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A Step-By-Step Guide For Training Your Soleus To Boost Your Marathon Time
Jonah Rosner
October 10, 2024
A Step-By-Step Guide For Training Your Soleus To Boost Your Marathon Time
Estimated read time: 3.3 minutes
Hey! - Performance Nerds, Jonah here. 🤓
Most runners don’t know which muscles to train to boost their marathon performance.
But, research shows increasing this muscle-tendon’s strength and stiffness can improve your marathon time more than super shoes. 👟🤯
We’re talking the Soleus Calf Muscle and your Achilles Tendon.
Get ready for this 2-part series.
Today, in part 1, we’re focusing on the Soleus:
Why the Soleus is critical for fast running
How to Train the Soleus to improve your running efficiency and crush your marathon 🏃♀️💨
Enjoy this week’s guide, the nerdy question, and my favorite sciencey finds.
Why You Need To Train Your Soleus to Run Fast Marathons
The Soleus produces over 50% of the forces that keep your body upright while you run a marathon.
You have 2 major calf muscles: your Soleus and your Gastrocnemius. They both attach to your Achilles to form the Calf-Achilles complex, which is key to marathon performance.
The Soleus muscle can produce forces up to 8 times your body weight in distance running.
I weigh 170 pounds. My Soleus can produce around 1,530 pounds of force every step. That’s about the weight of a full-size cow.
Your Soleus takes on major forces in running. You should get it strong.
You should train your Soleus in the gym to handle the demands of marathon running. A strong Soleus allows your Calf and Achilles to function optimally.
Data proves gym programs that strengthen your Soleus and Achilles improve your running economy. 🏃♀️📈
You Need a Strong Soleus For The 2nd Half Of Your Marathon
A strong and fatigue-resistant Soleus is important during the second half of your marathon. Your calf and Achilles get tired at the end of your race.
This fatigue causes you to rely more on your upper leg muscles, which makes you less efficient.
A strong and durable muscle tendon gets less tired in a race. Incorporate Soleus specific gym exercises to run fast throughout your marathon. 🦵
How to Train Your Soleus in the Gym
Best way to train your Soleus:
Heavy calf exercises
Knee is bent at 90 degrees
Front of your foot is elevated (dorsiflexed)
Example set up for Soleus Exercises
I recommend incorporating 2-3 of the below exercises 2x per week in the gym. Never the day before a fast track session or long run.
Progress from beginner to intermediate, advanced, power and horizontal exercises if you’re new to Soleus work.
Beginner Soleus Exercises
Beginner exercises focus on introducing Soleus strength and endurance. You need a strong Soleus that also doesn’t get tired in your race.
Medium-Heavy weight for 8-10 reps.
Exercise | Video | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) Double Leg Seated Calf Raise | 3-4 | 8-10 | Progress to 100% body weight (BW) lifted | |
2) Single Leg Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 8-10 / Leg | Progress to 60-80% |
Intermediate Soleus Exercises
Intermediate exercises focus on peak Soleus strength. Heavy weights for 6-8 reps.
Exercise | Video | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) Double Leg Seated Calf Iso Push | (can perform on smith machine too) | 3-4 | 4 reps of 4 second max pushes with 4 second rest in between | Heavy enough so you can’t move weight. Push 80-90% of max |
2) Single Leg Seated Calf Raise | 3-4 | 4-6 / Leg | Progress to 100-120% | |
3) Single Leg Seated Calf Iso Push | (can perform on smith machine too) | 3-4 | 4 reps of 4 second max pushes with 4 second rest in between / Leg | Heavy enough so you can’t move weight. Push 80-90% of max |
Advanced Soleus Exercises
Advanced exercises overload the Soleus’s max eccentric strength. Improving your calf’s maximum eccentric capacity is linked to improved running efficiency.
Supra maximal weights for 4-6 reps.
Exercise | Video | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) 2 Up-1 Down Seated Calf Machine | 3-4 | 4-6 / Leg | Raise on 2, lower with 1 leg. Progress to 250% BW | |
2) 2 Up-1 Down Seated Calf Smith | 3-4 | 4-6 / Leg | Raise on 2, lower with 1 leg. Progress to 250% BW |
Power Soleus Exercises
Your Soleus needs to be strong and powerful. In running, your foot is on the ground for a very short time.
You want your Soleus to be strong, but also able to produce strength in the small amount of time it’s on the ground.
Moderate-Heavy weights or isometric training for 4-6 reps or 4 second pushes. The goal is to move as fast or explosively as possible!
Exercise | Video | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) Seated Explosive Calf Raises | 3-4 | 4-6 | Weight is 60% of max. Push up as fast as possible, lower down slowly. | |
2) Power Calf Iso-Push | 3 | 4 reps of 4 second fast pushes with 4 second rest in between / Leg | Push as fast as possible into the bar! |
Horizontal Soleus Exercises
A mistake is to only train your calf muscles vertically! In running, your Soleus produces horizontal forces too.
Getting your Soleus strong horizontally transfers directly to distance running.
Exercise | Video | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) Calf specific sled push | 3-4 | 10 push-offs per leg | Progress to 200% BW on sled |
Practical Summary
Your Soleus produces the most force of any muscle in marathon running
Improving your Soleus strength in the gym can improve your running economy more than super shoes
The best way to train your Soleus is with calf exercises where you knee is bent at 90 degrees and the front of your foot is elevated
2-3 of the provided exercises 2x per week
Never right before or day before fast track or long run
Progress from beginner to advanced
My Top 3 Gels For Fast Marathon
Did you miss my video about my top 3 science-backed gels for fast marathons? You can find it below.
I won’t lie. These videos take me a while to make. If you find it helpful, share it on your story or with a friend. It helps me a ton!
Are You a True Running Nerd? Prove it.. 🧐
Welcome to the prove you’re a nerd section. Each week I ask a question about a common running science myth.
Answer correctly and you will be entered into a weekly raffle to win a package of Jonah’s favorite supplements from Raw Nutrition.
Last week, Nico from Austria won some free protein, creatine, and endurance drink mix. He’s about to run super fast. 🏃💨
Which of the following has been proven to reduce running injuries? |
Last Week’s Results
Oh this was a tougher one, but science and your big brains win again! 🧠
55% of you answered correctly that uphill running puts more stress on your Achilles. The change in biomechanics and increase stretch on your Achilles places more strain on the tendon!
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Downhill Running (85)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Flat Running (27)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Uphill Running (142)
Nerdy Finds of the Week 📚🧑🔬
This section includes my favorite research, podcasts or books about running / lifting science.
Research Paper: Physiological demands of running at 2-hour marathon race pace
Great paper from the Nike Breaking 2 group. Looks into the breaking 2 testing and what leads to elite marathon performance!
Podcast: Ep. 52- What is Full Spectrum Training? with John Davis
Dr. John Davis talks all things periodization and why you should include all running speeds, from slow to fast, in a good marathon prep.
Podcast: What Causes Exercise Induced Muscle Cramps?
Dr. Thomas Solomon on what actually causes cramps in runners!
Blog: Training the lower limb to improve performance and reduce injury risk
Sportsmith blog by Colin Griffin on training the foot and ankle. I love Colin’s work and the exercises here are very practical for endurance runners.
Newsletter: the morning shakeout | issue 448
Mario Fraioli’s newsletter on running has been one of my favorites over the years. I love this one where Mario talks about focusing on the big rocks of running.
Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎
Yours in science,
Jonah
P.S. - We have a crew of 3,500+ nerds here who are running FAST races using science.
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