The calves, which sit on the back of the lower legs, have two parts. The gastrocnemius has a lateral and medial head, and it is found right below the knee.The soleus is anterior to the gastroc, which means it is located in front of it. Using dumbbells for a calf workout gives you extra resistance to maximize your muscle gains.
Warm Up
Before you work your calves, it is a good idea to perform a warm up. Stepping right into a workout without loosening up can pull a muscle. Spend five minutes doing some light cardio like jogging, walking briskly or riding an exercise bike. The motion involved with these exercises will get your calves acclimated to movement and also supply your muscles with blood. For an added safeguard, perform a series of ankle bounces, which are dynamic stretches.
Function of the Calves
Plantar flexion is the motion that allows you to work your calves. Every time you rise up on your tiptoes and lift your heels from the floor, you perform plantar flexion. This is the key movement pattern in a dumbbell calf workout.
Exercises
Standing calf raises form the base of a calf workout with dumbbells, but there's more to it than this. To maximize muscle recruitment, perform calf raises with your toes turned out and then toes turned in. These variations shift the focus to the outer and inner calves, respectively. Also include these same variations from a seated position with your knees bent 90 degrees. This will shift the focus to the soleus portion of the calves. You have the option of using one or two dumbbells with the standing exercises. Simply hold them by your sides as you raise your heels into the air. With the seated calf raises, hold the weights vertically on top of your thighs.
Elevating Your Toes
Doing your calf exercises with your feet on the floor is effective, but you can get a greater range of motion by placing your toes on an elevated object. A stair step, aerobic step, block of wood or calf block will all work. A calf block is a tool specifically designed for calf exercises. Performing your exercises on these helps you lower your heels down toward the ground. This increased range of motion causes a high muscle fiber recruitment, leading to faster gains.
Resistance
Dumbbells have a wide range of weight to choose from. They start as low as 1 lb. and go well over 100 lbs. The goal of a calf workout is to use a heavy resistance and perform many reps with your exercises. Aim for 15 to 20 reps and do three to five sets per exercise. Although the calves are resilient muscles, you still do not want to overtrain them. Take at least one day off between workouts to allow recovery time.
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