Felt a pop

InspectorRed

This morning I started my workout with squats, 3 sets of 12, then I did lunges, 3 sets of 12, then things went south....My next exercise was Step-ups with 35 lb kettleballs. That's actually a decrease in weight from what I normally do because I increased the height of the step. I was only about 4 steps in when I felt a pop in my calf. It felt like someone had thrown something and hit me in the leg with it. I've been doing some reading and I know that I strained my calf muscle. It just pisses me off! I've been doing step-ups at least once a week for 3 months now, I don't understand why all the sudden today I get hurt!!
Has anyone else dealt with this type of injury? How long did it take to recover enough to get back to your normal routine?

Cherimoose

You should get it checked by a doctor. Calf tear recovery time depends on the grade (severity). In the mean time, don't do anything that hurts it.

InspectorRed wrote: »

I've been doing step-ups at least once a week for 3 months now, I don't understand why all the sudden today I get hurt!!

You increased the height of the step, which makes the calves work harder. The best height for glute work is no higher than the length of your sneaker.

Azdak

Depends on whether it’s a strain or a tear. A strain might not be that serious. A tear will take more time. The tricky part of a tear is that it’s easy to reinjure if you start back too soon, even with overly aggressive stretching. If there is any bruising, then it is more likely a tear. Sometimes you can actually palpate the muscle and feel the fiber separation.

The first couple of times I suffered gastroc tears, it was a good 5-6 wks to recover but I did not stop when the injury occurred—I thought it was just a cramp and kept on going. Those experiences made me more aware—I have had a couple more, but those times I stopped immediately and was able to get back with mild activity in a week or so. You just need to be v-e-r-y cautious in your movements at first.

I would also recommend some caution before raising the height of the step on step ups. With weights, it’s best to not go higher than parallel with the thigh—in other words, the knee should be at or slightly below the hip. For most people, it’s better to go higher in weight that to go higher in step height. I use step heights of 10”-13” for virtually all of my clients (and myself). The only time we go higher is when doing a more ballistic movement with light or no weight.

InspectorRed

Cherimoose wrote: »

You should get it checked by a doctor. Calf tear recovery time depends on the grade (severity). In the mean time, don't do anything that hurts it.

InspectorRed wrote: »

I've been doing step-ups at least once a week for 3 months now, I don't understand why all the sudden today I get hurt!!

You increased the height of the step, which makes the calves work harder. The best height for glute work is no higher than the length of your sneaker.

Azdak wrote: »

Depends on whether it’s a strain or a tear. A strain might not be that serious. A tear will take more time. The tricky part of a tear is that it’s easy to reinjure if you start back too soon, even with overly aggressive stretching. If there is any bruising, then it is more likely a tear. Sometimes you can actually palpate the muscle and feel the fiber separation.

The first couple of times I suffered gastroc tears, it was a good 5-6 wks to recover but I did not stop when the injury occurred—I thought it was just a cramp and kept on going. Those experiences made me more aware—I have had a couple more, but those times I stopped immediately and was able to get back with mild activity in a week or so. You just need to be v-e-r-y cautious in your movements at first.

I would also recommend some caution before raising the height of the step on step ups. With weights, it’s best to not go higher than parallel with the thigh—in other words, the knee should be at or slightly below the hip. For most people, it’s better to go higher in weight that to go higher in step height. I use step heights of 10”-13” for virtually all of my clients (and myself). The only time we go higher is when doing a more ballistic movement with light or no weight.

Thank you, both, for your replies! I started step-ups in the first place because I'm quite clumsy and I was hoping they would help with that problem, that is also why I was increasing the step height. I was at 8" but using 45 lbx2 weights. So I added another riser this morning putting my height at 10" and lowered the weight to 35 lbx2 when "Pop". I have been able to stay off of it, for the most part, today and I've iced it and I'm taking ibuprofen. Hopefully it will heal quickly and I will be able to get back in the gym soon, even if I have to alter my routine for a while.

Azdak

InspectorRed wrote: »

Cherimoose wrote: »

You should get it checked by a doctor. Calf tear recovery time depends on the grade (severity). In the mean time, don't do anything that hurts it.

InspectorRed wrote: »

I've been doing step-ups at least once a week for 3 months now, I don't understand why all the sudden today I get hurt!!

You increased the height of the step, which makes the calves work harder. The best height for glute work is no higher than the length of your sneaker.

Azdak wrote: »

Depends on whether it’s a strain or a tear. A strain might not be that serious. A tear will take more time. The tricky part of a tear is that it’s easy to reinjure if you start back too soon, even with overly aggressive stretching. If there is any bruising, then it is more likely a tear. Sometimes you can actually palpate the muscle and feel the fiber separation.

The first couple of times I suffered gastroc tears, it was a good 5-6 wks to recover but I did not stop when the injury occurred—I thought it was just a cramp and kept on going. Those experiences made me more aware—I have had a couple more, but those times I stopped immediately and was able to get back with mild activity in a week or so. You just need to be v-e-r-y cautious in your movements at first.

I would also recommend some caution before raising the height of the step on step ups. With weights, it’s best to not go higher than parallel with the thigh—in other words, the knee should be at or slightly below the hip. For most people, it’s better to go higher in weight that to go higher in step height. I use step heights of 10”-13” for virtually all of my clients (and myself). The only time we go higher is when doing a more ballistic movement with light or no weight.

Thank you, both, for your replies! I started step-ups in the first place because I'm quite clumsy and I was hoping they would help with that problem, that is also why I was increasing the step height. I was at 8" but using 45 lbx2 weights. So I added another riser this morning putting my height at 10" and lowered the weight to 35 lbx2 when "Pop". I have been able to stay off of it, for the most part, today and I've iced it and I'm taking ibuprofen. Hopefully it will heal quickly and I will be able to get back in the gym soon, even if I have to alter my routine for a while.

You did the right progression. 10” is not too high and you did the right thing to lower the weight. Doing 45x2 means you were plenty strong. Sometimes stuff just happens.

lorrpb

Sorry about your injury, no new advice about that. I wanted to suggest that you consider core work and balance work to help address your perceived clumsiness. Get well soon.

festerw

Good luck, I strained mine the end of July stepping up into my truck bed. 2 months later it's finally starting to get noticeably better.