Lower Leg Workouts to Keep Your Calves, Shins, and Achilles Healthy
It’s not just your quads and glutes that need strength on the run. Build your lower leg muscles with these targeted exercises.
If you’ve ever done a hilly run to wake up the next day with crazy sore calves, you know how important it is to have these muscles strong and robust for your running. The same goes for the muscles around the ankle, and those on the front of the lower leg a.k.a. the shin. That’s why doing a lower leg workout two to three times a week can be super beneficial to your running and help you power through your miles with speed and without aches.
The fact is, running can create muscle imbalances or accentuate ones you already have. Weak calves, for example, put too much stress on the Achilles and break down the fibers that make up the tendon. Unstable hip and core muscles hurt your biomechanics and overload your shins, which can lead to shin splints and stress fractures.
So in order to run well and stay healthy, it’s essential to incorporate some strategic strength training (especially lower leg workouts) into your regular run routine. If you’re generally healthy—but especially if you have had shin splints, calf, or Achilles issues in the past—these five calf exercises and the full video workout above will build the resilience and endurance you need to run well.
How to use this list: Perform the exercises below, demonstrated by Mat Forzaglia, certified trainer and founder of Forzag Fitness, twice a week. Do not perform these exercises if you are currently injured; they are preventative only. You will need a box or step and a set of weights. An exercise mat is optional.
Want a full workout that you can follow along? Join Danielle Hirt, a.k.a. Coach D, a certified run coach and trainer, for the lower leg workout in the video above. She takes you through a 15-minute routine that works to strengthen the lower legs, as well as improve ankle mobility and power.
Plyometric Lunge
Start standing then take a step forward with right foot and drop into a lunge, lowering left knee to floor, hovering just above it. Push through feet to explode up into a jump and switch legs in midair so you land in a lunge with left leg forward. Use arms for momentum. Repeat the lunge jump on left leg. That’s 1 rep. Repeat. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Straight-Leg Calf Raise
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand on the edge of a step. Shift weight to right foot and lift left foot or cross it behind right ankle. Balancing on the ball of right foot, lift right heel and pause; then lower. Repeat. Do 3 sets of 15 reps on each leg.
Bent-Knee Calf Raise
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand on the edge of a step. Shift weight to right foot and lift left foot or cross it behind right ankle. Balancing on the ball of right foot with right knee bent, lift right heel and pause; then lower. Repeat. Do 3 sets of 15 reps on each leg.
Eccentric Calf Raise
Stand on a step with heels hanging off the edge. Raise heels to come onto toes. Then very slowly (to a count of 10) drop heels below the level of the step. Place hands on hips for balance. Repeat. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Farmer’s Walk on Toes
Hold heavy dumbbells at sides. Rise up onto toes and walk forward for 60 seconds, keeping heels elevated. If you feel that you could’ve gone longer than 60 seconds, increase the weight. Do 3 sets.
15-Minute Lower Leg Workout
To work your entire lower leg with one 15-minute routine, follow along with Coach D’s workout above. You will perform the following exercises:
Set 1, 3 rounds
- Half-Kneeling Ankle Mobility, 5 sec per side, 3 reps per side
- Calf Raise With Mobility Ball, 15 reps
- Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift, 8 reps per side
Set 2, 2 rounds
- Creeper Walk, 20 steps total
- Lateral Walk, 10 steps in each direction
- Reach to Drop, 5 reps
Jordan Metzl is a sports medicine physician in New York City. He’s the author of three bestselling books and the creator of the Ironstrength Workout, a functional fitness program for runners.
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