Why Calf Raises Alone Aren’t Enough to Fix Achilles Pain (What Actually Gets You Back to Speed Work)

If calf raises were the complete solution to your Achilles pain, you wouldn’t keep getting stuck in the same cycle:

Rehab.

Feel better.

Try a speed or hill workout.

Regret your life the next morning with a next-day flare up.

Because heres' the kicker:

The problem isn’t that calf raises don’t work.

It's that they're only PART 1 of your tendon recovery.

Yes, you need strong calf and feet muscles.

You NEED slow, heavy, resistance training to create that physiological stimuli to remodel/heal your Achilles.

But if you've ever noticed that your recovery seems to plateau...

That you can't "get over the hump"

And that hills or speed ALWAYS tends to set you back...

It's because you're missing the second half.

PART 2 of rehabing niggly Achilles tendons is plyometrics.

And no, you don't need to leap tall buildings in a single bound kind of plyos.

As your friendly, neighborhood, running physical therapist, let me show you the easy-to-do, home-friendly plyometrics that will bridge the gap between your 101 calf raises and your full return to running speed workouts at 100%.

But before we jump into exercises, let's debunk some of the internet myths you've probably stumbled upon along the way...

Quick Wins to Calm Your Achilles (While You Keep Doing the Real Rehab Work)

The internet will try and tell you that these are "quick fixes". And it'll lead you to believe that if you do these, you Achilles niggles will magically vanish. As a practicing Doctor of Physical Therapy, let me assure you: these changes won’t “fix” your Achilles on their own.

But they can quickly reduce irritation so your tendon can actually tolerate the rehab work that does lead to long-term improvement.

So if you're looking for ways to immediately calm down a flared up Achilles, consider:

• running in a thicker sole, higher stacked shoe with a larger heel drop (maximalist shoes)

• using a 9-12 mm heel lift

• slowing your pace down (this decreases forces on your tendon and plantar flexors)

• Increasing your cadence by 5-10%

• avoid up hills and speed workouts

• OPTIONAL: try out a pair of rocker bottom shoes

The Key: These are all TEMPORARY changes, only meant to help you calm things down in the initial stages. The goal is always to get you back to your regular shoes, regular workouts, normal cadence, etc.

How Much Achilles Pain Is Okay During Rehab?

One of the biggest reasons runners feel they stall or plateau during Achilles rehab isn’t lack of effort.

It's fear of making things worse.

Can I really push it this far? Won't I make it flare up again? Can I really keep running?

The good news?

Your achilles tendons can tolerate some pain during rehab, and that pain does not mean damage is happening.

Here’s how I want you to think about it:

• 0–3/10 pain: Safe zone. This level of discomfort is completely okay, even if your injury is fresh. Nothing bad is happening, and you’re not “setting yourself back.” Think of this as your body saying, “Yep, I feel this, and I’m adapting.”

  
  

• 4–5/10 pain: Acceptable, but controlled. You need to know: you can work into a 4-5/10 pain range without negatively affecting your recovery! This is often where meaningful tendon change happens, especially when starting plyometrics and returning to more intense running workouts. It might feel a little spicy or annoying, but you should still feel in control.

  
  

• 6–10/10 pain: Nope, too much. There’s no added benefit here. This is the line runners worry about. And for good reason. Pushing into this range can flare up your tendon and even begin to delay your recovery. If you’re here, it’s time to scale things back.

  
  

When it comes to heavy, slow resistance work (like weighted calf raises), feeling 2–3/10 pain (or even slightly more) is normal and safe. That discomfort doesn’t mean your tendon is being damaged further; it often just means the tissue is being challenged enough to adapt.

As you move into plyometrics, it’s actually also okay if pain briefly reaches 4–5/10. This phase is meant to feel more demanding. But it should never feel uncontrolled or sharp.

But the most important rule:

If you wake up the next day and your Achilles pain is greater than normal, that’s your body telling you the load was too much. That’s your cue to dial things back. but not to panic.

