I’m idly curious if big calves have any significance for running performance or injuries? Their size must be correlated with strength and can’t possibly not matter given how central they are for running. My calves have definitely become bigger since I started running, which seems consistent with the fact that I’m squarely a ball striker and used to get little lower body workout before running.
Greats like Kipchoge or Cheptegai seem to have such skinny calves, so maybe calf size doesn’t matter?
jacksquat wrote:
Greats like Kipchoge or Cheptegai seem to have such skinny calves, so maybe calf size doesn’t matter?
This was what I was going to point out. It doesn't seem to really matter. but if anything, I would think elite runners would tend toward smaller calf size than larger.
You need smaller calves for distance running as it is not a power issue but an energy usage issue. Smaller calves are lighter, given that the lower leg does most of the swinging motion
Smaller calves give a mechanical advantage but larger calves can protect against injury. This article from Runners Connect sights research studies that show that female runners with a large calf circumstance have a lower instance of stress fractures. For what it's worth, I have very large calves for my body size at 14.5 in. at 5'6.5" and 125 lbs and have never gotten a stress fracture, despite running on hard surfaces almost all the time.
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-guide-to-stress-fractures/have
a low instance of stress fractures.
Here's the link to the article.
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-guide-to-stress-fractures/
Thank you, hopefully the tibial/fibular SF risk findings apply to men as well. In case anyone else is interested in the study, the paper itself is not linked to in the RC article but is here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3533057/
I had a calcaneal SF some time back, so I wouldn’t have been a validating data point for a hypothetical study correlating calf circumference and reduced calcaneal SF risk.
I guess we could follow the performance of Emma Bstes for an observational stand point. Are her calves seemingly muscular because she trained in the hills of Idaho? Strong calves might be an advantage to keep pace going up hills. But maintaining a fast pace on flat courses doesn't seem to be an advantage. I haven't noticed anyone being fast and swift on a flat course with large calves.
I have huge calves, people always comment on them. How do I make them smaller? I even broke my leg and my calves didnt atrophy. HELPPPPPP. People always ask me if I’ve seen that geico commercial, its that bAd….
jazzytherunner wrote:
Smaller calves give a mechanical advantage but larger calves can protect against injury. This article from Runners Connect sights research studies that show that female runners with a large calf circumstance have a lower instance of stress fractures. For what it's worth, I have very large calves for my body size at 14.5 in. at 5'6.5" and 125 lbs and have never gotten a stress fracture, despite running on hard surfaces almost all the time.
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-guide-to-stress-fractures/havea low instance of stress fractures.
I can attest to this. My brother has much smaller calves than me along with a more typical runners' build. He's generally around 25 seconds faster than me over 5000m when he's healthy. However, he's been injured almost every season over the past 4 years, mostly due to stress fractures right when we're tapering for championship races. I've never been injured despite generally running higher mileage than him (although I'm still slower, rip). Although there are definitely other things besides our body types factoring into this, I like to credit my thick legs with protecting me from injury no matter how hard I train.
largecalvespleasehelp wrote:
People always ask me if I’ve seen that geico commercial, its that bAd….
Just checked out the Geico ad 😂but don’t have any useful advice for you.
jazzytherunner wrote:
Smaller calves give a mechanical advantage but larger calves can protect against injury. This article from Runners Connect sights research studies that show that female runners with a large calf circumstance have a lower instance of stress fractures. For what it's worth, I have very large calves for my body size at 14.5 in. at 5'6.5" and 125 lbs and have never gotten a stress fracture, despite running on hard surfaces almost all the time.
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-guide-to-stress-fractures/havea low instance of stress fractures.
Terrible article. What that research really means is that eating disorders cause both tiny calves and a propensity for stress fractures.
I have thick calves and a long history of plantar fasciitis. If I don't consistently do calf stretches the pf flares up.
Runners like strong butts not big calves!
holterskolter2 wrote:
jazzytherunner wrote:
…
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-guide-to-stress-fractures/havea low instance of stress fractures.
Terrible article. What that research really means is that eating disorders cause both tiny calves and a propensity for stress fractures.
1) Not so fast because of multivariate logistical regression as used in the paper if you read it carefully (emphasis mine): “ In multivariate logistic regression, compulsive exercise, amenorrhoea and LLLTM were significant independent predictors of SF history (p=0.006, 0.009 and 0.035, respectively).
2) Even if it meant they were both largely determined by ED, doing the most natural thing to beef up calves — eating well — reduces SF risk, so the correlation is useful to know even without causality, especially in males where amenorrhea is a moot indicator.
Big calves can be a sign of too tight of calves. As the one poster stated that it was a cause of plantar fasciitis. My oversized/tight calves caused a hammer toe issue later in life. I'd suspect part of my calf size was genetically determined, but I do/did have huge calves, ran on the balls of my feet, but kept relatively injury free. Certainly no stress fractures.
my calves are skinny
Epstein talks about this in The Sports Gene. From what I remember, the very best endurance runners have smaller calves. This is because the lower leg acts like a pendulum, and swinging more weight is inefficient at that level. I've been blessed/doomed with monster calves. I'm a competent age-grouper and stay usually injury free, but have gotten used to seeing skinny legs fly by me mid race.
There are fast runners with large calves — Snell, Decastella, Seko, Kawauchi, Centro Sr and Jr. among others.
More weight to move around...
Notice the Africans have stick legs?
I don't think that they matter much. I have average size, but I can jump higher than almost anybody and in same time I have great endurance.