Are Your Calves Strong Enough for Running?
I can’t even count the number of runners I have treated with weak calves. This doesn’t only apply to beginners either. I have assessed marathon runners that were barely able to do 10 calf raises. Surprising, right?
When we think about strength training for runners, we often jump straight to our quads, hamstrings, and glutes. But what about your calves? These muscles are usually undertrained despite playing a critical role in running performance.
In fact, neglecting our calves can lead to injury and decreased running efficiency whether on the road or trail.
In this article, we’ll dive into why calf strength for runners is important, how you can assess your strength at home, and some calf strength exercises you can incorporate into your training.
Why Calf Strength Matters
Your calves are made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles ares the greatest contributors during the propulsion of running and are highly important for stability (Hamner et al., 2010).
Gastrocnemius: The larger, more superficial muscle with two heads (medial and lateral). It helps with plantar flexion (pointing the foot downward) and also assists in knee flexion (bending the knee).
Soleus: A deeper muscle beneath the gastrocnemius. It mainly helps with plantar flexion, since it doesn’t have an attachment at the knee.
Figure 1 - Calf Muscle Complex
Image by brgfx on Freepik
According to recent research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports, calves are the main contributors to both energy generation and absorption. They account for more than 60% of the energy during the stance phase, regardless of running speed (Willer et al., 2024). That’s a lot of responsibility for this small muscle group!
Both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles attach to the heel (calcaneus) through the Achilles tendon, the strongest and thickest tendon in the body.
The Achilles tendon has been shown to experience a load of 6-8 times body weight when running (Lee et al., 2019). Knowing this, it’s no surprise that this structure frequently gets injured in runners.
One of the consequences of overload to the tendon is Achilles tendinopathy. With this injury, we often find calf muscle weakness even though research isn’t clear yet if this is the cause or the consequence.
Find out more about Achilles tendinopathy in runners by reading this blog post.
Plus, working towards strengthening the calves will improve your running economy. This means you’ll use less energy to run at the same pace. A recent systematic review published in Sports Medicine found that strength training at high loads improves running economy for middle and long-distance runners (Llanos-Lagos et al., 2024).
Signs Your Calves Might Not Be Strong Enough
Now that we understand why calf strength is important for running, what are some signs that might indicate calf weakness?
1) Frequent calf tightness or cramping: If your calves are always feeling tight or cramping mid-run, it could be a sign they’re overworked and underprepared.
2) Recurring lower leg injuries: Persistent issues like shin splints, Achilles pain, or plantar fasciitis often point back to calf weakness.
3) Difficulty with hills or sprints: Struggling more than usual on inclines or speed work? Your calves might not be up for this type of high-demand running.
4) Poor balance: The calves are key players in stabilizing your ankle and foot. If you wobble during single-leg exercises, it might be time to strengthen those calves.
If you currently experience any of these, you might benefit from calf strength exercises.
How to Test Your Calf Strength
Let’s find out how you can assess your calf strength at home with minimal equipment.
First, what is strength? Simply put, it’s the ability of our muscles and tendons to produce a certain amount of force and be able to tolerate load.
Testing maximal strength is done by using your one-repetition maximum (1RM). This is the maximum amount of load you can lift for one repetition with proper form. This requires access to heavier loads and equipment, which is not necessarily accessible to everyone.
Another way to test strength is to use a hand-held dynamometer. This requires the help of an external evaluator. If you go to a physiotherapy clinic, this may be part of the assessment when testing strength for runners.
A third option that requires minimal equipment and is easy to perform, is to assess the tissue load capacity of a given muscle. Tissue load capacity is essentially the amount of stress or force a tissue can tolerate. This is a good relative indicator of maximal strength.
Read on to find out what the capacity test is for the calf complex.
1) Standing heel-rise test
This test will help determine the tissue capacity of the gastrocnemius (mostly) and the soleus.
How to do it:
Stand on the edge of a step or stair, ideally barefoot.
You can place your fingertips for balance assistance at shoulder height on a wall in front of you.
Perform a controlled rise and descent, pressing through the first and second toes at a steady pace of 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. Keep the knee straight at all times during the test.
Perform as many repetitions as you can in a full range of motion.
The test ends when you can no longer complete a full repetition.
The test also ends with compensations such as bending the knee, inclining the trunk, rolling onto the outer foot, not following the tempo, using the wall for support, or using forward momentum to help the movement.
Make note of your number for both legs. Once you work on strengthening your calves, you can come back and perform this test again in about 6 weeks to see how much you have improved.
Research provides established benchmarks for the average number of repetitions across different age groups (Hebert-Losier et al., 2017). Here is the data below that was found for healthy subjects:
20-29 years: Males: 37 reps, Females: 30 reps
30-39 years: Males: 32 reps, Females: 27 reps
40-49 years: Males: 28 reps, Females: 24 reps
50-59 years: Males: 23 reps, Females: 21 reps
60-69 years: Males: 19 reps, Females: 19 reps
70-79 years: Males: 14 reps, Females: 16 reps
80-89 years: Males: 10 reps, Females: 13 reps
When working with runners in the clinic, I usually like to see runners get at least 25-30 repetitions for their heel-rise test.
Even though this has to be a case-by-case assessment, I like to use the following ranges to give the runners an idea of their calf capacity level:
🏃🏽♀️<15 reps: Could use some work
🏃🏽♀️15-30 reps: Good
🏃🏽♀️>30: Excellent
2) Standing heel-rise test (bent knee)
This test will help determine the tissue capacity of the soleus which will be biased due to the bent knee position.
