Severs Week 4 - Calf Raises & Stride Outs

This week's activities

There are no changes to the daily routine for week four. And there are two new exercises to include in this weeks workouts; shallow squats and calf raises.

Severs quick links:

The daily routine is still to be done every day. It now contains:

Foam rolling, 10 rolls each position

The Crouching Three stretches, 30 seconds per position each leg

Glute activation routine, five reps each leg for each variation

Standing calf isometrics, just two sets of 45 seconds each leg

Bent leg calf isometrics, just two sets of 45 seconds each leg

Keep logging your pain levels before and after the days program

The workout. To be done three times per week, with at least 48 hours rest between each workout. It contains:

Glute bridges, three sets. See workbook for reps

Bodyweight squats, three sets. See workbook for reps

Standing calf raises, three sets. See workbook for reps

Stride Outs, three sets. See workbook for reps

*On days when you perform the workout, this can be done separately or combined with the daily routine.

It is also worth noting at this point that for some people their heels are not quite ready for calf raises by week four and you may find it increases the pain number. If this is the case for you we suggest repeating week three to give the heels more time to settle and muscles time to strengthen before trying the calf raises through motion again in seven days time.

Calf Raises & Stride Outs

Congratulations on making it to Week 4.

By this stage of the program, your heel pain should be consistently low and more predictable with less bad days and hopefully no more sharp moments of pain. Now is the perfect time to start some more challenging bodyweight movements to improve your strength and movement skill.

If your heel pain is still variable, or still higher than 4/10 consistently, refer to the knowledge base and consider repeating week 3 instead

Let’s get started.

Week 4 Instructions And Resources

Calf Raises

Strong calves aid athletes by absorbing forces and making running easier. As a bonus they will make you less susceptible to both severs and Osgood Schlatters.

When we jump and sprint, your calf and ankle is both the first the last part of the kinetic chain to push into the ground and propel you into the air or absorb energy when we land, so making them stronger is not only going to improve your load absorption but also make you more athletic.

If you want to run faster, jump higher or just be a better all-round athlete, calf raises are one of the simplest ways to get started, and the all you need is land and gravity!

Make sure when doing calf raises to not bounce at either the top or bottom or the rep and focus on pushing up as high as you can. Always focus on pushing through the big toe and ball of your foot. And start with a short range of motion on these, a slow, small calf raise with no pain is better than one that does cause pain.

The video below shows instructions for how to perform the calf raises.

Stride Outs

Correct running technique is a critical competency for many team sport athletes. Learning how to execute a smooth coordinated stride-out pattern is the first step to faster, more efficient sprinting.

Think of the stride-out as being like running in slow motion, giving you the time to consciously make the shapes and reach the positions your body needs as you move through the gait cycle.

Some key points to focus on:

Drive the heel high with the foot sprung into dorsiflexion.
Push off the ground with the calf and glute as you take each stride.
Swing your arms. The left elbow drives back as the left heel drives forward and vice versa
The heel should not touch the ground. The midfoot should be the main point of contact on both the landing and push off.

Watch the video for James’ demonstration on how to perform Stride-Outs