The Core Rehab Program
Do these consistently for 4-6 weeks. Skip the trendy ones — these are the ones with the strongest evidence for stress fracture.
1. Pool Running
How: Deep water with a flotation belt, run with full range of motion.
Dose: 30-60 min, 3-5x/week during shutdown
Why: Maintains aerobic fitness with zero bone load.
2. Heavy Strength Training
How: Squat, deadlift, calf raise variations at 70-85% 1RM.
Dose: 2x/week through and after healing
Why: Heavy loading is a stimulus for bone density — bones need stress, just not the wrong kind.
3. Single-Leg Calf Raises
How: Loaded calf raise on a step.
Dose: 3 sets of 8, 2x/week
Why: Lower-leg strength shares load with the tibia.
4. Hip and Glute Strength
How: Bridges, side planks, single-leg deadlifts.
Dose: 2-3x/week
Why: Reduces compensation patterns that overload distal bones.
Get more runner-specific guides like this.
Short, science-based emails for runners — every week.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
More on Stress Fracture
Related Injuries
Stridely catches injury risk before injury happens.
Daily monitoring of training load, sleep, and recovery — built for runners.
Start free in Stridely