1. Major Muscles in the Calves
Everyone wants toned calves. However, before you can work on creating yourself a pair of irresistible calves, you need to know how they work. The muscles in the calves can be divided into three main parts: the gastrocnemius, the soleus and the anterior tibialis. The gastrocnemius gives shape to the back of your lower leg. When well toned, it looks like an upside-down heart or a diamond. The soleus lies under the gastrocnemius, so it's not visible. It gives width to the back of the leg, so if you're looking to bulk up your calves, you need to make sure your exercises focus on the soleus as well. The anterior tibialis, also called the shins, are located at front part of your lower legs. If properly toned, the shins can make your calves look bigger.
2. Bulk 'Em Up
Bulking up your calves can be a frustrating process, especially for those people not genetically gifted with muscular lower legs. The good news is that you can maximize their size with a few calf exercises. However, you must perform the exercises correctly, which means you'll want the biggest range of motion possible when doing your training. Focus more on form for each rep and reduce the weight you use by a third. To get the correct form that exercises your entire calf, stand with your bare feet on a block elevated at least six inches. Allow your heels to drop off the edge as far as possible and hold for the count of three. You may need to hold onto something to steady yourself. Duplicate this full range of motion when you do your weight-bearing calf exercises.
3. Strong, Long, Lean and Sexy
Not everyone wants beefy calves. If you're looking for a more streamlined look, you can reduce the number of repetitions you do, the frequency of training or the amount of weight you use in your exercises. You can also exercise without weights. Still, you will want to keep the correct form.
4. Calf Exercises Without Weights
If you don't want to get a gym membership, don't worry. You can still get some great looking calves without using those fancy weight machines. Skip on your toes for 20 minutes at a time and you'll work your calf muscles and get a great cardio workout. Stand on a sturdy book with your feet together and your toes hanging over the edge. Raise and lower your toes repeatedly to work your anterior tibialis. Do squats and lunges.
5. Common Mistakes in Calf Exercises
A lack of stretching causes injuries. So be sure to stretch before and after your calf exercises. However, forget about moving your toes in and out when doing your training. This movement doesn't work the calf muscles. Plus you could hurt yourself by rotating your knee and ankle joints.
Member Comments