Coming back from chronic achilles

Members Area My Training Journal
1

Since 1998 I have had ongoing AT problems. I have had several MRI & ultra sounds over the years. My last ultrasound a few weeks showed only minor tendinopathy in both tendons. At the moment they feel good. I did show promise as a young athlete running consistent 11.0s and low 22s as at 16-17.

In the weight room I stay away from Max weights, I have very good PBs in the weight room however I tended to get neural fatigue with high intensity weights + track work.

I don’t squat or dead lift, I didn’t do these as a teenager and I ran very well. I found that I get too heavy with them. As a senior athlete my squats went from 120kg to 200kg yet it didn’t cross over to my sprinting. My standing long at its best has been 350cm at the moment it would be 320cm. I don’t train specifically for power or max strength, my workouts have shifted so what I do the track is the number one priority.

My training is structured so Monday to Friday is on grass; on Sat I do a 1x145m race. Our club fortunately has its own electric timing equipment.

Aug 12- 19

Mon- upper body circuit

Tues- Grass 100,150,100,100 7 minutes recov 12.0,18.2,12.0,11.6

Wed & Thu Upper body circuit + eccentric calf work

Friday - Grass 30m x4, 4.2,4.0,3.99,3.90/ 50x2 6.2,6.2

Sat : race 1x145 16.75 electric -2.2

Sunday- 50 tempo shuttle runs 50x5x3 ( didnt do rained all day)

August 20-26 plan

Mon 6x200 tempo + upper body circuit
Tues rest
Wed 100,150,150 @95%+ upper body circuit
Thurs 50 tempo shuttle runs 50x5x3
Fri- off
Sat- race 145
Sun- ? undecided

Your thoughts? would be appreciated :smiley:

2

The key to preventing AT is eccentric calf work (making sure the TibAnt is not inhibited) and allowing enough time for the calves to recovery between training sessions. Sounds to me like you will run fast if you simply keep on top of the calves.

3

Commonsense would suggest that you are doing the right exercises for your injury.

However I’d like to suggest, and this is very difficult to analyse without seeing you run, but problems in your lower back, glutes and hips (psoas) maybe preventing you from hitting nicely under your body, hence a little blocking when you stride forward. In my experience, and it does come through more visual analysis and practical applications toward the hamstrings, this does lead to less pulling of the leg through the ground and intensity on those muscle groups. Perhaps you might look at increasing the strength in the glute chain through squats and deads, also better treatment of these areas.

Anyway, if you are to overcome things, we should look for you in a decent pro race, just like the experiences of Mark and Duncan through Youngy.

All the best!

4

Reply Topcat:

Today is one day after I raced and I didn’t have any soreness. I do a lot of eccentic work, so at the moment it’s good. I just need to to be able to get this going so I can get enough training cycles behind me to improve.

Thanks for your Input

5

August 20-26 plan

Mon 6x200 tempo + upper body circuit
Raining again, I may have to do lower body circuit in the gym to mimic tempo & do some stadium stairs.

Tues rest
Wed 100,150,150 @95%+ upper body circuit
Thurs 50 tempo shuttle runs 50x5x3
Fri- off
Sat- race 145
Sun- ? undecided

6

Monday 20 Aug

The grass track was too wet for 200s:

5x130 hills +5x40m hills @75% with walk back recoveries.

3setsx10 single leg calf raise

7

Tues 21 Aug

-Upper body circuit
-1x50,1x150 hills ( started to rain heavily mid session called it off)
-3x10 single calf raises.

8

Aug 22nd

-4x10 single calf raises
3x30 A skips
12x30 accel mondo middle distance spikes
hurdle hops 5x3
-upper body circuit

9

Yes, replacing tempo with circuits is valuable and stairs can relieve pressure on the achilles if the stretch from hills is an issue for you.
Hills definitely are an advantage over the flat runs as long as they’re not too steep.

10

Aug 23

I spent the last week on hills and stairs. Considering I did accel work yesterday I have no soreness this morning.

Do you think it is a viable long term substitue?

11

Yes, I think it can be when mixed with competitions at the right intervals for individual recovery.

12

August 23

3x10 single leg calf raises

10x80 jogback warmup grass
2x200 30s, 100x2 12.5, 11.8, 1x200 23.4

legs started to feel a little tired , rest day tomorrow or something very light.

13

Monday 20 Aug

The grass track was too wet for 200s:

5x130 hills +5x40m hills @75% with walk back recoveries.

3setsx10 single leg calf raise

Tues 21 Aug

-Upper body circuit
-1x50,1x150 hills ( started to rain heavily mid session called it off)
-3x10 single calf raises.

Aug 22nd

-4x10 single calf raises
3x30 A skips
12x30 accel mondo middle distance spikes
hurdle hops 5x3
-upper body circuit


August 23

3x10 single leg calf raises

10x80 job back warmup grass
2x200 30s, 100x2 12.5, 11.8, 1x200 23.4
( need to break 23s next week) When i can break 22 on grass i know i will be ready. I got a lot of work to do.

Legs started to feel a little tired , rest day tomorrow or something very light.

14

24 Aug

Rest day:

Need to get therapy on future rest days. I am going to get acupuncture needles on trigger points on Monday. Maybe for the costs it would be better to get a full body massage.

15

Aug 25

single leg calf raises 2x10 BW+ 2x10 loaded 10kg

16

Aug 26

1x200 warm up 75%
10x60m hills walk back 75%

17

Mon 27 Aug

Accel 30x5,40x5, timed last three 40s 4.2-4.0
single leg calf raises 4x10

Last rep 4.0 was very easy. HR felt high today, might of been the heat or diet related.

-Upper body circuit

Calfs are getting tight: need to the get them released.

18

Have you considered periodising your calf strength training? How would a rest on the exercises go for recovery on them?

19

Yeah, I work a total volume of 40 reps roughly 4-5 days. This week I have increased the load so that I am doing single leg calf raises with a loaded back pack (10kg). I find having rest days between calf work can increase soreness 48hr post ex. This process is guided by feel. At the moment my achilles feels regenerated however calfs are a little tight, but that’s a trade off I can live with.

20

Tues 28 Aug

-upper body cicuit- bench 8x100kg very easy, feel very strong at the moment.

10x100 tempo jog recov
5x40 hills
5x50 shuttle sprints

-single leg calf raises 1x10 BW,2x10 loaded

Achilles is coming good, mindset is moving from breaking 11 to well under.