that familiar stretch in the back of your calf.

Repeat with your left leg. Aim for three sets of 10-15 reps on each leg.

5. Jumping Half Chair Squats

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, flat on the floor. Focusing your energy on your lower legs, jump using only your calves.

We aren’t going for a killer, sky-high jump here–if you’re only using your calves, you won’t get that high. On the way down, absorb the power of your jump by dropping into a half squat and landing quietly.

Complete three sets of eight for toned, healthy calf muscles ready to take on any hill workout. Plus, you’re weaving in a bit of cardio with this exercise! 

6. Best Calf Exercise Without Equipment: Standing Double-Leg Calf Raises

This exercise might be the most classic move for building strong calves. Like a lot of strength training practices for runners, it leverages the power of your body weight.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart–being near a wall can help for balance. Align your ankles, knees, and hips to shield your joints. Press down on the balls of your feet and lift your body up while keeping your core muscles firmly engaged.

Hold for three to five seconds, then come on back down. Do three sets of eight.

7. Best Calf Exercise With Barbell: Weighted Calf Raise

Start by doing this as a double-leg calf raise. Once you’re comfortable with that, advance to single-leg weighted calf raises.

You’ll perform this exercise much the same way as the classic calf raise and double-calf raise. The only difference is you’re going to be adding some more resistance to the calf exercise.

The easiest way to do this is with a barbell and a squat rack.

Get into the squat position with a barbell across the back of your shoulders. However, instead of squatting down, you’re going to simply perform a toe raise.

A weighted exercise like this helps you measure your progress by the number of plates you put on the bar. This helps you progress and grow muscle faster than cranking out 50 to 100+ calf raises.

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Injury Prevention

It’s common for runners to experience sore calves–these muscles power our runs and give us the strength to tackle steep hills and fire off speedy kicks at the end of a race. So, we have to take care of them!

There’s nothing that can deter even the most disciplined training plan and running goals more than an injury that could have been prevented. Resolving those injuries involves more than drinking enough water and light stretching.

Listen to your body and invest the time into proper stretching, ice baths, and strength training activities. It might not be the most fun part of your training routine–but it’s worth it! Your entire body and personal records will thrive as a result!

Don’t wait for an injury to start doing these calf exercises for runners. Make calf-strengthening a priority—not an afterthought.

A happy runner is a healthy runner with strong muscles, enjoying pain-free runs. Get started by downloading our FREE injury prevention video series today!

 

 

 

 

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Lower Back Pain When Running—How To Prevent Back Injuries

Low back pain…it’s the worst. Most people experience it at some point or another, whether they’re runners or not. You picked something heavy up incorrectly, you regularly spend 8 hours of your day in a chair, or maybe it’s the effect of some issues in your posture and body mechanics. If you’re a runner, your running form could play a huge role in whether your lower back muscles protest the miles you put in. 

Lower bank pain when running can make even a jog around the park excruciating.

But the bottom line is, you don’t have to live with lower back pain. Strength training, correcting poor posture, and working on mobility are all ways to get back to pain-free life and running. Read on to understand how weak and tight muscles contribute to your pain and follow our tips to help shore up those trouble areas.

Low Back Pain Fixes For Everyone

It’s worth mentioning that chronic pain and running injuries don’t usually come out of nowhere. If you’re experiencing lower back pain while running, chances are you’ve got some gaps in your training. Perhaps you’ve had less time lately for all your workouts so you’ve just been running and have skipped any cross training. Or maybe after a run you just jump in the car and head home, skipping your cool down and post-run mobility. It could also be that your lifestyle is quite sedentary and it’s time to make some changes. 

Don’t get down on yourself. It’s a simple process to shore up those gaps with a little strength and mobility work. With one of our favorite core exercises and a dynamic mobility drill, you’ll have two go-to moves that are easy to complete, whether at the trailhead, park, or your living room.  

Please remember that we’re online coaches, not online doctors. If you’re experiencing intense back pain, nerve pain such as sciatica,, or other symptoms beyond those described in this article, please seek out medical advice or physical therapy for qualified help.

Strengthen The Core To Beat Lower Back Pain When Running

One common culprit of low back pain is weakness through the core muscles, more specifically the deep stabilizer muscles. These muscles are responsible for keeping us upright and balanced with minimal rotation side-to-side or back-and-forth, and have attachment points throughout the spine and pelvis. A strong core also helps us absorb the impact of our daily activities and running in particular. As thousands of steps build up throughout a run, a strong core will provide shock absorption for your body. 

