Calf muscles are known to be one of the hardest muscles to grow. Men up and down the land will state that one of their fitness goals is to build bigger calves but feel they are fighting a losing battle. Quite often they will develop powerful legs but feel the calves are always lagging behind in the development front. So what is the answer? First of all, calf muscle size can be genetic; some people will simply struggle because their genetic make-up is telling them they were not destined to have big calves, whilst others will not be training them to their full capacity which will hamper growth.
If you, like me, have issues with developing your calf muscles due to genetics then bear this in mind. When Arnold Schwarenegger was a budding body builder he realised that his calves were not developing at the same rate as the rest of him, he had two options, does he forever compete or pose whilst standing in two feet of water or does he do something about it. His answer was to ditch his usual jogging bottoms and instead wear a pair of shorts to highlight to everyone his small calves. This provided him with the motivation to do something about it. By drawing attention to his calves he forced himself to train them harder until eventually they were able to catch up with the rest of him. His philosophy is failure is not an option everyone has to succeed.
The calf muscle is a group of muscles that are balled into a large group in the upper portion of the lower leg just below the knee. This group is made up of two muscles that combine to make up the whole of the calf muscle.
Gastrocnemius This is the muscle that is most visible from the exterior of the body. This muscle attaches at the Achilles tendon and originates just behind the knee on the femur where it crosses the knee joint
Soleus This is a deep muscle that is not visible when looking at the leg externally. It lies beneath the gastrocnemius on the rear portion of the lower leg.
The function of the two muscles together is to elevate the heel both with the leg straight and when the knee is bent. The action of bending the heal is used in a variety of movements including walking, jumping, running or squats.
The first thing to consider with calf development is the frequency by which you train. Many people believe the calves are an endurance muscles and therefore will respond better to frequent training and high repetition sets. Whilst it is correct that your calves work more than most muscles due to walking or even standing, they still need to be taken out of their comfort zone in order to grow (just like any muscles). Incorporate calf training into your leg routine for best results, do not over train them and always allow for recovery time.
Five Calf Exercises for Increasing Size:
Standing Calf Raises:
This exercise can be performed on either a dedicated machine or on a block. Stand with the balls of your feet on the block and your heels three inches below the block; slowly raise yourself up on the balls of your feet as high as you can go whilst contracting your calf muscles, pause, then lower yourself slowly.
Seated Calf Raises:
Whilst similar to the standing calf raise, the seated raise will actually target the soleus. Sit on a bench with your feet either on the floor or on a block. Hold two dumbbells on your thighs and rise up on the balls of your feet before pausing and then lowering yourself.
Leg Press Calf Raises:
Otherwise known as the donkey raise, this is a great exercise to get a deeper pull in the calf muscles. Sit on the leg press machine and hold the sled with only your toes and the balls of your feet. Do not move with your hips or knees and instead put all the movement into your ankles. This puts all the emphasis on your calf muscles and nowhere else in the leg.
Box Jumps:
This is an explosive exercise designed to give your legs more spring and therefore power. Stand on the balls of your feet in front of a box, jump onto the box, landing on the balls of your feet, then jump back down. Make sure you practise to know your limitations for the height of the block to prevent unnecessary injury.
Dumbbell Jump Squat:
This is another explosive exercise. To perform, simply place yourself in a position for a standard squat whilst holding dumbbells. Lower your body into the squat, moving to the balls of your feet and toes as you do so. Once youre at your lowest point, propel yourself up and explode upward into a jump. Land on the balls of your feet and immediately move into another squat.
For beginners, start by doing 2 sets of the Standing and Seated Calf Raises of 12 repetitions. Intermediate trainers should introduce the Leg Press Calf Raises and advanced trainers can perform all the exercises. The Box Jump and Jump Squats only need 1 set of 15 repetitions.
I have spent years trying to build my calves and have actually started to see progress in recent time. Calves are definitely one of the hardest muscle groups to develop and it will take time and effort, but persevere, it will definitely be worth it.
Good luck.
My Home Fitness
If you, like me, have issues with developing your calf muscles due to genetics then bear this in mind. When Arnold Schwarenegger was a budding body builder he realised that his calves were not developing at the same rate as the rest of him, he had two options, does he forever compete or pose whilst standing in two feet of water or does he do something about it. His answer was to ditch his usual jogging bottoms and instead wear a pair of shorts to highlight to everyone his small calves. This provided him with the motivation to do something about it. By drawing attention to his calves he forced himself to train them harder until eventually they were able to catch up with the rest of him. His philosophy is failure is not an option everyone has to succeed.
The calf muscle is a group of muscles that are balled into a large group in the upper portion of the lower leg just below the knee. This group is made up of two muscles that combine to make up the whole of the calf muscle.
Gastrocnemius This is the muscle that is most visible from the exterior of the body. This muscle attaches at the Achilles tendon and originates just behind the knee on the femur where it crosses the knee joint
Soleus This is a deep muscle that is not visible when looking at the leg externally. It lies beneath the gastrocnemius on the rear portion of the lower leg.
The function of the two muscles together is to elevate the heel both with the leg straight and when the knee is bent. The action of bending the heal is used in a variety of movements including walking, jumping, running or squats.
The first thing to consider with calf development is the frequency by which you train. Many people believe the calves are an endurance muscles and therefore will respond better to frequent training and high repetition sets. Whilst it is correct that your calves work more than most muscles due to walking or even standing, they still need to be taken out of their comfort zone in order to grow (just like any muscles). Incorporate calf training into your leg routine for best results, do not over train them and always allow for recovery time.
Five Calf Exercises for Increasing Size:
Standing Calf Raises:
This exercise can be performed on either a dedicated machine or on a block. Stand with the balls of your feet on the block and your heels three inches below the block; slowly raise yourself up on the balls of your feet as high as you can go whilst contracting your calf muscles, pause, then lower yourself slowly.
Seated Calf Raises:
Whilst similar to the standing calf raise, the seated raise will actually target the soleus. Sit on a bench with your feet either on the floor or on a block. Hold two dumbbells on your thighs and rise up on the balls of your feet before pausing and then lowering yourself.
Leg Press Calf Raises:
Otherwise known as the donkey raise, this is a great exercise to get a deeper pull in the calf muscles. Sit on the leg press machine and hold the sled with only your toes and the balls of your feet. Do not move with your hips or knees and instead put all the movement into your ankles. This puts all the emphasis on your calf muscles and nowhere else in the leg.
Box Jumps:
This is an explosive exercise designed to give your legs more spring and therefore power. Stand on the balls of your feet in front of a box, jump onto the box, landing on the balls of your feet, then jump back down. Make sure you practise to know your limitations for the height of the block to prevent unnecessary injury.
Dumbbell Jump Squat:
This is another explosive exercise. To perform, simply place yourself in a position for a standard squat whilst holding dumbbells. Lower your body into the squat, moving to the balls of your feet and toes as you do so. Once youre at your lowest point, propel yourself up and explode upward into a jump. Land on the balls of your feet and immediately move into another squat.
For beginners, start by doing 2 sets of the Standing and Seated Calf Raises of 12 repetitions. Intermediate trainers should introduce the Leg Press Calf Raises and advanced trainers can perform all the exercises. The Box Jump and Jump Squats only need 1 set of 15 repetitions.
I have spent years trying to build my calves and have actually started to see progress in recent time. Calves are definitely one of the hardest muscle groups to develop and it will take time and effort, but persevere, it will definitely be worth it.
Good luck.
My Home Fitness
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