Calf Injury

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello,

I am a 41-year-old male, 215 pounds and land in the intermediate level with all my lifts.

I had a minor tear in both calf muscles about six years ago. I have made an effort to strengthen them with various isolation lifts as well as spending quite a bit of time on the treadmill at the maximum incline. I have noticed huge gains in strength and size. I have been seriously training for about 1 year and 8 months.

My issue is that no matter how much I warm up, I can not run more than about a half-mile before they cramp up so painfully that I though in the towel. I have tried pushing through the pain but it gets to the point that I am scared they will tear again.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

2

What part of your leg “cramps” up? This could just be lack of running base manifesting…

3

The mid-calf. it starts like a hot needle prick and then spreads to the entire muscle.

4

Sorry man, I’m not sure this is something we can diagnose/fix from here.

Is there some other form of conditioning that your calves can tolerate better, like a bike or a sled/prowler? That might be a stepping stone to get yourself back to running in the long run. Might just require patience.