Tips To Exercise The Calves

Your calf muscles are located in the back of your lower leg between your knees and your heels. The main muscle, the gastrocnemius, is located just below your knee. The soleus is located just below the gastrocnemius, and the peroneus is located on the sides of your calf. Compared to other muscles, genetics plays a greater role in calf size and development. Calf training will strengthen muscle mass and increase muscle fiber size. Larger calf muscles will help balance overall leg symmetry.

Standing Barbell Calf Raises

Calf exercises in a standing position target your gastrocnemius muscles. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width distance apart, holding a barbell or set of dumbbells on your shoulders. Contract your abdomen to avoid arching your back and keep your head facing forward. Begin the exercise by pushing down on the balls of your feet and lifting your heels up as high as possible. Hold, and then slowly lower your body back to the starting position. Complete three to four sets of up to 15 repetitions. Training tip: To fully stretch your calves, lift your toes after you bring your heels back down.

Calf Presses

Calf presses, or calf extensions, are performed on a leg press machine. Sit on the machine with your legs fully extended with your feet shoulder-width distance apart. Place the balls of your feet on the platform with your heels hanging off the bottom of the platform. Begin the exercise by pushing the platform with the balls of your feet. Hold, and then bring the platform past the starting position to fully stretch your calves. Training tip: Work slowly with control and avoid quick, bouncy movements. Complete three to four sets of up to 15 repetitions.

Seated Calf Machine

This exercise, which is performed in a seated position, targets your soleus muscles. Sit on a seated calf raise machine with your lower thighs under the top pad and the balls of your feet on the lower platform with your heels behind the platform. Begin the exercise by pushing down on the balls of your feet, lifting your heels as high as possible. Hold, and then slowly lower to past the starting position, bringing your heels lower than the platform to fully stretch your calves. Complete three to four sets of up to 15 repetitions. Training tip: Turn your heels outward to work your peroneus muscles.

Running

Your calf muscles have a quick recovery time, allowing you to train your calves more frequently. On alternating days, add running workouts for increased calf size. Exercises that require explosive bursts of strength for short periods of time activate fast twitch muscle fibers, resulting in larger muscle development. Sprints are examples of this type of exercise.