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Physiorun
The Classroom
Your Weekly Running Strength Class
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This Week’s Class
The Achilles Toolbox
Everything your Achilles needs to handle the demands of running — from the ground up.
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The Achilles is the most loaded tendon in the human body during running. Every stride puts force through it — absorbing impact, storing energy, releasing it again. It is remarkable engineering. But when it is not strong enough, or not conditioned for the load you are asking of it, it lets you know.
This class is about building a robust, resilient Achilles. Not just one that tolerates running — but one that thrives on it. We work through ankle proprioception and balance, targeted calf loading, tibialis posterior activation, reactive hopping and the full running drive pattern.
Whether you are managing Achilles tendinopathy, coming back from injury, or just trying to keep this crucial structure healthy — this is your toolbox.
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Warm Up
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Turn Arounds
Stand on one leg and rotate the body 180 degrees side to side. This challenges the ankle and foot to respond to rotational forces while maintaining a single-leg stance — waking up the proprioceptive system and the stabilising muscles of the lower leg. The rotation adds a real-world element that static balance work misses. The Achilles and ankle structures have to constantly micro-adjust as the body turns, which is exactly the kind of demand trail running, cambered roads and uneven ground create.
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Balance — Single Leg Stand, Eyes Closed
Close the eyes and remove vision from the equation. Instantly the ankle, foot and lower leg have to work harder to maintain position — relying entirely on the proprioceptive feedback from the foot and Achilles structures themselves. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to train the neuromuscular system that controls ankle stability during running. Notice if one side feels significantly shakier — that asymmetry is worth working on.
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Main Set
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Exercise 1 |
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Weighted Heel Elevated Walks
Walking with the heels raised and a weight held — keeping the calf engaged throughout the movement. The heel elevation increases the range through which the calf and Achilles have to work, while the walking pattern introduces the dynamic, single-leg loading that running demands. Adding weight progresses the tendon load in a controlled, manageable way. This is a fundamental Achilles conditioning exercise — deceptively hard when done properly and with enough load.
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Exercise 2 |
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Heel Elevated Banded Side Steps
Heels raised on an elevation, band looped around the ankles or knees, step sideways with control. This combines Achilles and calf loading through heel elevation with lateral hip strength from the band resistance — two of the most important training targets for runners with Achilles issues. The heel elevation means the calf is working hard throughout every step, while the band ensures the hips and glutes are driving the movement rather than the lower leg compensating.
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Exercise 3 |
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Ball Heel Raises — Tibialis Posterior
Heel raises performed with a small ball squeezed between the heels — activating the tibialis posterior as well as the calf complex. The tibialis posterior is a deep muscle on the inside of the lower leg that controls the arch and supports the ankle medially. It is often overlooked in Achilles rehab, but it plays a crucial role in how load is distributed through the foot and ankle during running. Adding the ball cue brings it into the exercise and builds more complete lower leg strength.
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Exercise 4 |
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Front Foot Elevated Hops
Hopping with the front of the foot elevated on a small step or wedge. This shifts more load onto the Achilles and calf by increasing the angle at the ankle on each landing — demanding more reactive stiffness and elastic energy return from the tendon. It bridges the gap between slow controlled loading and the fast, repetitive impact of running. Landing softly but quickly is the key coaching point — the Achilles thrives when it can store and release energy efficiently, and this drill trains exactly that.
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Exercise 5 |
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Runner’s Drive
A slow, controlled drive through the full running push-off pattern — starting from knee flexion, progressing through knee extension into a triple extension of the ankle, knee and hip. Performed slowly to maximise control and load through each phase. This exercise replicates the exact mechanics of the running drive phase, making it one of the most specific Achilles and calf conditioning drills you can do. The slow tempo removes momentum, forcing the muscles and tendon to do all the work — building the strength and coordination to produce a powerful, safe push-off on every stride.
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Ready to build a bullet-proof Achilles?
Watch This Week’s Class
Watch The Achilles Toolbox Class
Can’t click? Copy this link: https://youtu.be/_pXGk31Pgbs
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Weekly Blog
Your Achilles Is Not the Problem — Your Load Is
When a runner comes to me with Achilles pain, the first question I ask is not “what is wrong with your Achilles?” It is “what changed?”
Because in almost every case, the Achilles did not just spontaneously become painful. Something changed — more mileage, a new pair of shoes, a return from a break, a sudden increase in speed work or hills. The tendon was asked to handle more load than it was conditioned for, and it reacted.
That is important, because it means the solution is not rest and hope. It is building the tendon’s capacity to handle the load you want to put through it.
Tendons respond to load. They need progressive, consistent loading to adapt and grow stronger. Complete rest weakens them. But the wrong kind of loading — too much, too fast, too soon — irritates them. The sweet spot is controlled, progressive loading that challenges the tendon without exceeding its current capacity.
The exercises in this class are designed to do exactly that. They start with proprioception and balance to prepare the ankle system, build through targeted calf and Achilles loading under different conditions, and finish with the reactive and running-specific work that completes the progression.
Do this consistently alongside your running — not instead of it — and your Achilles will become a strength, not a weakness.
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Top Tip of the Week
Morning Stiffness Is Information, Not a Reason to Stop
One of the most common signs of Achilles tendinopathy is stiffness first thing in the morning — that tightness and discomfort in the back of the heel when you first stand up, which eases after a few minutes of walking.
Many runners interpret this as a sign they should rest. But morning stiffness alone — without worsening pain during or after running — is often a normal feature of a tendon that is adapting to load. The key signal to monitor is not the stiffness itself but whether it is getting better or worse over time.
The tip: rate your morning stiffness out of 10 each day and keep a simple log. If the numbers are gradually coming down over weeks of consistent loading work, you are on the right track. If they are going up, your load needs adjusting. The number does not lie — and it gives you something concrete to work with rather than guessing.
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This Class Is Ideal For Runners Who:
| Have Achilles tendinopathy |
Get morning heel stiffness |
| Are returning after Achilles injury |
Want to prevent Achilles problems |
| Are building mileage or speed work |
Want stronger, more resilient calves |
| Want better ankle stability |
Are training for a race on hills or trails |
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Add this to your weekly strength routine — ideally on a day between runs. The Achilles responds to consistent, progressive loading. Give it the work it needs and it will pay you back in miles.
James
Physiorun
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