Powered by Trucks : Body Shocks

Almost two years ago I did something I thought would never happen to me in my life. I tore my Achilles. Luckily there was no loud pop or sharp pain. I just couldn’t walk. It was pretty scary. 

It was the catalyst to me delving deep into the research of the calf area and the importance of having great strength there. For me, someone stepped on my heel right as I was pushing off full speed and it was too much for the tendon to handle. 

This got me thinking. How much can the Achilles handle, and what is its important role? What I found was a slap-my-head kind of moment. When athletes try to improve their vertical jump and/or sprint speed, they think that increasing calf and Achilles strength will do the trick. The truth is that it won’t. Not alone. In order for strength to improve sprint speed or jump height your HIPS must increase in power. 

So where do the calves and Achilles come in? They must be rigid and strong enough to FULLY transfer that force to the ground without being weak and letting the energy leak out. So, strong hips with weak calves and Achilles will diminish your power transfer to the ground. 

It’s like trying to jump as high as you can with the first jump off the ground, as opposed to a first jump on a trampoline. The trampoline has give, whereas the ground has none. 

So next time you’re doing power training and you want to focus on your calves and the Achilles’ tendon area, keep in mind the purpose is to have enough strength to be rigid when you use those bigger leg muscles. 

Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.