Exercise will only make your calves bigger if you do specific exercises aimed at building up muscle mass in your calves and if you eat enough calories to sustain muscle growth. But plenty of exercises will leave your legs slim and toned. The size of your calves is mostly up to you, though be aware that everyone is genetically predisposed to store fat differently. Some people may "inherit" bigger calves, just as others have wider hips or bigger thighs. But exercise can definitely help burn fat and provide some shape regardless of your calves' genetic design.
Calf Muscles
The calf contains two primary muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Those muscles are responsible for lifting your heel when you walk, dance, run or otherwise move around. If you've ever had a strained calf, you know how painful it can be to walk up steps or even just stand in one place. Because the calves are so important, keeping them strong and flexible through exercise will help ensure that you stay mobile and active for a long time.
Calf-toning Exercises
If you have big calves because that happens to be an area where you store fat, doing fat-burning exercises such as aerobics, jogging, basketball, tennis and cycling can help slim you down from head to toe. To help tone your calves, do various forms of calf raises without added weight. For example, roll up a towel and place it under the balls of your feet as you stand facing a wall. Place your hands against the wall for support and slowly lift your heels up off the floor, pause, and then slowly lower them. Set a timer to 100 seconds and continue to do those raises until the timer runs out.
Calf-building Exercises
To build muscle mass, you need to lift more than what your body is used to lifting. That means doing calf raises without any added weight will help tone your calves but not build them up. Doing three to four sets of eight to 10 standing calf raises with the help of a machine that allows you to add weight will help you add inches to your calves. The same is true for seated calf raises. The key for adding muscle mass anywhere is to increase the weight or resistance on those muscles and allow them to tear down and rebuild bigger to handle the excess weight.
Calf Stretches
Whether you're going for bigger calves or slimmer ones, stretching those muscles is important both before and after your workout. You can do them in any of several ways, such as standing with the balls of your feet on a block or step and pushing your heels down below the level of your feet. Another effective calf stretch can be done by facing a wall and placing one foot in front of the other, as though walking toward the wall. With your rear foot flat on the floor and your hands on the wall, lean forward so you can start to feel a stretch in your rear leg. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat with the other leg.
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