What To Do if You Strain Your Calf Muscle

Yesterday began my 25 week countdown to the Asheville Citizen-Times Half Marathon. I really wanted to run a particular time so I set my self a long training window. Day one was great with an easy couple of miles. Then I had my son's soccer game, of which I'm the coach. While warming up with the kids, I chased after a stray ball, got ahead of it, turned my foot so the ball would stop - and POP...pulled my calf muscle. The technical term is a "Calf Strain". This is where the muscle pulls away from the tendon, hence the "popping" sound.

The best way to treat this is to stop all activity - so my 25 week plan is going to be shorter - until the pain is gone and you can walk, run etc...with no pain. In the meantime, you should practice everyone's favorite acronym R.I.C.E. In case you've been living in a cave, or just have a horrible memory, R.I.C.E stands for:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

Rest is obvious. Don't try running, playing soccer, or any other sport. Try to stay off it as much as you can.

Ice is just that. I actually use an ice pack like you would put in a lunch box, but my favorite is a frozen bag of peas. Because the peas are so small, the frozen bag easily molds to the contour of your leg.

Compression - let's get back to this one in a moment - but basically you want to wrap it or wear a neoprene sleeve. Again, more about this is a minute.

Elevation means keep it raised up so the blood doesn't pool into your foot or lower leg.

O.K. - Compression. Knock on wood, but it's been a long time since I've had an injury. In fact, in all my years of running, I've not had a running injury. After all, this incident was warming up with the soccer team - not while training for my half.

Anyway, I went to get an ACE bandage and to my surprise, the old metal catch-claw is a thing of the past. Now, the ACE bandages are self adhesive. Just wrap and stick. WOW - that sounded so easy and it actually was very easy.  Start at the ankle and wind up the leg pulling it a little tight, but not too tight. No problem - piece of cake.

One teeny-tiny detail that the directions left off turned out to be a vital piece of information. Pre-wrap. You see, you only want to compress for a while, not around the clock. I went to remove the ACE bandage and it hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks! The self adhesive is great - except that it sticks not only to itself - but to the hairs on your leg. I suppose I should have known this, but since I've never had a running injury, nor has anyone I've trained had a running injury, I've not had reason to need to use an ACE bandage. The last time I had to use one for something my kid did, it still had the metal catch-claw that held the bandage on.  Had I used a thin layer of pre-wrap, the ACE bandage would have come off nice and easy, rather than sticking to my skin and leg hairs!

It's only been a day, and already I can put more pressure on it.  In fact, I moved a piece of furniture - so much for the "rest" part of R.I.C.E., eh?

I don't think I'll be out of commission too long.  Maybe just a couple of weeks...maybe just one as it seems to be healing fast.

Asheville Half Marathon Training

Well - as of today, there are 25 weeks until September's Citizen Times Half Marathon in Asheville, NC. I went out and helped to coach the Beginning Runners group this morning. Ran a touch over 2 miles with them. Then I went and coached my U-8 Soccer team. While warming up with the team, I sprinted, stopped and turned my foot to stop the ball and "popped" my calf muscle. Man, does it hurt! Been doing R.I.C.E all night. Tomorrow I'll probably wrap it with tape but I won't run again until I'm pain-free.

Anyway, if anyone wants to train for the half with me, I'll be starting a group in the next couple of months. I figure a good 12 week program will do the trick. I'm gearing up now (or was until today) because I'm trying to run a specific time...shooting for a 1:45:00 which is roughly an 8 minute mile the whole way.

If you're interested, let me know. 828-582-4373 or john@ashevillerunningcoach.com

Weight Loss Trainer in Asheville

Do you have a few extra pounds to lose? I'm a personal trainer in Asheville and I can help you. No fad diets, no dancing and jumping around with difficult dance moves or TV programs that are obviously not designed for beginners. What I offer is tried and true workouts that will help you build lean muscle, lose fat and improve your endurance.

