Growing heels and knees carry a lot in a football week. This is their maintenance: the strength half of the routine (the daily prevention stretches are the other half — they pair). Three times a week, quality over speed everywhere.
Form notes worth their seconds: calf drops — rise on two feet, lower on one, three slow seconds down; the slow lowering is the entire exercise. wall sit — thighs toward parallel, back flat on the wall, hands off the legs. bridges — squeeze at the top, don’t bounce. short foot — scrunch the arch without curling toes; smaller than it feels like it should be.
One rule when something already hurts: pause the calf drops while a heel is sore — come back to them when it settles. The wall sit and the bridges are fine to keep; gentle holds are what a cranky knee tolerates best. This routine is maintenance, not treatment — pain that hangs around for more than a few days is a physio conversation, not a routine.
Know the early signals and respect them: heel pain during or after training, that first-steps-in-the-morning ache, the spot under the kneecap that hates stairs. One of those showing up is a conversation, not a push-through — easing off early costs a day; ignoring it costs weeks.
progression. when the wall sit is comfortably held: single-leg calf drops with fingertips on a wall, then a heavier school bag on the bridges. slow always beats loaded.
background: heel pain, explained calmly · knee pain, explained calmly