One of the top contenders for any point of an injury is a tendon or ligament. Because the tissues or tendons and ligaments lack an abundant blood supply they are slower to heal than a muscle injury and tricky to treat. They are also commonly chronic injuries that once they creep up can nag you on and off for many years. For those that are regular and avid exercisers these can be distressing injuries as they can leave you side lined for quite some time. A common tendon to become inflamed and then limit your exercising ability is the Achilles tendon.

The Achilles tendon is located at the back of your lower leg just above the heel and below the calf. It attaches your heel to your calf muscle and a great way to avoid an Achilles injury is through some calf strengthening moves. By building up the muscles of your calf and by targeting these muscles at different angles you can reduce your chances of being plagued with Achilles pain. This is a short exercise routine that can be done three times a week; start by doing one set of ten for each exercise and then build your way up to two or three sets.

* Forward calf raise. Standing on a raised platform such as a stair you will rest the ball of your foot on the step and let your heel hand off the back of it. You will then begin by lowering yourself down until your heels are below your toes and you feel a stretch in your calf. Slowly raise yourself up onto your tip toes and then back down to the starting position. This will be one repetition.
* Inward calf raise. Just as before you will stand on the stair but this time you will point both of your feet inwards so your toes are angled towards each other. Continue to then lower and raise yourself on the stair.
* Outward calf raise. This time you will point your toes away from each other and your heels will be facing each other. Lower and raise yourself on the stair.

This will target your calves by three angles and by strengthening them this way you can better prepare them for any awkward movements, such as if you were running and slipped on a patch of ice, and then reduce the chances that this would result in an injury.