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Last Updated: December 18th, 2024 at 11:04 pm
A couple weeks ago I sent out an email showing everyone how to test their calf strength at home
So many people told me about their test results
Some passed
Some didn’t
One of those who didn’t pass had an interesting story to go along with it
The lady I was speaking with is training for a marathon. Let’s call her Jill
She did the calf strength test and struggled to get to 20 calf raises on each side (a failing score)
Jill had also been having significant lower leg pain which was limiting her marathon training
She couldn’t push the pace because of her lower leg pain
Stopping runs short because she couldn’t go any farther
Wondering if she was going to be able to complete the training and run the race
Once she failed the calf raise test, she discovered her weak link
She told me about how she started doing calf raises virtually all day
Getting comments from her colleagues like “Are you doing calf raises again?”
Sometimes double leg
Sometimes single leg
Sometimes up with both heels then down with one
Simply strengthening the calves
After some time, she noticed a significant decrease in her lower leg pain while running
Which resulted in her running farther AND faster with no pain
Now she’s back on track for her marathon training
All thanks to some calf raises
If you’re a runner and not regularly doing calf raises, you’re missing out
Calf raises can be done at all hours of the day and require little to no equipments at all
While standing in line at the grocery store, bust out some calf raises
While waiting for your coffee to brew, bust out some calf raises
While waiting for your running partner to show up, bust out some calf raises
Sprinkling calf raises throughout your day is a great place to start
Giving them specific focus in your exercise routine takes it to the next level
Adding weight makes them even more intense
No matter how you like your calf raises, the benefit is in the doing
Happy runnin
Michael