How to treat tight calves for better running

Running puts your leg muscles through the wringer – and none more so than the calves.

The bulbous bulges on the backs of our shins are our defacto shock absorbers and they also provide the spring in every take-off. So when you’ve got tight calves, you feel it with every step.

But tight calves aren’t just a symptom of running – even if you’re racking up the miles and following a half marathon or marathon training plan. Strong calves are crucial for good running form and performance, so it’s important to keep them feeling fresh, mile after mile.

To learn how to keep these muscles healthy, we spoke with experts to find out what causes tight calves and how best to alleviate them.

The calf muscles – specifically the soleus, which is the lower part of your calf muscle – are the body’s powerhouse when it comes to running. Every time you take a step, the calves work hard to propel you forward.

‘The feeling of tight calves is pretty common among any sort of runner level – anywhere from beginner to ultramarathon standard,’ says Brad Whitley, Single-leg calf raise on decline board.

When a tight calf strikes, you might be tempted to stretch it out using dynamic stretching movements, a sports massage or even by grabbing your foam roller. But doing so isn’t necessarily going to solve the root of the issue.

‘Oftentimes, a tight calf is barking at you because it is weak and overworked,’ says Anh Bui, a physiotherapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and running coach. ‘The solution is not to constantly stretch it, but to strengthen it. That way, we can increase the tissue capacity to withstand high loads.’

The calf muscles also do more than just move the ankle joint – they also stabilise it. ‘When muscles fatigue or lose power, one of the ways that they compensate is to become (and stay) tight,’ explains John Vasudevan, associate professor and director of the Running and Endurance Sports Programme at Penn Medicine. ‘This shows us that protection of a joint is more important than power across it.’ Again, this is where strengthening your calves comes to the fore, as this helps them to resist fatigue and simultaneously perform their dual roles of power and stability.

If you have tight calves, Bui says that it’s important to listen to your body’s warning signs – running with tight calves can potentially cause discomfort and increase your risk of lower leg injury. ‘Runners who constantly overuse their calf muscles to aid in the push-off phase of running, instead of their glutes and hamstrings, will have a higher risk of shin splints, achilles tendinopathy and calf strains,’ she says.

What causes tight calves.

Lack of strength

A lack of strength is the number one reason for tight calves. ‘Most runners who experience tight calves haven’t built enough strength in their calves to meet the demands of running,’ explains Bui. ‘The calf muscles play a critical role in shock absorption when we land and also produce power during the push-off phase of running to propel you forward. When the muscle isn’t strong enough and we overload it with repetitive activity, it’s likely to feel tight.’

Overworked muscles

Skipping rest days or taking on a jam-packed race schedule? While your calves probably have the strength, it’s likely that they aren’t being given enough time to recover. ‘Under-recovered muscles can often cause that feeling of tightness,’ says Whitley, who also notes that, in his experience, this is typically the second most common cause of tight-feeling calves.

‘Added recovery time feels like doing nothing, but it is doing something,’ adds Vasudevan.

An anterior pelvic tilt

Your calves could be aching because they’re overcompensating – as is the case in runners with an anterior pelvic tilt. Rather than holding a neutral position, the pelvis is tipped forward, causing an arch in the lower spine, which, as Bui explains, inhibits the glute muscles How long does it take to walk a mile.

To determine whether your calf tightness is the result of an anterior pelvic tilt, Bui suggests observing your natural posture throughout the day. ‘Do you tend to stand with your lower back arched or hyperextended? Do you sit at your desk with your lower back arched? Your spine should ideally stay in a neutral position – not too rounded and not too arched,’ she says.

Limited range of motion in the feet and ankles

Runners with a limited range of motion in their feet and ankles may experience tight-feeling calves as a result. ‘Muscles attach to tendons, which then attach to bone’ explains Bui. ‘If a joint is stiff, restricted and can’t move with a full range of motion, the forces get translated to the tendons and muscles, which get worked harder than they should be.’

Dehydration, deficiencies and lack of sleep

Not taking in enough fluids or electrolytes and not getting enough sleep can all contribute to calf tightness, according to Whitley. Skimping on sleep can also trigger central nervous fatigue, which he says can ‘cause some tightness in the posterior chain’ – the posterior chain including, as you may have guessed, the calves.

Incorporate strength exercises

Since calf tightness is often caused by weak calves, strengthening these muscles can help to reduce stiffness by addressing the underlying issue. As Whitley puts it, ‘doing some strengthening exercises tends to be the lowest hanging fruit’ – unless your calf tightness is caused by overtraining.