How to do it:
Stand on the edge of a step or stair, ideally barefoot.
You can place your fingertips for balance assistance at shoulder height on a wall in front of you.
Bend your knee at about a 60-degree angle.
Perform a controlled rise and descent, pressing through the first and second toes at a steady pace of 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. Keep the knee bent at all times during the test.
Perform as many repetitions as you can in a full range of motion.
The test ends when you can no longer complete a full repetition.
The test also ends with compensations such as changing the knee angle, inclining the trunk, rolling onto the outer foot, not following the tempo, using the wall for support, or using forward momentum to help the movement.
Make note of your number for both legs. Once you work on strengthening your calves, you can come back and perform this test again in about 6 weeks to see how much you have improved.
Unlike the original version, there are no available normative values for this one. However, we can use the same ranges as above to give us an idea of the soleus capacity:
🏃🏽♀️<15 reps: Could use some work
🏃🏽♀️15-30 reps: Good
🏃🏽♀️>30: Excellent
How Much Load Do You Need for Calf Strength Training?
Research tells us that strengthening can improve running performance. Strengthening was found to be most effective for this when using high loads (at least 80% of 1RM). This corresponds to about 8 repetitions per set (Llanos-Lagos et al., 2024).
Other guidelines, like the ones from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), recommend a range of 8-12 reps per set to build strength, especially for beginners (ACSM, 2009).
It’s worth noting that when we get to a range of 8-12 reps, this is also ideal for increasing muscle size (muscle hypertrophy).
To summarize and make things simple, below are the optimal number of reps per set depending on your goal (Schoenfeld et al., 2021):
1-5 reps per set: optimizes strength increases.
8-12 reps per set: you will also gain strength, but it will optimize muscle mass gain.
This means that you should pick a load that allows you to reach almost failure by the end of your set. This applies to calf strength training as well.
For home workouts and beginners, I usually suggest the 8-12 rep range as it’s easier to attain with home equipment and you will still get the strength benefits.
Tips for Overall Strengthening Parameters:
Choose a load equivalent to 8-12 repetitions maximum (RM)
Do between 1 and 3 sets for each exercise
Have a rest period of 2-3 minutes between each set (for the same muscle group)
Repetition speed:
-slow to moderate repetition speed for untrained individuals
-moderate speed for intermediate-level individuals
-variable speed for advanced individuals
Training frequency: 2-3 times per week (consider reducing to 1 when high running volumes and closer to a race)
If you want more detailed information on this, check out this article: Are You Doing Enough to Build Strength as a Runner?
Calf Strengthening Exercises
Although lifting heavy weights (high-load strength training) is an essential part of building strength, plyometrics was also found to be a key component. In fact, it was found that combining two or more types of strength training, can be even more effective for improving running economy (Llanos-Lagos et al., 2024).
Plyometrics, which we can also call "jump training," involves exercises that help your muscles stretch and then quickly contract to generate powerful movements. It’s about building explosive strength, agility, and speed.
A few examples of plyometric exercises include squat jumps and single-leg hops. For these, I usually recommend picking about 3 exercises and performing about 1-3 sets of 10 repetitions about 2 times per week before your heavy lifts when your legs are fresh or as standalone exercises. Leaving a 60-second rest between each exercise and 48 hours between workouts is also advised.
I made a video of different exercises to strengthen your calf which I posted to my Instagram account. Check it out here:
Here are the exercises that were included in this video:
Farmer’s Carries on Toes: Strengthens your calves, challenges your ankle stability, and builds core endurance.
Single-Leg Calf Raises (Straight & Bent Knee): Targets both the gastrocnemius (straight knee) and soleus (bent knee) muscles, which are essential for running efficiency.
Double & Single-Leg Hops: These plyometric movements will increase calf power for explosive push-offs, especially during sprints or hill runs. Preferably, these should be done at the beginning of your workout when your legs are fresh!
Final Thoughts on Calf Strength for Runners
Your calves are more than just supporting actors in your running story — they’re key players for performance and injury prevention.
So next time you’re hitting the gym or doing a home workout, don’t forget to give your calves the attention they deserve!
Got questions about calf strength for runners or running injuries? Feel free to reach out or leave a comment below — I’d love to hear from you!
References:
American College of Sports Medicine (2009). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 41(3), 687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
Hamner, S. R., Seth, A., & Delp, S. L. (2010). Muscle contributions to propulsion and support during running. Journal of biomechanics, 43(14), 2709–2716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.06.025
Hébert-Losier, K., Wessman, C., Alricsson, M., & Svantesson, U. (2017). Updated reliability and normative values for the standing heel-rise test in healthy adults. Physiotherapy, 103(4), 446–452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2017.03.002
Lee, K. K. W., Ling, S. K. K., & Yung, P. S. H. (2019). Controlled trial to compare the Achilles tendon load during running in flatfeet participants using a customized arch support orthoses vs an orthotic heel lift. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 20(1), 535. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2898-0
Llanos-Lagos, C., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Moran, J., & Sáez de Villarreal, E. (2024). Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 54(4), 895–932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01978-y
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D. W., & Plotkin, D. L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
Willer, J., Allen, S. J., Burden, R. J., & Folland, J. P. (2024). How Humans Run Faster: The Neuromechanical Contributions of Functional Muscle Groups to Running at Different Speeds. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 34(8), e14690. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14690
