Background: I am 47. I finished my NLP about a year ago. I have been doing 5 3 1 with no assistance lifts since summer. That is I just do the four main lifts. I move up only very nominal amounts of weight each month (2 to 5 pounds per lift). I weigh around 200.
Two months ago, I was taking Hap Ki Do (similar to Tae Kwan Do) and I tore a calf muscle. On the day, I tore it was a light / recovery squat day. My teacher had us jump rope - not something I ever do. The tore actually occurred when we were playing a game chasing each other later (There are a lot of 12 to 16 year olds in class so this was quite normal). On a quick side to side change movement I felt the rip. I stopped going to class scared I'd injure myself again. I had been Hap Ki Do training for about 4 months. I may not have been getting optimal sleep in that time period, but I was definitely getting at least 7 to 1/2 and half hours a night.
I recovered within a week or two and I was back to 5 3 1 with no issues.
Today, I was taking another self defense class. We started the class with basic dynamic warmups - jumping jacks, high knees, front kicks etc. Then we did quarter and half effort sprints. On the three quarters sprint, I felt my other calf tear. Not as bad as the first injury, but bad enough. Yesterday was a heavy overhead press day and I slept pretty good last night. My calves felt a little tight after the jumping jacks.
What I am doing wrong to get these calf tears. I love martial arts and would love to continue, but unless I change something, it looks like a bad idea.
Do I need to be stretching more? I rarely stretch ever. What else could it be?
Agreed. Aside from avoiding jumping and then running, is there anything I could do so that when faced with jumping and then running I could avoid tears?