
Bad Advice for Runners Given in Sunday Times Magazine: My Thoughts
Bad Advice for Runners Given in Sunday Times Magazine: My Thoughts
This post will comment on an article I read recently in the Sunday Times Magazine, an ‘expert guide to avoiding niggling injuries while running’ written by Scarlett Wrench. The piece also features input from a Senior Physiotherapist, James Vickers, along with an Exercise Physiologist, Tom Cowan.

The article contains a mix of advice for runners, including footwear recommendations, strategic use of deload weeks and viewing training as a long-term endeavour. All of these are well established, useful, and easily actionable points that are backed by research.
However, I was surprised to read the recommendations for strength training as a method of preventing injuries given by James Vickers. To quote the article:
‘The most important muscle group to work on is the calves… you need a strong, fatigue resistant soleus for optimal injury prevention.’
James goes on to recommend:
‘When strengthening lower body muscles, go for lower weights but more repetitions.’
There are two issues with this. First is the emphasis on the calf muscles as ‘the most important’ muscle group to work on in the gym for runners. Secondly is the advice to strengthen the calf muscle with light weights and more repetitions. I will address each of these points in turn.
Advising runners to focus on the calves as the most important element of strength training for running is just not good advice, and it is also at odds with the science.

The systematic review paper, ‘Risk Factors and Protective Factors for Lower-Extremity Running Injuries’, found that inadequate muscle stabilisation was a key factor in running injuries. It also found that strengthening of the glutes – more than the calves – can help to stabilise the pelvis and prevent damage. Furthermore, the same study found that hip weakness contributes to the risk of injury, via the hip’s control over the lower extremities, like the ankle and foot.
What this means in practical terms is that exercises that help to strengthen the glutes and hips are going to be far more effective in reducing the risk of injury than focusing on the calves, and will have the desired effect downstream. This makes sense when we consider that it is the muscles of the hips and glutes which help to stabilise the body effectively. Having strong and durable calves will do nothing to help you prevent injury if you have weaknesses in the larger leg muscles.
That said, it’s important to note the calf muscle is implicated in fatigue-related injuries. If the foot becomes unable to effectively absorb force, the bones take on additional strain. This increases the risk of stress fractures as fatigue worsens. Tensing the calf as the heel strikes the floor helps the body to absorb force effectively, and this has a protective effect from injury. I believe this is what James is referring to with his advice.
However, I’d argue this is ‘majoring in the minors’ – you’re likely to see far greater benefit from increasing strength in the muscles that are responsible for stabilising the hips and knees – the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings – than focusing on the calves. Particularly when you consider the audience reading the Sunday Times Magazine are likely to be older, and not highly trained.

I do understand that the interview the quote was taken from might have had additional context to qualify it. However, the use of the phrase ‘most important muscle group to work on’ while neglecting to mention other critical muscle groups implicated in injury prevention is misleading.
Secondly, the idea that the calves need to be strengthened via lots of repetitions at a light weight is at odds with established norms for strength training. Strength building stimulus takes place at above 80% of the 1RM for low numbers of reps, e.g. less than 5.
The article mentions increasing fatigue-resistance (essentially endurance) using the low-weight-high-reps method. This makes sense when we think about how fatigue plays a role in injury risk, as durable calves can protect the leg from tensile stresses caused by heel striking. However, referring to this as ‘strengthening’ and not ‘building endurance’ is again misleading. These terms are not interchangeable and treating them as such creates confusion, particularly in gen pop and hobbyist runners who are looking for help.
Additionally, thanks to the SAID principle, the body will adapt to the stresses placed on it as you train. This means that purely by running and using the calf muscles, they will become more durable and effective at absorbing force. Therefore, adding a high number of additional reps and creating even more fatigue in the calves through your gym work is questionable. It is at best a highly ineffective way of getting the result you want, and at worst, counterproductive. It may even increase the risk of an overuse injury – which the previously mentioned systematic review says is responsible for around half of all sports injuries.
Good strength training should always focus on building a robust body that is able to handle the demands of the sport – not trying to replicate the sport in the weight room. Instead of focusing on a particular muscle as the key to injury prevention, look at the underlying body structures, movement patterns, and demands of the sport. This is the foundation of effective strength programming.

All of this is not to say that including some calf work is not useful in preventing running injuries – it absolutely is. The issue here is with the writer placing such emphasis on a small piece of the puzzle, without looking at the much wider picture. This is compounded by the poor advice given on how to build what this article refers to as ‘strength’.
So, what would some useful strength building exercises for runners look like? I’d include the following, and agree with the client what the split should look like:
- High bar back squat 5 x 5 @80% 1RM
- Glute bridges – 5 x 5 @ 80% 1RM
- Cossack squat – 3 x 8-12 reps each side
- Good morning – 3 x 8-12 reps
- Bulgarian split squat – 3 x 8-12 reps each side
- Weighted calf raises – 3 x 8-12 reps
- Core work – mountain climbers, V sits, Russian twists, plank, for time
These recommendations include some strength work to increase the ability to produce maximal force, and some hypertrophy work to build muscle size and strength across the whole lower body, not just the calf muscles. Exercises such as good mornings and Cossack squats will increase mobility, helping the athlete to develop strength through a wide range of motion. The core is also addressed as this plays a role in creating the stability needed to avoid injury.
A full programme would also include other important athletic and injury prevention modalities like power development and balance training. Balance training is mentioned in the article and is something I agree with. Studies have shown it can reduce the incidence of ankle injuries in sports players.
Overall, while the article does contain some important and solid advice to runners, the way it is written leaves out key details which are of critical importance. It seems likely that the article’s audience is likely made up of hobbyist runners who are advancing in age and not highly trained. Therefore, it is imperative to focus on advice that gives the greatest bang for their buck, and is simple, clear, and easy to follow. This is something that the article fails to do, because it zeroes in on calf endurance – which is a small piece of the pie – and outlines a way to increase muscular endurance in the calves while referring to this as ‘strength building’.
References:
Gijon-Nogueron, G, and Fernandez-Villarejo, M, (2015) ‘Risk Factors and Protective Factors for Lower-Extremity Running Injuries: A Systematic Review’ Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Vol. 105. No 6, pp 532-540, 2015. Available here.
Hubscher, M et al, (2010) ‘Neuromuscular Training for Sports Injury Prevention: A Systematic Review’, Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise. Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 413–421, 2010. Available here.