Eccentric Calf Exercise- A Must for Runners!

When talking about running and exercises to improve performance or reduce risk of injury, more often than not it's the hamstrings and quads that are mentioned.

I tried this exercise using just one foot to raise and lower my body weight and found there was no way I was even strong enough to perform the recommended 2 sets of 8-10! So now I am practicing what you see on the video- using both feet to elevate, and one foot to lower my weight, focusing on the eccentric phase.

This is an excellent exercise for runners with achilles and calf problems, and I also believe it can help with heel pain and shin splints. You can take this exercise to a new level by holding dumbbells or using a calf raise machine at your local gym. Who knows, you may even run faster!

Check out the impressive results for achilles tendinitis!

At week 0, all patients had Achilles tendon pain not allowing running activity, and there was significantly lower eccentric and concentric calf muscle strength on the injured compared with the noninjured side. After the 12-week training period, all 15 patients were back at their preinjury levels with full running activity -Rehab for Chronic Achilles Tendinitis.