18/07/2025
How many calf raises should you be able to do?! 🦵
Calf strength and endurance is so important not just for being an active human, but especially as an athlete/runner. Up to 8x our body weight of force goes through our calf complex and our soleus muscle in particular is one of the major shock absorbers in the body.
A single leg heel raise test is a quick, easy test you can do.
Here are some averages for gender/age of single leg calf raises you should be able to complete before fatigue. (Herbert-Losier et al 2017). If you are running, this should be a minimum! :man-running:
- 20-29 year-old males should be able to achieve approximately 37, and females 30 single leg CR on each side.
- 30-39 year-old males 32, and females 27 on each side.
- 40-49 year-old males 28, and females 24 on each side.
⁉️Building calf strength is a key factor in injury prevention for athletes and runners. If you are not hitting this amount of calf raises for your age/gender, reach out so our physios can assist you with your rehab and injury prevention goals!
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