How to Train Your Achilles In The Gym To Improve Your Marathon Time More Than Super Shoes

Estimated read time: 3.9 minutes

Hey! - Performance Nerds, Jonah here. 🤓

Let’s get serious for a moment…

I want to celebrate all of you who ran the Chicago Marathon this past weekend.

Meeting so many of you out there was incredible. You crushed it and made this nerdy community proud!

Whether you hit your goal or not, remember this: training for a marathon is hard. You did that.

Your finish time is just one small step on your marathon journey.

Thank you for your support, your cheers, and the kind words. Hearing how the videos and newsletters have helped your training truly means the world to me.

I can’t wait to keep supporting each of you on this journey.

Until we run together again!

-Jonah ❤️

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled nerd session.

Want to know the secret to getting the benefits of super shoes without wearing them?

You need a strong Soleus and a stiff Achilles. 🦵

Improving your Achilles stiffness can boost your running efficiency by 4%! If you’re a 3-hour marathoner, you’re now a 2:56…

Part 1 was all things Soleus.

Part 2 we’re talking Achilles:

• How a stiff Achilles separates elite marathoners

• How to increase your Achilles stiffness in the gym to run FAST marathons and protect against tendinitis

Enjoy this week’s guide, the nerdy question, and my favorite sciencey finds.

Why Your Achilles is Critical for Fast Marathons

Want to know the secret to running a 2 hour marathon?

It’s not about having a great sense of humor or a below average haircut. If that were the case, I’d be cashing that sponsorship check instead of writing this! 🤷

Real answer: might be the Achilles. 🤔

Research shows elite runners have stiffer Achilles tendons. 🧑‍🔬

Your Calf and Achilles act like a rubber band while you run. When your foot hits the ground, they stretch to absorb the impact.

These impact forces are stored as free energy in your Achilles - energy your body doesn’t need to create since it comes from the ground.

Then, your Achilles snaps back, using that stored energy to push you forward.

Absorbing free energy is crucial for efficient running. The more your Achilles handles these forces, the less work your calf muscles do.

You want to rely less on your muscles to absorb and create forces because your calf muscles consume a lot of energy.

This increased demand for energy hurts your running economy. Big no no for marathon performance. 👎

The more impact forces your Achilles can handle and use, the more efficient you will be.

A Stiff Achilles Makes you a Better Runner

A stiffer Achilles stretches less and snaps back faster, allowing it to handle more of the impact forces when you run.

This stiffness helps your calf muscles work efficiently during distance running, using less energy and improving your running economy.

Stiff Achilles 🦵 = Running Economy ⬆️ = Marathon Records 🏆

A Stiff Achilles Makes you a Healthier Runner

A stiffer Achilles tendon experiences less strain with each step. Research shows this helps prevent Achilles tendinitis, keeping you healthy and able to run more.

Stiff Achilles 🦵 = Healthy Achilles 🏥 = More Running 🏃‍♂️📈

How to Increase Achilles Stiffness and Function to Run Fast Marathons

Tendons become stiffer when you apply heavy loads for several seconds.

Distance running doesn’t provide heavy loads for long enough. Your foot typically stays on the ground for less than a second!

Best ways to improve your Achilles stiffness:

• Heavy weights moved slowly (70% or > of 1 Rep Max)

• Heavy Isometric training (80% effort or >)

  • I like isometrics since we can load them even heavier than regular lifts

• Front of your foot is elevated (dorsiflexed)

  • Allows your calf to produce more force, which places more stress on your Achilles

Progress from beginner to intermediate, and advanced exercises.

Practical Summary

• Your Achilles acts like a rubber band in running, storing free energy from the ground and using that energy to push you forward

  • The more force your Achilles absorbs the more efficiently your calf will function

• A stiffer Achilles tendon improves your running economy

  • Running economy is directly related to marathon performance

• The best way to train your Achilles is with very heavy loads applied for a few seconds

  • Heavy weights moved slowly (> 70% of 1 Rep Max)

  • Heavy Isometric training (> 80% effort)

  • Front of your foot is elevated (dorsiflexed)

#1 Running Shoe Mistake Runners Make

Did you miss my video about the #1 Running Shoe Mistake Runners Make? 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!

Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎

Yours in science,

Jonah

Please email me directly if you’re interested in references for this week!