When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
The calf muscles are essential for runners, they support your load and can boost both cadence and explosiveness.
Below is a breakdown of the three variations.
Its the muscle that helps you push through those fast strides.
He lifts the other leg slightly up and down, keeping his toes planted firmly on the ground.
He uses a pole for stability, making sure the focus stays on building strength in the calves.
In the first exercise, Pipe sits on a bench with a Smith machine bar just above his knees.
As he lifts and lowers his heels, this works the soleus muscle directly.
Holding dumbbells in each hand, he raises and lowers his toes and knee.
Bonus, there are no weights needed here, just pure calf action.
This helps with coordination, agility, and calf explosiveness.
Finally, he continues building on the latter with some jumps from one foot to the other.
The bottom line is, strong calves equal strong strides.
Make them a priority, and your legs will thank you on race day.
Pipe’s variations will definitely be entering my marathon training.
