How to Treat Tight Calves for Better Running

As runners, we often deal with common injuries, soreness, and aches. One area we often feel it the most: the calf muscles.

When dealing with tight calves, running even a short distance can feel intolerable—that achy, stiff feeling can linger in the back of your lower leg with every step you take. Considering most of us take more than 1,000 steps per mile according to the American College of Sports Medicine, it’s no wonder these muscles can feel the effects of all that effort.

Every leg muscle counts when it comes to distance running, and the calves can help us run strong. So to keep them healthy, we spoke with experts about the importance of caring for your calves, the causes of tight calves, and the best ways to alleviate tight calves for good.

The calf muscles (specifically, the soleus, the lower part of your calf muscle) is the powerhouse of running, according to physical therapist Brad Whitley, D.P.T., physical therapist and cofounder of Bespoke Treatments in San Diego. Every time you take a step, the calves work hard to propel you forward.

“The feeling of tight calves is pretty common amongst any sort of runner level—anywhere from beginner to ultra distance,” Whitney says.

When tight calves strike, your natural response may be to bust out a series of calf stretches or reach for the nearest foam roller. But that’s not always the best remedy.

“Oftentimes, a tight calf is barking at you because it is weak and overworked,” according to physical therapist Anh Bui, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., certified strength and conditioning specialist, physical therapist, and certified run coach in Oakland, California. “The solution is not to constantly stretch it, but to strengthen it so we increase the tissue capacity to withstand high loads,” she explains.

The calf muscles also don’t just work to move the ankle joint but also to stabilize it. “When muscles fatigue or lose power, one of the ways they compensate is to become (and stay) tight,” explains John Vasudevan, M.D., associate professor and director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine. “This shows us that protection of a joint is more important than power across it.” To address both the power and stability, though, it’s about building adequate strength that helps your calves resist fatigue.

Running with tight calves can cause discomfort and increase the risk of lower leg injury, Bui explains. “Runners who constantly overuse their calf muscles, instead of glutes and hamstrings, to aid in the push-off phase of running will have higher risk of shin splints, achilles tendonitis, and calf strains,” says Bui.

1. Lack of Strength

Perhaps the most common cause of tight calves is a lack of strength in the calf muscles, specifically the gastroc and the soleus. “Most runners that 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 or 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.”

2. Overworked Muscles

Some runners have enough strength in their calves, but they don’t allow themselves enough downtime to recover in between workouts or races, which can leave the calves feeling stiff and achy. “Under-recovered muscles can often cause that feeling of tightness,” says Whitley, explaining 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,” Vasudevan adds.

3. An Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Often times, the area in which you feel aches isn’t the only problem, Vasudevan says.

Case in point: Runners who maintain an anterior pelvic tilt—meaning, their pelvis is tipped forward as they stride, rather than in the ideal neutral position, causing an arch in the low spine—inhibit their glute muscles from firing, which then causes the calves to overcompensate, explains Bui. The end result? You guessed it: Tight calves.

To determine if your calf tightness might be caused by an anterior pelvic tilt, observe your natural posture throughout the day, says Bui. “Do you tend to stand with your low back arched or hyperextended? Do you sit at your desk with your low back arched?” she asks. “Your spine should ideally stay in a neutral position, not too rounded and not too arched.”

4. Limited Range of Motion in the Feet and Ankles

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

5. Dehydration, Deficiencies, and Lack of Sleep

Not taking in enough fluids, lacking electrolytes and minerals that help with cramping or tightness (like sodium and magnesium), and then immediately go back to another 60-mile training week without giving your body a break sleep can all contribute to calf tightness, says Whitley.

Nutrition - Weight Loss fatigue, triggered by lack of sleep, can “cause some tightness in the posterior chain,” explains Whitley—which yep, includes the calves.

1. Incorporate Strength Exercises

Because calf tightness is caused by weak calves, strengthening these muscles can help alleviate stiffness by addressing the underlying issue. As Whitley puts it, unless your calf tightness is caused by overtraining, “doing some strengthening exercises tends to be the lowest hanging fruit.”

This Guys Gruesome Leg Cramp Looks Like Its About to Burst Out of His Skin eccentric calf raise does double duty by strengthening and stretching the calves.

The goal is to progress through the moves—in other words, don’t jump right into plyometrics.

➥ Bent Knee Calf Raise With Forward Lean

1. Stand tall, facing a wall. Place hands on the wall at shoulder height, elbows straight, fingertips at eye level.
2. Lean forward from ankles, keeping head, neck, and spine in a neutral position.
3. Perform the exercise described above on top of a decline board where heel drops slightly below toes.
4. Holding this position, raise up onto right toes
5. Lower back down.
6. Repeat. Do 2 sets of 15 reps, 2-3 times a week.

