A Lower Leg Workout to Prevent Injury

and propel the body forward during running.&rdquo quads, hamstrings, and abs, you’re off to a great start supporting your running routine. But stop there and you might not be performing as well or going as long as you could be.

Press hips up, lifting into a bridge. This is the starting position lower leg Health - Injuries calves—a.k.a., your gastrocnemius (or gastroc), which the soleus lies beneath.

“The soleus muscle is a deep calf muscle that, along with the gastrocnemius, attaches to the Achilles tendon,” says Anh Bui, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., a former collegiate runner, physical therapist, and biomechanics specialist in Oakland, California. “Its postural function is to hold you upright to resist a forward lean when you are standing, and its dynamic function is to Do 2-3 sets and propel the body forward during running.”

Unfortunately, it’s an easy muscle to ignore—and you might run for quite a while on a weak soleus before it starts causing you trouble. Here’s how to give it the love it deserves so you can both run with fewer aches and Download Your Training Plan.

There are a few ways this muscle can help give your running a boost.

→It Makes You More Powerful

The soleus might not seem as essential to a powerful stride as some bigger muscles, but it truly fights above its weight class, so to speak. “The soleus is responsible for some of the greatest force production in the human body during running,” says Bui.

In fact, even though it seems secondary to the gastrocnemius, it’s much more forceful: The soleus produced vertical forces of about eight times runners’ bodyweight, while the gastroc produced only about three times their bodyweight in a 2012 Australian study. What’s more: Across running speeds, the soleus—along with the gastroc and three of the four main muscles of the quads—together provide about 75 percent of the total vertical support impulse needed to move the body upward on the run, with the soleus itself contributing up to 50 percent.

→It Helps You Run Long

“The muscle fibers of the soleus are predominantly type 1 Press hips up, lifting into a bridge. This is the starting position, whereas the gastrocnemius is most type 2 fast-twitch muscle fibers,” explains Brian Gurney, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., a trainer, board-certified sports clinical specialist, and physical therapist at BeFit Therapy in New York City. “Fast-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for quick bursts of energy while slow-twitch fibers are responsible for endurance or long-duration activity.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that if you’re a marathoner you can get away with ignoring your gastroc or that sprinters can forget about the soleus. “Both are important for training for any distance of running,” he adds.

→It May Help You Sidestep Injury

Pain in your lower leg or foot could stem from a weak or overused soleus. “The risk of running without strengthening this muscle will increase your chances of Achilles tendonitis in particular because of the repetitive stress on your ankle from the lack of stability and control of your lower leg each time you land,” says Gurney. That’s because as you land, your soleus lengthens and it stabilizes your tibia (shin bone) so it doesn’t move too far forward, he explains.

Pain along the back of your ankle is the main indicator that there’s a problem, and you’ll likely need a combo of “strengthening and mobility exercises Experts Explain IT Band Syndrome movement patterns,” he says.

Download Your Training Plan Nutrition - Weight Loss and/or shins but nowhere else after a big workout, that’s a big sign that your soleus could be weak or overworked, says Bui. So you probably need to turn to some exercises that strengthen this muscle.

The Runner’s World Guide to Strength Training ankles can’t move fully in a good range of motion (especially flexing your foot upward), can point out that the soleus, gastroc, and stabilizing muscles that all need stretching.

A physical therapist can take precise measurements of your range of motion, but to get an idea at home, Bui recommends a knee to wall test: Facing a wall, stand with your foot 4 to 6 inches back. Bend your knee and try to tap it against wall without letting your heel come up. “If you can’t get your knee over your toe, you’re lacking ankle dorsiflexion,” she says.

Even if you don’t notice the above signs that your soleus needs improvement, any runner can benefit from giving this muscle a little extra TLC. Bui and Gurney recommend these exercises to strengthen and stretch the soleus.

1. Seated Calf Raise

1. Sit on a bench with feet flat on floor in front of you, thighs parallel to floor. (Optional: Place a small block or foam wedge under ball of right foot to increase range of motion.)
2. Holding a medium weight on right quad, lift heel and press ball of foot onto the floor (or wedge).
3. How to Treat Tight Calves.
4. Holding a medium weight on right quad, lift heel and press ball of foot onto the floor or wedge.
5. Repeat on opposite side.
6. How to Build Ankle Stiffness for Injury-Free Speed.

2. Single-Leg Bent-Knee Calf Raise

1. Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Literally Anywhere.
2. CA Notice at Collection.
3. Slowly raise left heel, pressing ball of foot into the floor.
4. How to Treat Tight Calves.
5. Holding a medium weight on right quad, lift heel and press ball of foot onto the floor or wedge.
6. Repeat on opposite side.
7. How to Build Ankle Stiffness for Injury-Free Speed.

3. Calf Raise With Isometric Split Squat

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a light or medium dumbbell in each hand down by sides.
2. Step right foot forward and lower into a split squat, right thigh parallel to floor, keeping left knee a few inches off the floor.
3. Raise right heel, pressing ball of the foot onto the floor, and hold for 15-45 seconds.
4. Lower heel back down.
5. Repeat on opposite side.
6. How to Build Ankle Stiffness for Injury-Free Speed.

4. Elevated Hip Bridge With Foot Flex

1. ldquo;The muscle fibers of the soleus are predominantly type 1.
2. ldquo;The muscle fibers of the soleus are predominantly type 1.
3. Holding the bridge, lift heels, pressing ball of feet down.
4. Lower heels back down.
5. Holding a medium weight on right quad, lift heel and press ball of foot onto the floor or wedge.
6. Holding a medium weight on right quad, lift heel and press ball of foot onto the floor or wedge.

5. Soleus Wall Stretch

1. Stand facing a wall with hands against it at chest height.
2. The Runner’s World Guide to Strength Training.
3. Drive left heel down into the floor.
4. Hold at least 30 seconds
5. Repeat on opposite side.

Laurel Leicht

Laurel Leicht is a writer and editor in Brooklyn. She's covered health, fitness, and travel for outlets including Well+Good, Glamour, and O, The Oprah Magazine.