Calf Raises Make Me Walk Bowlegged

Your calf muscles usually refers to two different muscles that lie along the back of your lower leg: gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius is the one you can see and the soleus lies below it. They are both responsible for raising you up on your toes during a calf raise. However, performing calf raises to strengthen these two muscles will not make you walk or become bowlegged.

Bowlegged

Bowlegged, or bowlegs, is a condition where your knees stay wide apart when your feet and ankles are together. It is normal in infants and children and usually disappears around age 3. Sometimes it is caused by illnesses such as Rickets or bone dysplasias, but it can just be the way you are built. No treatment is necessary unless the condition is extreme and this usually occurs in childhood. Often there is no problem with exercise and normal activities and it is not caused by resistance training.

Calf Raises

Calf raises can be done seated to target the soleus or standing to hit the gastrocnemius more. In a seated calf raise machine a bar sits tight across the tops of your thighs, above your knees with your feet on a small platform with your heels hanging over the edge. You raise your heels up and down to perform the exercise. In a standing calf raise your legs are straight instead of bent at the knee. You can allow your heels to hang off the edge of a platform or do them on the floor by raising your heels up and down. They target only the muscle and not the bones.

Muscles and Gait

Your gait or how you walk can affect the way you walk, but you won't be bowlegged as that is a condition of the bones. Doing resistance training exercises causes microscopic tears in the muscle tissue. These tears can sometimes cause muscle soreness until they heal, which is normal. When walking, your calf muscles are working and if they are sore it may affect how you walk so that it feels like you are bowlegged. Stretch your muscles after a workout and avoid over-training your calves to avoid this sensation.

Considerations

If you feel that you really are walking differently than before and it lasts longer than it takes for the calf muscles to heal, consider seeing a physician. A doctor can analyze your gait and determine if there are any changes to your skeleton. Avoid calf raises if necessary, train them less often or only use your body weight. Be conscious of your gait so that you do not create any muscular imbalances or problems.