On another tri website, I read that weak ankles when running can indirectly lead to enlarged calf muscles. The idea was that, under bodyweight on impact, the ankle bends as it is not strong enough to take the force. As a consequence of this, the elasticity is lost and needs to be regenerated to maintain momentum, and this is provided by the calves, causing larger and stronger calf muscles.
Is this true?
And ankle-strengthening exercises (I have really big calves for my build and know I have weak ankles already):
I do one-leg stands, wobble boards exercises, hops … what else is good?
Interesting. I have no data to help you except an n=1.
I practically grew up on crutches 'cuz I sprained my ankles constantly … running track, playing B-ball, playing football. Now I’ve got these monster calves for my size. People are constantly commenting on them. I’ll show up at races and centuries and people will say they remember riding with me X years before or something because they remember my calves. Wierd.
I’ve always wondered how I could have such huge calves and such weak ankles. Maybe the one is due to the other.
I severely sprained my right ankle in college and never let it heal properly. At one point, I would sprain it just cutting the grass. It was an issue for at least ten years. My left ankle is fine and has never been sprained.
If your research was accurate, I would have one normal size calf and and one MONSTER calf.
Possible, although I’ve never seen any research on this (nor have any idea how this could be tested since what we call “weak” ankles is likely very different than the lay term).
The “calf” is mostly made up of the large gastrocnemius with soleus under that. However, the muscles on the “sides” (posterior tibial and peroneals) could hypertrophy I suppose with an unstable ankle in an effort to control ankle joint inversion/eversion.
I would wager it is more a function of genetics though (and or your chosen sport).
HH - no muscles there! Just tendons, ligaments, connective tissue that needs to be strong to prevent injury, especially if you are dealing with someone like me who has a limited running background but is very f*cking fit. The idea is that the weakness in the ankle means that it’s natural elasticity is minimised by flexing under bodyweight, requiring the calves muscles to pick up the slack.
Kevin in MD - couldn’t see nothing!?
Psyholist, Chewgl - glad to see I’m not alone!
Stringcheese - if only it were that simple. I sprained my left ankle yonks ago really badly, and no my left leg is stronger than my right??
Rroof - that’s an interesting idea. I think the lack of stability of the ankle may require the calves to flex to restabilise the foot and not to move either side. What I mean is the foot impacts the ground, it wobbles due to weak ankles, but the calves flex to balance it.
But the question remains what exercises can I do to strengthen my ankles (apart from those mentioned in my initial post)?
the exercises that helped me a lot,
walk (small steps) 30-50 meters each way, repeat several times, do every day for 3 weeks
walk on the inner side of the foot - holding the outside up off the ground (about a 45* angle)
walk on the outsid of the foot - holding the inside up
walk on the heel…
walk on the ball of the foot…
I’ve been finding that running barefoot on grass is strengthening my “ankles”, but really it’s the stabilizer muscles on all sides of the ankle boones, like the pereneals. This makes me sore, so I’m working up to the runs - and can’t do them everyday.
I also try to walk barefoot as much as possible on all kids of surfaces, and also wear Croc-like shoes, which require me to stabilze under the squishy foam. Wearing shoes all the time doesn’t allow your ankles/feet/lower legs to learn to stabilize themselves.
Now, I’m answering your question about the ankles, but I’m not sure whether strengthening the stabilizer muscles actually affect the “calves” as you want them (the soleus and gastroc, I’m assuming you are discussing). Unless he’s weighed in, go ask RRoof.
Your big calves are probably genetic, btw… and may not always be a reflection of weak ankles. But i haven’t done research about this.
"I severely sprained my right ankle in college and never let it heal properly. At one point, I would sprain it just cutting the grass. It was an issue for at least ten years. "
A recent boyfriend also severely sprained his ankle playing soccer on the team in college; only after a long time did he get proper treatment, but by then it was too late. It’s been an issue for him for about 20 years - it even affected him on an ultra trail race because he couldn’t stabilize with the terrain. I believe he stumbled, torqued out his knee on the stumble, and had to DNF He didn’t realize how much an old injury had affected his “new” (recent) body.
Barefoot - I must try that a little too, would socks only work as well (sounds stupid but it’s a fair question!)? I don’t have a back garden so could I run in socks or barefoot (if they let me) on a treadmill, even if only briefly? I know grass is better for impact and working the ankles more, but I do the best I can to get around this.
Walking barefoot is something I’m trying to do but it’s tricky when you’re stuck in work all day or training…
I’m sure I have naturally big calves anyway, but it is possible for muscles to compensate for other ones. In fact my lower body is a bit of a mess: my ITBs, hamstrings and adductors and back compensate for my glutes; my calves try to compensate for my quads when cycling, and for my ankle when running …
The opposite for me. My ankles have historically been weak, and my calves are quite small. In fact, my ankles themselves are very small so maybe this is why I’ve sprained them so often in the past.
Ironically what seemed to work for me was more and more trail running. I think it helped to strengthen the tendons and ligaments in my ankles. After years of ankle sprains, i’ve only had one bad sprain in the last 6 years.
He didn’t realize how much an old injury had affected his “new” (recent) body.