Detailed below are some calf-strengthening exercises recommended by Whitley and Bui. As a bonus, the eccentric calf raise does double duty by strengthening and stretching the calves.

The goal is to progress through the moves in order, so don’t jump straight into plyometrics.

Bent knee calf raise with forward lean

1. Stand tall, facing a wall. Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, with your elbows straight and fingertips at eye level.
2. Lean forward from your ankles, keeping your head, neck and spine in a neutral position.
3. from firing and can cause the calf muscles to pick up the slack.
4. How to beat Achilles tendinopathy.
5. Lower back down.
6. Repeat. Do two sets of 15 reps, two or three times a week.

Eccentric calf raise

1. Stand with your heels off the edge of a step and come up onto the toes of both feet.
2. Lift your left foot off the step and stand on just your right foot. Slowly lower your right heel past the edge of the step for a count of five.
3. How to beat Achilles tendinopathy.
4. Here are the main reasons why you may be feeling discomfort in your calves on the run.

lack of strength progression

This progression involves five different exercises. Start with the first and aim for three to five sets of about 15 to 20 reps per side – or as many as you feel that you can do to really challenge your muscles. If you’re doing the exercises before a run, Whitley suggests doing just three sets per side.

Once you can do multiple sets of 15 to 20 reps without cramping or fatiguing, move onto the next exercise in the series.

lack of strength

• Stand on flat ground, lift up one leg and do a single-leg calf raise on the other leg by pressing up onto your toes.

lack of strength on decline board

• Perform the exercise described above on top of a decline board, where your heel drops slightly below your toes.

balm for tight calves

• Stand on one leg and hop up and down, landing and pushing off on just the toes.

Health & Injuries

• How long does it take to walk a mile.

Single-leg pogo hop continuous motion

• On one leg, pogo hop forward continuously, then pogo hop laterally continuously.

Check your ankle dorsiflexion

It’s worth doing the following quick wall test to determine whether you suffer from stiff ankles, since a limited range of motion in the ankles can contribute to tight calves.

1. Stand in a staggered stance with your left foot positioned a fist width’s distance from the wall. Place both hands on the wall for support.
2. Drive your left knee forward and try to tap the wall, holding for three seconds, while keeping your heel on the ground.
3. If you can’t pass this test now, keep performing it regularly as an exercise to improve your ankle dorsiflexion range of motion. Aim for 20 reps and do this before any run.

Practice pelvic tilts

Doing pelvic tilts regularly can help you to learn what a neutral pelvic position should feel like. As a result, this can reduce calf tightness caused by an anterior tilt.

1. Sit tall in a chair with your back slightly arched. This is the starting position.
2. Pull your belly button in toward your spine. Tilt your pelvis backward and flatten your spine as you do so.
3. Hold for a few moments, then return to the starting position, arching back.
4. Aim for 15 reps, two or three times a week. If you want to practice more often, Bui suggests doing this daily.

Roll out your calves

Regardless of what’s causing your tight calves, Bui says that spending a few minutes rolling out these muscles with a foam roller or lacrosse ball can help to alleviate the uncomfortable sensation. Aim for two minutes of foam rolling after every run.

That said, while lengthening your calves by foam rolling and stretching can create a short-term neurological effect to reduce that tightness, Whitley says that ‘it doesn’t necessarily attack the root cause’. That’s why you probably don’t want to rely on this as your only What is rate of perceived exertion RPE.

From here, lift up your left leg and bend that knee to 90 degrees Cureus. Here, it is suggested that instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilisation can help to reduce calf tightness and improve ankle range of motion.

Boost blood flow to the calves

If your calves are stiff because they’re under-recovered, focus on increasing blood flow to the area to help loosen those tight feelings. You could see see a masseuse or physiotherapist for a sports massage, self-massage the area with a foam roller, mobility stick or lacrosse ball, or get in an ice bath or take a cold plunge.

Be sure to take an honest look at your training volume, too, to understand why your body is under-recovered, says Whitley. For example, did you just stretching the calves How can I treat tight calves?

Identifying these overtraining errors can help you to avoid similar mistakes in future. On the topic of adequate recovery, make sure that you’re also staying on top of your hydration Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.

See a physiotherapist

Still got tight calves after two weeks? It might be time to call in the professionals. A physiotherapist will be able to get to the bottom of the tightness, offering relief via massage and a structured rehabilitation plan.