➥ Eccentric Calf Raise

1. Stand with heels off the edge of a step and come up onto toes of both feet.
2. Then, lift left foot off step and stand on just right foot. Slowly lower right heel past the edge of the step for a count of five.
3. Place left foot down to come up onto toes with both feet again
4. Races - Places.

➥ Single-Leg Calf Raise 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 is needed to really challenge your muscles). If you’re doing the exercises before a run, reduce the volume slightly, says Whitley, who 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.

• Single-Leg Calf Raise: Stand on flat ground, lift one leg up, and do a single-leg calf raise on the other leg by pressing up onto toes.
• Single-Leg Calf Raise on Decline Board: John Vasudevan, M.D.

• Single-Leg Pogo Jump: Stand on one leg and hop up and down, landing and pushing off on just the toes.
• Single-Leg Pogo Line Hop: Pogo hop on one leg forward and backward over a line, and then side to side over a line.
• Single-Leg Pogo Hop Continuous Motion: Pogo hop on one leg forward continuously, and pogo hop laterally continuously.

2. Check Your Ankle Dorsiflexion

Sports Medicine Director & Medical Advisor ankles can contribute to tight calves, do a quick test to determine if you suffer from stiff ankles. Specifically, test your ankle dorsiflexion How Cold Is Too Cold to Run Outside:

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

3. Practice Pelvic Tilts

and then immediately go back to another 60-mile training week without giving your body a break pelvic position should feel like and thus reduce calf tightness caused by an anterior tilt.

1. Sports Medicine Director & Medical Advisor.
2. Lower back down.
3. Hold for a few moments, then return to starting position, arching back.
4. Aim for 15 reps, 2-3 times a week, or even everyday if you want to practice more often, says Bui.

4. Roll Out Your Calves

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

Just keep in mind: Though lengthening your calves with foam rolling and stretches can create a short-term neurological effect to reduce that tightness, “it doesn’t necessarily attack the root cause,” says Whitley, which is why you probably don’t want to rely on this as your only Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.

Scraping and dry needling of the Best Leg Exercises to Fight Fatigue Cureus, which suggests instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization can help reduce calf tightness and improve ankle range of motion.

5. 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 feelings of tightness. This could include getting bodywork done by a masseuse or physical therapist; self-massaging with a foam roller, mobility stick, or lacrosse ball; or doing an ice bath Running in the Cold.

Be sure to also take an honest look at your training volume to understand why your body is under-recovered, says Whitley. For example, did you just run a marathon and then immediately go back to another 60-mile training week without giving your body a break?

As runners, we often deal with mistakes in the future. On the topic of adequate recovery, make sure you’re also staying on top of your hydration How to Take Care of Your Calves.

6. See a Physical Therapist

If your tight calves don’t go away within two weeks, despite your best efforts to solve the issue yourself, consider seeing a physical therapist, says Whitley. Chances are, they can help diagnose and fix your tight calves more efficiently than you can on your own.

Jenny McCoy

Contributing Writer

Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based health and fitness journalist. She’s been freelancing for Runner’s World since 2015 and especially loves to write human interest profiles, in-depth service pieces and stories that explore the intersection of exercise and mental health. Her work has also been published by SELF, Men’s Journal, and Condé Nast Traveler, among other outlets. When she’s not running or writing, Jenny enjoys coaching youth swimming, rereading Harry Potter, Lean forward from ankles, keeping head, neck, and spine in a neutral position. 

Medically reviewed byDAA Industry Opt Out.

Surprise: Stretching might not be right for you

DAA Industry Opt Out. is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. He is a Team Physician for UPenn Athletics and  medical director of the Broad Street Run and Philadelphia Distance Run, and previously for the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon and Tri-Rock Triathlon in Philadelphia. He is a director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine.  Dr. Vasudevan provides non-operative management of musculoskeletal conditions affecting athletes and active individuals of all levels, and combines injury rehabilitation with injury prevention. He utilizes a variety of ultrasound-guided procedures and regenerative approaches such as platelet-rich plasma and percutaneous ultrasonic tenotomy. He sees patients at the Penn Medicine and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration hospital. Dr. Vasudevan attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. After his Transitional Year in Tucson, Arizona, he went to residency in PM&R at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and onwards to Stanford University for his fellowship in Sports Medicine. He has been in practice at the University of Pennsylvania since 2012.