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Sports Nutritionist in Asheville, NC

Well, I did it! Just a week after passing my Personal Trainer Exam with ACT, I passed my IFA Sports Nutritionist Exam (International Fitness Association). The test was pretty challenging, but most of it I already knew from being a runner all these years plus my Kinesiology coursework in college. The ACT exam was very heavy on nutrition also so it was great preperation. The IFA course study materials were great and very informative - I just happened to be pretty much up to speed. Got a 97%!

So - looking for Sports Nutritionist in the Asheville Area? I can help you create a plan that will help you improve your performance & achieve your goals.

Contact me today at 828-582-4373

Certified Personal Trainer in Asheville

Well, I did it! On Feb. 24th I passed my Exam and I'm now an ACT Certified Personal Trainer. The test was really challenging. Luckily, my college coursework in Kinesiology and my experience training as a runner since the '80's came in very handy. Not to brag - but one question on the practice exam was thrown out because I pointed out a flaw in the question. They agreed with my assessment and have removed the question.

So - looking for a certified Personal Trainer in the Asheville Area? I can come to your home, office or gym and offer you 1 on 1 or group sessions. I can help you to create an exercise plan that will help you achieve your goals.

Want to lose fat? Want to gain muscle? Need to break through to that new PR you've been chasing? I can help. Contact me today at 828-582-4373

Stretching vs. Warm Ups: Aren't They the Same?

I often get asked why I sometimes talk about "Stretching" and other times I talk about the benefits of "warming up". Even though they are two different things, many people think they are the same thing. They are not.

"Warming Up" is the first thing you should do before any workout. I doesn't have to be long, but you do want to raise your body temperature. A short brisk walk or easy jog will do just fine. You want to elevate your heart rate just a bit.

Once you've done this, you can get into "stretching". Many people jump right into stretching and are running the risk of injury by stretching cold muscles. By warming up first, you've raised your body's temperature and you can now stretch easier. I won't get into the different types of stretching, as there are so many sport specific stretches, but basically you want to hit the major muscle groups.

After your main workout, it's a good idea to "cool down". A cool down is an easy walk, or very light jog. You're trying to bring your heart rate down slow and easy. After this, do some more light stretching as well.

This will add some time to your workout, but by doing so, you should train injury-free for years to come. A little extra effort and time up front means less time on the bench (or the couch) recovering.

Happy Trails!

Iron Gym Xtreme review - Great for Runners!

Just Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and bought the Iron Gym Xtreme.  As you may know, I've been missing my runs due to Plantar Fasciitis.  I've been able to continue doing weight training though.  It's real simple to get a little gym at home, which I highly recommend since you won't always feel like driving to the gym.  It's amazing what you can do with a couple of dumbbells and some other affordable equipment.

My home gym consists of the following:

• 2 plastic coated 10 lbs dumbbells
• 2 traditional dumbbells with cast iron weights of 4 x 5 lbs and 4 x 2.5 lbs.
• Push Up Handles (for deeper push ups)
• Iron Gym Xtreme

The Iron Gym Xtreme is just $10 more than the original Iron Gym.  The Xtreme offers more hand grips so you can "attack" your muscles from different angles.  It takes about 20 minutes to assemble and the little tool to tighten the bolts comes included.  Make sure to read the directions and not just try to go by the picture!

The only hiccup I had, was that my house is an old house, so the trim around the doorways is wide/tall.  This really limited my options for where I could use the Xtreme since it "hooks" over the door trim.  The door to my hallway works but just barely. Width wise, you should not have any trouble.  It works great on doors from 24" - 32" wide.  If you have wider interior doors, it won't work.

You can find the Iron Gym ($29.99) and the Iron Gym Xtreme ($39.99) at Dick's Sporting Goods, although I'm sure other stores have them as well (except Wal-Mart...they only had a "Gold's Gym" version which didn't look that great/sturdy to me.

As you know, runners have notoriously weak upper bodies.  Even if you can't hit the gym, you can easily work out at home for under $100.