Hi Friend,
Happy Thursday to you! I'm writing our 2nd Quarter of Exercise Programming and I'm working on progressions, when I stopped and thought it might be fun to share our calf training progressions.
Calf Training
Calf training gets dismissed in the strength & conditioning world because it's an isolated exercise, similar to arm training like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, forearm and neck exercises. Why spend time on calves when you can spend more time jumping & sprinting. Why spend more time on arms when you can spend time lifting, pulling & pressing heavy things. Makes sense doesn't it?
When I was a student / intern / volunteer / employee learning and following other people's programs, I followed their plans to a "T". I remember having Tom "Flash" Gordon, walk out of my warm up routine with the Red Sox because it took too long. When my mentor, Chris Correnti asked me about the routine I was teaching and why it took so long, I said, it was the exact program you taught me in spring training. I taught the same routine, every day for 6-months and only varied on the 5 minutes of abs we did at the end of the warm up. Chris couldn't believe I didn't vary the routine or shorten it. "You didn't tell me too!", was my response. In fact, when it came to packing for road trips you told me to, "never forget anything". I did what I was taught unless I was told to use my best judgement.
When I started being responsible for my own programming and had my own clients, I added arm training and calf training where appropriate with myself and my clients. A balance of go muscles and show muscles.
When I started Change Your Body Boot Camps, I took out isolation exercises because they weren't as transformational as big movement, full body, compound joint exercises.
Along the way, over the 15 years of CYBBC, there have been a couple or a few members that have had calf strains. I chalked it up to as unlucky because we are so thorough with our warm ups and training (I'm an Athletic Trainer first and a Strength & Conditioning Coach 2nd). Then I strained my calf training for the Paddy O, Shillelagh Shuffle and then again doing short sprints.
Physical Therapy
When it comes to the body, I'm a super responder. If something's not right, I address it. If I can't address I go to someone who can. First I tried rehabbing myself, getting massages and seeing my manual therapist. It all helped, but it was too slow. Then I added physical therapy and that's where I was reintroduced to calf training and not only did all of the everything I was doing help, but the calf training also helped me to run faster, move faster on a basketball court and jump higher. Just from adding the direct training of my calves, both bent-knee and straight leg.
Big Change in Change Your Body Boot Camps
I immediately changed the programming in CYBBC to add straight leg and then bent-leg calf training. If what we were doing already, wasn't enough to reduce calf strain injury risk, then we're definitely putting it into the program because I do the same program my clients do. And if I felt instantly faster after having added it to my rehab, then my clients, will feel like they're faster too, which was the case. Members either felt faster in their walking gate if they didn't run and/or both their walking, running and sports performance gaits and speed.
Calf Training Progressions
Here are our calf training progressions. The progressions are linear, though the time each person spends on a level, will vary by the person and by the day. Some people will have more of a baseline of lower leg strength than others, so they might progress faster. Some days a person may be under recovered and have to regress their calf training, which is normal.
Also. Everyone reserves the right to Leap Frog and skip ahead if they think they can do it, even if for only 1 workout, 1 set and/or few reps. If you think you can, give it a shot.
