When we talk about leg workouts, most of our attention goes to the big muscle groups: quads, hamstrings, and our favorite, the gluteus maximus. But none of those groups get the job done without their neighbors to the south, the gastrocnemius and the soleus, aka your calf muscles. These two muscles pair up to create plantar flexion — your foot moving up and down. They make running, jumping, walking, and simply standing possible. Anytime you stand in one place, your calf muscles engage to provide stability. When you begin to move, they allow for powerful and purposeful forward and upward movement. That's a long way around to saying they deserve some fitness love too! The nice thing about them is that they are easy to isolate, quick to max out, and present that amazing sculpted muscle look we all want. Here are five ways to give your calf zone some much needed attention; you'll feel so good you'll want to break out your short shorts sooner than you'd planned!
That big leg press machine in the gym isn't just for your upper leg muscles, it's perfectly suited for fine tuned work on your calves. Start with no added weight and then increase as you build tolerance. Your calves will be burning, we promise!
Enter the machine with your back flat, low back pressed into the seat the entire time you do the leg work.
Press the sled up with your feet parallel and carefully slide your feet back until just your toes and ball of your foot are supporting the sled. Keep a microbend in your knees to prevent locking the joint.
Press your feet up and back for 15 reps. Lower the sled and shake out your legs.
Repeat the above sequence but change your foot position so your toes are angled in towards each other, pigeon footed. Press your feet up and back from the ball of your foot for 15 reps.
Repeat the above sequence a final time with your toes turned out, duck style, pressing the sled up with your toes and balls of your feet for 15 reps.
Depending on how your legs feel, repeat the sequence 1-2 more times or until failure.
Add this weighted calf raise into your routine once or twice a week when you are doing your regular weight training workout.
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Simple (but SO Effective) Standing Raises
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Who said you needed a big scary machine to raise the bar on your calf strength? Standing calf raises have been the go-to training mechanism forever because they WORK. If you must have a fitness accessory to make it feel more "you," by all means, pick up a pair of hand weights, a kettle bell, or a weighted bar to add resistance to these movements.
Stand with your feet directly under your hips, roll your shoulders back and tuck your booty under to ensure a straight and strong back. If you are holding weights, make sure they are level and you have a confident but relaxed grip.
With control, lift up onto the top of the ball of your foot, gripping through your shoes with your toes to ensure balance and stability.
Lower with the same control, and repeat the lifts for 15 total reps.
Turn your toes in slightly to affect a pigeon footed stance and repeat the calf raises for 15 reps, keeping a microbend in your knee to protect the joint.
Turn your toes out slightly to affect a duck footed stance and lift and lower for 15 reps.
Repeat this sequence up to 3 times, center, pigeon, and duck style (or until fatigued).
To achieve muscular change, the muscle needs to be challenged, so be ready to add reps or weight until you experience a burning sensation in the back part of your lower leg. If you need help with balance, a light hand on a chair, wall, or other stable object is a good way to maintain your form without impacting your results.
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Hop on the "Band"wagon
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The key to finely tuned work on any muscle group is isolation. Using a resistance band is a quick and effective tool to control the amount of force required to do a fitness movement in your lower leg. Hold the straps at moderate tension for a beginner workout and progress to advanced by gradually wrapping the ends of the band around your hands, creating a tighter and tighter pull during the exercise.
Begin in a seated position with your legs stretched and active in front of you (that means flex your toes back towards your face and ground down the backs of your legs).
Bend your left knees and wrap a resistance band/tube around the ball of your right foot, and adjust the tension to a challenging pull.
Press and pull the band back and forth using the ball of your foot, keeping your hips even, your leg grounded, and the tension constant.
Repeat for 15-20 reps then do the same process on the left side.
The key to success is the grounding of the working leg AND keeping your back in a straight position the entire time. Allowing a C curve to form not only weakens your core, it encourages your straight leg to bend, releasing tension and defeating the purpose of the exercise. Stay strong and stay straight to get the most of this exercise. Add this into your stretching routine once a week.
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Use a Sumo Squat to Isolate Your Calves
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The Sumo squat is usually associated with tightening your inner thighs and testing your hip flexibility, you can also use it to create a seriously challenging calf exercise.
Step your feet out as wide as you comfortably can, turning your toes out to the side. (Make sure you can move up and down in the position, otherwise adjust your feet wider or narrower until you can).
Keeping your back straight and your booty tight, lower until your quads are as parallel to the floor as you can get them.
Leaving your left foot flat for stability, lift your right heel as high as you can then lower it back to the ground, keeping your toes in contact with the floor at all times.
Repeat for a total of 15-20 reps then stand up to release the squat.
Using the same squat set-up, lift the left heel as high as you can (and back down) for 15-20 reps.
Depending on your endurance, do both sides two more times for a total of three sets per side. You can add these into your strength training routing as a stand alone exercise, or tack them onto a regular sumo squat: lower down to the sumo squat, lift the right then the left heel, return to standing. The bonus round is a balance challenge where you lift both heels as high as you can for 15-20 reps.
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Step Up Your Calf Game
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Elevation is always a great way to add more challenge into your workout. Find a high step, stable bench, or a large workout box before you begin and make sure it doesn't wobble or move.
Start with both feet under your hips and stand far enough from the box that you can pick your foot up and place it on top without catching the toe of your shoe. Stay close enough so that you aren't lunging forward to get on the box.
Lift your right leg straight up in line with your hips and place it flat on the box. Lift to the top of your left toes as you step up even with the right leg, taking the left knee to waist height
Lift up on the toes of your right leg before lowering the left leg, then the right leg to the ground.
Repeat for 10-12 reps before switching to the other side.
If the initial set was too easy, consider adding hand weights, or hold a kettlebell while stepping up and down. Aim for 3-4 sets as part of your weekly weight training. You are doing weekly strength training, aren't you?
