The calf muscle consists of two muscles. The gastrocnemius is the most commonly known. It is often referred to as the gastroc. The other is the soleus, which lies beneath the gastroc. These muscles work together to allow you to stand upright and lift up onto your toes. The gastroc muscle crosses the knee, so is worked when the knee is straight, while the soleus gains benefits only from bent-knee exercise.
Flexibility Exercise
Stretching your calf muscle must involve straight and bent-knee stretches. The stair-step stretch can be done by standing on the edge of a step, with your heel over the edge. While keeping your knee straight, push your heel toward the floor to stretch the gastrocnemius. Bend your knee slightly to disengage the gastroc, and repeat. This stretches your soleus muscle.
Soleus Strengthening
The soleus is strengthened while your knees are bent. The seated calf raise can be done by sitting in a chair or on a specific calf-raise machine. Raising your heels off the floor, lift as high as you can onto your toes. Resistance can be applied by placing a weight on your knees or plates on the machine. Calf raises done with your knees flexed will also allow for soleus strengthening. These can be done while standing upright or lying on a leg press machine with your heels dropped off the edge of the foot plate.
Gastrocnemius Strengthening
Strengthening your gastroc is done while your leg is straight. Calf raises can be done while standing upright, with or without weight. You can do this exercise with both feet, or standing on one foot at a time. You may increase the range of strengthening by doing this exercise while standing on the edge of a step. Calf raises can be done with exercise machines. An upright calf raise machine allows you to push up onto your toes while resistance is provided at your shoulders. A leg press machine may be used by dropping your heels off the edge of the foot plate and raising onto your toes while your knees remain straight but not locked.
Tension Band Strengthening
Use tension bands to strengthen your calf muscles by maintaining the principles of straight and bent knee, for the different muscle groups. Sitting on the floor, wrap a band around your forefoot. Holding onto the ends, create a resistance to the motion of pointing your toe. There are a variety of tension band strengths, which will allow for changing the applied resistance.
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