Coverage: September 26–October 2, 2026, using online-first publication dates. This week produced useful clinical confirmation rather than practice-changing evidence. The calf-injury review is the best clinical read. The ACL study provides another strong warning against calendar-based clearance, while the nutrition trial is intriguing but commercially conflicted and much less definitive than its headline suggests. 1. Calf Injuries: An Anatomy-Based Approach to Diagnosis, Management and Return to Sport Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, September 26, 2026 Type: Clinical and anatomical narrative review Article and DOI Methods and findings: The authors synthesize recent imaging, anatomical, rehabilitation, and return-to-sport literature concerning gastrocnemius, soleus, and associated myoconnective injuries. Ultrasound and MRI can distinguish more specific injury patterns than the traditional label “calf strain,” including which muscle, aponeurosis, fascial interface, or tendon-adjacent structure is involved. However, evidence connecting these anatomical distinctions with prognosis remains predominantly observational. No validated calf-specific rehabilitation or return-to-sport battery currently exists. Evidence strength: Moderate for the anatomical and diagnostic framework; low for prognosis and treatment selection. This is an expert synthesis rather than a systematic review, and the proposed rehabilitation continuum has not been prospectively validated. Practical implications: Imaging can help define the injured structure and identify complications, but it should inform rather than dictate loading or prognosis. Rehabilitation still needs to progressively restore: - Isometric and isotonic plantar-flexor capacity - Soleus and gastrocnemius function across relevant knee positions - Elastic and reactive capacity - Running volume, speed, acceleration, and fatigue tolerance - Sport-specific high-force and high-rate loading

It's not yet Friday, so the work week isn't quite over, but Coach has been taking a beating this week. Let's see some client and community wins to rebuild some momentum heading into the weekend!

Most of my life I’ve hung out in the gym, staying healthy and having good fun. However, it’s getting harder to keep and build muscle, so I’m here for the challenge to build muscle on a WFPB (whole food plant based) diet. Looking for your reviews and recommendations for plant based protein powders, if you’ve tried any.

Hi Team! I'm currently in a good run with my training and on the hunt for some lifetime lifting PRs this off season. Of course we're all different in terms of our goals, but I'm curious to know...what are y'all chasing down right now? What makes you excited to get in the gym? What numbers do you hope to hit this week, this month, or even within the next year? I'd love to know!

I just started lifting weights a few years ago, not knowing what I was doing (at all). But I loved it. Some old injuries kept getting in the way of my training, and my lack of knowledge didn't help either. I was afraid of pain and what it might mean for my body. Fast forward to now, and things look a lot different. I've worked virtually with a DPT strength coach for almost 12 months, increased mobility all around, become much stronger, and significantly reduced pain and other injury symptoms I've had for years (some for almost 20 years). I feel like I opened the door to fitness. I can't imagine life without weightlifting anymore. I have struggled with losing and regaining weight my entire life. The bodybuilder physique has always appealed to me, but always felt so far out of reach. Now that I've become so much more comfortable in the gym, I feel like with enough knowledge on training and diet, I could work towards that type of physique, while continuing to manage my injuries. I don't have any dreams of being in a competition. I just want to be healthier, fitter, stronger, and proud of how I look.