top of page

Training from the ground up: calf muscle strengthening to improve mobility and athletic performance

Writer's picture: Dr. Priya SubramanianDr. Priya Subramanian

Believe it or not, your feet and calf muscles have a dramatic influence on your hips and pelvic floor. Think about it — as you walk, run, or lift weight without a stable base of support that can absorb impact and push off appropriately, your body will compensate by using other muscles. That can cause stress and injury to those muscles, and we move less efficiently. Many conditions we treat as physical therapists arise from underdeveloped calf muscles. We may not always feel pain or stiffness in our calves, but that is likely because we’ve been using other muscles to compensate for for weak calf muscles for a very long time.


Today, we’ll focus more on the importance of the back of the calf (the gastrocnemius and the soleus which serve as "plantar-flexors").


A 2017 study published by Herbert-Losier measured for plantar flexion strength in healthy adults by having them perform single-legged calf raises. The study found that MANY people are unable to complete even half of the reps they should be able to perform based on their age group. The recommend number of single-legged calf raises by age group are:

Age

Male Reps

Female Reps

20-29

37

30

30-39

32

27

40-49

28

24

50-59

23

21

60-69

19

19

70-79

14

16

80-89

10

13

How many single-legged calf raises can you do?


If we have underdeveloped plantar flexors (calf muscles) it can lead to:


  1. Increased injury risk— sprains, strains, and tears that can occur anywhere in the body; most often when performing activities that involves quick changes in direction, jumping, or repetitive motions like running

  2. Decreased athletic performance— inability to play sports or games to the best of your ability

  3. Foot and ankle problems— common problems like plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, shin splints, and other overuse injuries

  4. Postural changes

  5. Reduced stability

  6. Impaired mobility

  7. Pelvic floor dysfunction— this is common especially in people participating in walking and running for exercise! Overusing muscles in the hips or pelvic floor due to weak plantar flexors can greatly contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction


Likely, you may already practice doing double legged calf-raises from time to time, but this is really not a good enough measure of calf strength!


HOME TEST (try this!)


  1. Hold onto the countertop lightly for balance (do not lean on your hands) and stand on one foot. Slowly push up onto your toes, lifting your heel off the ground until you can’t go up higher (roughly 2 seconds), hold for 1 second, then slowly lower (roughly 1.5 second). Keep your knee straight and do not lean forward

  2. Notice the differences in rep numbers between your left and right foot— If there’s more than a 10% difference, this imbalance should be prioritized first!

  3. Notice if you’re able to slowly lower or if your foot drops down to the ground— this is a measure of eccentric strength (lengthening of the muscle) which is important in running, hiking, jumping, etc!

  4. Notice If you’re favoring one part of your foot to push off—are you  able to push off evenly across your foot or are you heavily loading the outside of your foot?


My favorite place to work on single legged calf raises is at the bottom of a step with my heel hanging off the step partially and my hands lightly touching the banister! If you find this to be too hard, try the same exercises in a swimming pool to reduce the impact and force on your joints and provide a less weighted environment to train your muscles!



A person standing on one foot with her heel hanging off the edge of the stair in the down position of a calf raise
Single Legged Calf Raise Starting Position

A person standing on one foot with her heel hanging off the edge of the stair in the up position of a calf raise
Single Legged Calf Raise Ending Position

With calf muscle strengthening, movement will become more efficient and the stress put on other muscles will decrease. You will reduce pain, improve mobility, improve your athletic performance, and reduce the risk of injury.


For more help, schedule a free discovery call to help us better assist you with your strength, balance, or chronic pain!

Comments


bottom of page