Your calf muscles are comprised primarily of two muscles, with the main muscle being the gastrocnemius muscle, which is the large muscle that becomes defined when you flex your calf. It isn't only the largest muscle in your calf, but also the one performing most of the function of the calf. The soleus muscle is the other primary calf muscle. It's located on the lower part of the calf between the gastrocnemius and the bone, and therefore is invisible.
How the Calf Works
The term gastrocnemius muscle is based in how the muscle assists in movements of two joints in the body, which would be your knee and ankle. When a muscle crosses over a joint, it becomes shorter any time it's flexed, and thus makes the joint bend. For example, the gastrocnemius muscle is attached to your Achilles tendon, which crosses over the back of your ankle. When the muscle is flexed, it causes your toes to go down and your heel to raise upward.
Standing on Your Soleus
The soleus muscle, while the smaller of the two calf muscles, isn't just the gastrocnemius muscle's assistant when it comes to movement. The soleus muscle is in a unique position; it's the muscle that allows humans to balance while standing upright. In other words, without the soleus muscle, we could stand, but for only short periods of time before having to lean forward onto all fours.
A Few Other Functions
Other movements the calf muscle are responsible for include flexing your knee into a bent position. This is mostly thanks to the gastrocnemius muscle, which crosses over the back of your knee joint. While the soleus holds up for long periods of time, it takes the help of the gastrocnemius muscle along with other muscles in the upper leg to achieve any balance at all.
Eccentric Functions
While there are few but important movements the calf is responsible for, it also assists other muscles in other parts of your leg in achieving their movements. For example, the tibialis is a muscle along your shin that is responsible for dorsiflexion, meaning the toes are raised up instead of down. When the tibialis flexes the toes to go up, the calf muscles must relax in order for this movement to be achieved. This is known as the eccentric function of the calf muscles.
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