Less shock absorption isn’t the only downside of a week core. Your posture will also likely be affected. When the core is weak people tend to default to an overextended, mildly arched low back since those stabilizing muscles are disengaged. Not only does this lead to instability throughout your body, it also hinders your ability to engage your glutes. These muscle powerhouses are particularly important to all athletes and runners. Strengthening the core and correcting this arch to find a more neutral spine position is critical to keep running long-term and injury-free. 

Let’s experiment with spinal positioning and how it affects your glute and core engagement to get a better understanding of how to prevent lower back pain when running (or just chasing your dog through the park!)

Test Your Glute Engagement

To find that neutral spine position, start with your glutes. 

• Stand as you normally would, feet hip or shoulder-width apart.
• Then squeeze your butt to fire your glutes. You should immediately feel your pelvis shift slightly forward.
• You’ll probably also feel your core muscles engage, even if you aren’t actively trying to flex them. 

Check out our article on hip posture and neutral pelvis to learn even more.

As you work through the following movements, keep the sensation of a neutral pelvis and engaged glutes in mind. That posture will help you get the most of the two drills, which will, in turn, improve your running.

Develop Core Strength With A Hollow Body Hold

This drill will put another variation on that engagement test. The purpose of this drill is to turn on those deep abdominal muscles, which support and protect your spine from defaulting to a dangerous position. Additionally, the extra help from your core will take some of the load off the lower back muscles, which, if left to absorb the impact of running on its own, can easily lead to repetitive stress and injury.

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground.
• Lift your legs up to create a “table top” position, both legs bent at a 90 degree angle,
• Knees should be directly over the hips and your head is resting on the ground.
• The low back should be pressed securely into the ground. You shouldn’t be able to fit your hand between your lower back and the ground. 

Next you’ll add some challenge to the position and really test your core engagement.

• Peel the head and shoulders off the ground, keeping arms into your sides but lifted 2 inches off the ground, palms up.
• You can raise the arms above your hips, perpendicular to the ground.
• Try extending one leg, then both legs.
• Play with variations of just legs extended, or one arm and opposite leg, etc.
• Notice how the different variations affect the demand on your core, just as when you change position while running.

The only rule is that your low back MUST, MUST, MUST stay glued to the ground! This will keep your lower back safe and stable by avoiding hyperextension and compression in the spine. 

• Start with holding your chosen position for 10 seconds, for 6 rounds total. Increase time as needed.

If you’re looking for even more core movements, here are two more exercises guaranteed to put you to work.

Improved Hip Mobility Can Ease Lower Back Pain When Running

The other part of the puzzle is your hips! No doubt they are tight and putting extra pressure and strain on your spine. It’s pretty common these days that when you aren’t running or working out, you’re sitting. Sitting in your car, at your desk, on your couch…hey, us, too sometimes. 

Let’s think about what that means.

Your hip flexors are muscles that connect your pelvis to your lumbar spine. They consist of the psoas and the iliacus, and they work together to flex the hip joint and move your leg up toward your body. Every forward step you take recruits the hip flexor muscles. When you spend the day sitting, these muscles are in a shortened position. Then when you stand upright, they lengthen. If the hip flexors are tight from being in a shortened position for too long, they can pull forward on the pelvis when you’re standing, adding to the tendency to tip your pelvis forward in an arched position. 

Enter your chronic low back pain and thus, your lower back pain when running.

So, let’s work on your hip mobility up by targeting the hip flexors. Instead of a static stretch where you just hold a position without moving, this is a dynamic mobility drill. Running requires movement through the hips, not a static position. So we’ll replicate that movement here with some rotation and reaching.

• Start by standing with a neutral pelvis as you practiced in the butt squeeze test
• From here just start finding some rotations side to side, twisting the upper body from the lower body.
• You should start feeling a light stretch through the front of the hips.
• Continue rotating the upper body, side to side. 
• From here go ahead and put your right leg back behind you, finding a shallow lunge position.

Here are a few ways to increase the demand:

• Extend the arms to increase the range of motion, emphasizing the twist towards the right leg.
• Try holding one arm higher and the other lower to move contralateral (opposite arm with opposite leg)
• Find an increasingly larger range of twist over your left side, trying to reach that right glute of the extended back leg, then that hamstring, then the knee, then the ankle…you get the idea.

Ultimately, you want to create a dynamic movement that counteracts the seated position we spend so much time in.

• Accumulate up to 30 twists per side, starting from a small range of motion and increasing from there.

Including these two exercises in your running training will definitely help in both rehabbing AND preventing lower back pain when running!

Here’s a bonus video featuring Coach Holly and her favorite way to release the hip flexor muscles using a lacrosse ball and a kettlebell. The video will start at this mobility drill, but you’ll learn a lot about your hips if you watch the full video!

For even more training, be sure to download our mobile app for interactive workouts, full training plans, and a lively community of fellow TRE runners.

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