So now that the ground work is laid, let's get you started on the missing Part 2 piece of Achilles rehab that will finally get you back to running hills and speed workouts without the back-of-your-mind worry that your niggle will come back for yet another round.

The Achilles Exercises You Need for Speedwork

2 Circuits: progress through this programming for each

Monday: 1 x 15 for each exercise

Wednesday: 2 x15 for each exercise

Friday: 3 x 15 for exercise (this becomes you're regular number of reps)

Circuit 1 (start here and use rep scheme as scheduled above)

• Single Leg Hop Up

• Single Leg Forward Hop

• Wall-Assisted Single Leg Sideways Hops

Circuit 2 (end here. these exercise can be continued for as long as desired)

• Single Leg Runner's Stance Hop Up

• Single Leg Runner's Stance Hop Forward

• No Assist Single Leg Sideways Hops

Why Plyometrics Matter: Your Achilles Needs Load

Circuit 1:

• Please. I need you to follow the plan.

• THE REASON: if you jump right away into Circuit 2, you are more likely to irritate and re-flare that healing achilles. No, your foot will not fall off. No, you won't set yourself back 2 months. But it's going to be cranky. And continueing to run will be harder.

• The method behind the madness is that your plantarflexors, the muscles in both your feet and your ankles are responsible for two main jobs: producing force for vertical oscillation of your center of mass and forward displacement of your center of mass. In english: They help you jump UP against gravity, required for every stride. AND they help propel yourself forward so you can take your next step.

• By starting with these more gentle exercises and progressing through 1-3 sets of 15 throughout the week, you give your tendons the required 24+ hour rest period they need to actually repair and get stronger. I know we want to do these every day at the start because "more is more, and therefore it must be better", but sometimes more is not best. And this case, too much can actually set back your recovery.

Circuit 2:

• Finally, the super, fun, running specific exercises!

• PRO TIP: these are hard for a reason. But after working through the other exercises for a week, while these may be hard, your body should be ready to handle these. These are a progressed, or a harder version, of the first circuit because they place you in a "deeper" position, meaning you have greater dorsiflexion occuring at your ankle (think a deeper bend at your ankle).

• When we introduce greater dorsiflexion, we ask our achilles tendon to stretch further, placing more strain on that tissue. THIS IS GOOD from a rehab perspective! We like strain on a tendon, especially adding the load of this plyometric. Because strain + load + correct number of reps = a stronger, injury-proofed Achilles that won't flare after hills or speed workouts

• I want you to pay close attention to how this movement feels like your running stride, but in a very 'tightly wound', almost sprinter-ish way. Yes, I realize you're probably not training for a 400m race, but these running-specific movements place you in the most "extreme" positions of running that your ankle and achilles may experience. When we strengthen them there in addition to challenging your single leg balance when you land, we prepare your achilles to be able to handle your hardest, more intense workouts.

  
  

WRAPPING UP

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s this:

your Achilles pain isn’t stubborn, broken, or destined to keep ruining your workouts.

Most runners don’t struggle because they didn’t do enough rehab.

They struggle because they never progressed past Part 1.

Strength gets you started, but plyometrics are what prepare your Achilles for the real demands of running hills, speed, and hard training days.

When you follow the right progression, respect pain thresholds, and load the tendon the way it was designed to be loaded, you stop guessing and you start trusting your body again.

No more wondering if the next workout will set you back.

No more living in fear of that familiar next-day flare.

If you want help putting all of this together into a clear, runner-specific plan you can follow with confidence, grab my Calf & Achilles Cure Toolkit.

Access the Toolkit Here!

I walk you through step-by-step how to calm down symptoms, eliminate stubborn Achilles niggles, how to finally relax unstretchably tight calves, rebuild total ankle strength, and get you back to running your most intense running workouts again without that back-of-your-mind worry that your Achilles is about to act up again.

Your next strong, pain-free stride starts there.

Dare to Train Differently,

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit