Every person at least once in his life has experienced severe pain, which is localized in the calves. Why do my calves hurt, how can I get rid of these pains and prevent the development of the disease that caused them?
Pain in the calf of the right or left leg is one of the most common clinical manifestations. Sometimes it is caused by overwork of a muscle after intense or prolonged physical activity. However, this symptom does not always indicate such innocent reasons. It is often caused by serious diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis or spinal tumors.
Quite often, the causes of calf pain lie in thrombosis and varicose veins. Suspicion of these vein pathologies should arise if, in addition to the main symptom, the leg is pulled or the heels hurt when walking. This happens because with severe circulatory impairment in the venous vessels of the leg, swelling of the leg occurs, which manifests itself in pain. As a rule, such pain is dull in nature and is accompanied by heaviness in the limbs. If these processes become chronic, there is a decrease in the supply of nutrients to the tissues, leading to the accumulation of waste and toxins, and also causes inflammatory processes.
Acute thrombosis of the leg veins requires immediate treatment, because the resulting blood clots can break off and enter the heart muscle, from where they spread throughout the body. Particularly large clot particles can clog arterial vessels, often leading to death. Deep vein thrombosis can be identified by the following clinical manifestations:
This diagnosis is characterized by very severe pain associated with insufficient blood supply, which is the main source of oxygen and nutrients. Such processes can cause very serious consequences, including gangrene.
Atherosclerosis causes hardening of the vessel walls, which causes pain in the patient's calf. The pain is of a compressive nature and is localized directly in the area of the lower leg muscles. When walking, the load on the muscle increases, which leads to increased pain. The main manifestation of atherosclerosis is cold feet syndrome, which occurs regardless of air temperature.
The spine is connected to almost every organ, so its pathologies can manifest themselves in any part of the body. Thus, disorders in the intervertebral discs often radiate to the legs, and the back itself may not hurt. This category includes sciatica - inflammation of the sciatic nerve, in which pain is localized in the lower extremities.
If your calf muscles hurt, this may indicate peripheral nerve disease. An additional symptom is that the pain has a paroxysmal appearance. Such attacks can last from several seconds to several minutes, and between these waves there is practically no pain.
An inflamed calf muscle causes very severe pain. Myositis - inflammation of skeletal muscles - requires immediate treatment and constant medical supervision. As a rule, they occur as a result of injuries to the leg muscles or complications from influenza and other diseases.
If the calf muscles hurt and the pain is aching, it is highly likely that purulent myositis can be diagnosed. It is also indicated by chills, increased body temperature, and the presence of dense nodules and muscle compactions.
Often, calf pain is caused by osteomyelitis, a bone infectious disease that manifests itself in acute and prolonged pain. Their cause lies in the bones themselves, so eliminating such pain is quite difficult.
Diagnosing the cause of pain in the lower extremities is extremely difficult. This is primarily due to the huge number of pathologies that can cause such reactions.
If you have severe pain in your calves for a long time, you should immediately tell your doctor so that he can diagnose the cause of the pain.
If pain occurs in the calf of the left or right leg, you should contact the following specialists:
Making the final diagnosis and prescribing treatment are carried out not only based on the patient’s complaints, because many people have pain in their legs below the knees. To determine an accurate diagnosis, the following methods are used:
Sometimes anamnesis data is used to increase the efficiency of diagnosis.
Timely diagnosis is especially important for pregnant women, because pain in the calves when walking can be a symptom of very serious diseases and significantly worsen the condition of the fetus.
As it turned out, the causes of pain in the calves can be very diverse. Despite this, there are general recommendations for improving the patient's condition. These include:
Treatment measures depend on why the calves hurt. It is extremely important to eliminate the cause rather than fight the symptoms. So, if the legs are cramped due to arterial insufficiency, surgical treatment is used, and acute thrombosis requires long-term rehabilitation in a hospital.
For chronic vascular pathologies, as well as when conservative treatment methods are ineffective, surgical elimination of the vascular defect is used. Similar operations are performed for the above-described spinal pathologies.
There are times when it is impossible to get rid of the cause of pain in the calves. Then doctors prescribe supportive conservative treatment, which helps to weaken or completely eliminate the painful manifestations of the disease.
1. Diseases of the venous vessels:
2. Pathology of arterial vessels:
3. Damage to the nerve trunks innervating the lower extremities.
4. Diseases of the calf muscles:
5. Diseases of surrounding tissues:
6. Spine pathology:
7. Diabetes.
Thus, pain in the calves is one of the most common symptoms . Sometimes it is caused by innocent reasons, for example, muscle fatigue after unusual physical activity. But often this symptom indicates a serious pathology, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, or spinal tumor.
In some cases, pain in the calves does not require immediate medical intervention (varicose veins), while in others, failure to promptly seek specialized help can lead to premature death (acute thrombosis of the lower leg veins).
It is advisable to know the basic rules for the differential diagnosis of pain in the calves not only for medical specialists, but also for all patients, in order to have a general idea of how urgently and which specialists should be sought for help.
Many girls dream of their legs being more beautiful. The problem area is most often the thighs, but full calves can often cause anxiety.
But before planning physical education classes and a set of exercises, it is necessary to determine the reason why the calves are too large in volume. There are usually three of them: the presence of swelling in the legs, overly pumped muscles or excess weight. And based on this, answer the question for yourself of how to reduce your calves.
Causes of full calves and options,
how to make your calves thinner
The first reason is swelling of the legs and ways to eliminate the problem
Whether there is swelling of the legs is quite easy to find out. You just need to see if in the evening there are traces of the elastic bands of the socks on your ankles. You can also simply press your finger on the foot in the dry bone area. If pressure leaves a hole that gradually disappears, swelling is present. And healthy, swelling-free tissues are elastic, they immediately restore their shape. Another sign of swelling is that in the evening it can be difficult to put on those shoes that you put on without difficulty in the morning, and you also feel tired in the calves and feet.
Swelling can be managed with a diet that excludes salty and fatty foods, as well as using diuretics. A simple piece of advice can also make you feel better: when going to bed in the evening, place a small pillow under your feet. And during the day, if possible, lie down on the sofa, throwing your legs up on a wall or elevated surface. If your swelling does not go away, be sure to visit your doctor, as this may be a sign of a serious illness. When the swelling goes down, you can give your calves a beautiful shape through physical exercise, step aerobics and running.
The second reason is excess weight and correction of calves at the same time
Why do my calves hurt, and what are the real causes of calf pain?
The most common cause of calf pain is vascular disease. When a person remains in one position for a long time (sitting or standing), venous blood stagnates. You can get rid of this with the help of a special massage. Therefore, this reason is of the most harmless nature.
The most serious problem is thrombophlebitis and atherosclerosis. This disease requires specialist intervention to avoid more serious consequences. Characteristic signs of thrombophlebitis are:
Critical ischemia. Characteristic pain in a horizontal position and its disappearance or subside if you lower your leg or slow down your walking.
Varicose veins, impaired metabolism. Women in old age are often affected, which is the norm, but in young or middle age this disease is acquired mainly due to professions in which one simply has to stand on one’s feet all day.
Pain for unknown reasons can occur due to an internal disease of the body. In any case, you should consult a doctor at an earlier stage of the disease.
Athletes and women wearing heels often suffer ankle ligaments. A person can twist his leg at any time, then the lower leg swells at the joint with the foot, sometimes hemorrhage occurs, and the pain blocks the movement of the joint. It becomes easy to step on your foot.
September 23, 2013
In what cases can the calves cramp? There can be many reasons for the occurrence of such problems, but some of them deserve special mention. Most often, certain diseases of the nervous system or nutritional disorders can cause cramps in the calves at night. In the first case, you cannot do without consulting a doctor, and possibly treatment from specialists in diseases related to the nervous system. As for nutrition, anyone can normalize it at home.
Lack of microelements leads to spasms
A lack of trace elements calcium and magnesium in the body can cause you to constantly feel cramps in your calves at night. In addition to poor nutrition, another cause of noticeable calcium and magnesium deficiency can be increased sweating. It is known that with sweat, both a considerable amount of water and a colossal amount of microelements, which were mentioned above, are removed from the body. If they are deficient, the body will report this: you will feel your calves cramping, chronic fatigue and interruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system will appear. The third reason for unpleasant and painful symptoms may be a natural slowdown in blood flow in blood vessels and muscle tissue at night. Since the muscles do not receive the microelements they need, they can react to this with convulsive contractions, which makes you wonder once again why your calves cramp at night.
How to prevent cramps
What needs to be done first is to seek help from a doctor who can help determine the true cause of the seizures. If after the examination no serious illness is revealed, then you will need to learn various simple exercises that will, if necessary, help stretch the cramped muscle and allow you to get rid of the problem of cramping your calves at night. In addition, it will not hurt to master the skills of relaxing muscle massage for cramps.
The gastrocnemius (calf) is a biceps muscle on the back of the human lower leg. Located above the soleus muscle, together with which it is attached to the heel through the thick Achilles tendon.
Functional activity primarily involves movement of the foot in the sagittal plane and stabilization of the body during movement (walking and running).
When the calf muscle is overstrained, cramps may occur in it. In addition, spasms may indicate disorders of their arterial and venous blood supply. Injuries to the calf muscle can occur when a load exceeds its capabilities, sometimes from a blow to it.
There are several reasons that cause pain in the calves.
- Any injury to the calf area, for example after overuse, causes pain in the calf muscles. Sudden muscle pain occurs during physical activity, in particular while walking.
— Most often, the appearance of pain in the calves is associated with vascular diseases. This occurs due to a violation of the outflow of venous blood and a resulting increase in pressure in the vessels. The resulting venous congestion causes irritation of nerve endings and the development of pain. Most often, such pain is “dull” in nature, and heaviness is felt in the legs. Thus, varicose veins gradually develop.
- Dull, aching and stabbing pain in the calves of the legs, cramps and heaviness in the legs are very often the result of standing or sedentary work, when due to stagnation in the veins of the legs, normal blood circulation of venous and arterial blood does not occur in the human body, oxygen starvation occurs, and accumulation of harmful toxins in the feet.
- With another vascular disease - thrombophlebitis, there is pain in the calf muscles of a pulsating nature, often turning into a burning sensation under the skin. With thrombophlebitis, the pain is constant, especially for pain in the calves.
Hours in the gym, long runs, strict dietary restrictions...
What sacrifices do women make for chiseled and slender legs! And the results will certainly become visible sooner or later: the buttocks are tightened, fat disappears from the thighs. But the shins do not always respond to effort, and sometimes even become larger.
This may be due to heredity, improper selection or technique of performing exercises, and even lifestyle.
Voluminous calves look inharmonious, interfere with wearing short skirts and tight trousers, and cause complexes. Sometimes the desire to reduce calves reaches the point of absurdity. Thus, in the United States, plastic surgery to correct this part of the body is becoming increasingly popular.
However, there are also less radical ways. Let's find out why calves grow and how to make them slim and graceful.
In order to quickly and correctly get rid of large calves, first of all, you need to find out the main reason for their appearance and try to eliminate it.
The main “culprits” are an excessive layer of subcutaneous fat, too bulky muscles that appeared as a result of training or are a hereditary feature.
Genetics. If large shins are your genetic feature (you can verify this by looking at your parents and closest relatives), then it will be extremely difficult to reduce the muscles in your calves.
You can try to slightly change the proportions of the body and adjust the features of the anatomy. For example, if you have a short Achilles tendon, which connects the back of your heel to your calf muscle, your calves will appear larger. This is due to the fact that the muscle has to stretch far downward to connect to the short tendon.
If the tendon is long, then the place where it connects to the muscle is located higher. As a result, the calf muscle “sits” high, the lower leg looks thinner and more graceful. Unfortunately, it is not possible to lengthen the tendons. The only thing that can be advised in this case is to avoid loads that provoke the growth of the calf muscles.
Gait and movements. Repeated activities day after day can affect the shape of your legs. For example, constantly walking on your toes, with your body weight resting on the forefoot (as when wearing heels), can cause your calf muscles to build up.
It is also worth analyzing your gait: if the rest of the leg muscles are weak, especially the tibialis anterior, the calves can compensate for the entire load, increasing over time. The solution to the problem is comprehensive strengthening of the leg muscles.
Fat deposits are another very common reason why calves appear large. Each person has their own specific problem areas, from which fat is lost last. If it's your calves and ankles, you'll have to be patient and persistent to achieve the legs of your dreams.
To remove thick calves, follow a few simple rules:
Remember, you can be in good physical shape, fit and slim without bulging bulges of muscle. The main thing is to correctly create a training program that includes strength and cardio exercises and avoid exercise and diets that provoke muscle growth. With this tactic, volumes (and not just calves!) will steadily decrease.
Each woman decides for herself how to treat full calves. For example, actresses Mischa Barton and Katie Holmes are not shy about these body parts and look great. Even if you can't reduce your calf size, don't stress about it. Focus on the best parts of your body and highlight them.
Voluminous calves distort all the grace of a woman's figure. Because of this problem, many girls are ashamed to show their legs and carefully hide them under clothes. There are women who try to eliminate this trouble surgically. But how to lose weight in your calves without resorting to such drastic measures? We'll find out more about this later.
Why do many women have too large calves? Unfortunately, large calf volume gives a disproportionate appearance not only to the legs, but also to the figure as a whole. And the root of this problem is not always fat. Therefore, in order to eliminate this problem forever, you need to determine its main cause.
Large calf volume is often due to:
If the cause of large calves is not fat, but swelling, most likely the large volume is associated with blockage of blood vessels in the area due to high levels of bad cholesterol. This problem can only be solved by following a balanced diet or using special therapy prescribed by a doctor (if the swelling is caused by serious health problems). But if leg swelling is caused by heavy physical activity, it can be eliminated with massage.
White bread, cakes, chocolate, ice cream and coffee with cream can ruin your slim figure. And this is just a small list of foods that can quickly form fat in your body. If you don’t know how to lose weight in your calves, start with proper nutrition. It is because of unhealthy eating habits that many girls develop problem areas: a double chin, large arms, a large belly, curvy hips, full legs and calves.
Following a healthy diet will eliminate the problem of excess weight forever.
Unfortunately, fat tends to be deposited in any area of your body. And it is impossible to predict in which part of your figure it will be located after eating dessert at night. To prevent this, you need to eliminate all types of harmful foods and drinks from your diet:
Why are most of the products we buy in the store considered harmful? If you carefully study their composition on the packaging, it often contains food additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives, flavors, dyes and flavor enhancers. All these components do not contain any health benefits. On the contrary, such food often increases appetite and is high in calories, which subsequently leads to excess body weight.
Less dangerous, but also undesirable foods on your table are:
If you cannot completely avoid the listed products, you need to limit them as much as possible in your diet.
What should be the proper diet to reduce the size of your calves?
To reduce your calves, eat more foods high in potassium!
If you want to lose fat in your calves, consume foods that contain potassium. This element is excellent at absorbing sodium, which is often what causes the volume of your calves to grow. Consuming potassium not only eliminates fat, but also relieves swelling in the legs due to excess sodium in the body.
The daily sodium intake limit for an adult is no more than 8-10 grams. People who exceed this limit and consume about 12 grams of sodium per day often experience severe swelling in the legs and calf area.
What foods contain a lot of potassium and will help you lose weight in your calves?
The volume of the calf often increases quite reluctantly. However, this is not a consequence of stubbornness or inflexibility of the muscles themselves, but rather a reaction to improper training, poor exercise technique, or poor posture. In fact, calves are one of those groups that are very easy to pump up even at home, if you remove everything that prevents them from growing.
The musculature of the lower legs, like the deep musculature of the back, receives little rest during the day, as it is forced to bear the weight of the body and balance in interaction, maintaining balance and stabilizing the joints when walking. This means that it is focused on the “dry”, hardy version of development and actively uses the shock-absorbing capabilities of the tendons (in particular the Achilles tendon, the role of which in the development of the calf muscle will be discussed separately).
When posture is disturbed, joints are overextended (or insufficiently flexed), a redistribution of motor roles occurs. Lumbar lordosis almost always leads to underdevelopment, and weak hamstrings and calf hypertrophy.
The triceps surae (external calf musculature) consists of two muscles connected by a common (Achilles) tendon. These are the superior two-fascicular gastrocnemius muscle and the deep, underlying soleus muscle . Even lower lie the muscles that provide mobility to the ankle and fingers. In addition, there are knee and shin stabilizers.
If some part of the muscle is “excluded from the process,” it weakens, atrophies, and others take over its function. The triceps is involved in flexing the knee and extending the foot, fixing the knee in a bent position. The soleus muscle is almost always long, but the external bundles can have either long or short bellies (then called “short calves”).
To increase blood flow, warm up the joints and reduce injury, a warm-up is necessary. It should not be neglected, even if the lower leg is not trained on a separate day, but after other exercises.
Ideally, the warm-up is done lying down (on both legs simultaneously) and standing (you will have to work the joints one by one: stand on one leg while stretching the other). Warming up while sitting is not advisable. The movements are performed 4-5 times.
To pump up your calves at home, you need to do 2 of the exercises below during a workout. Training the lower leg, like other muscles, involves micro-injury followed by restoration of the fibers.
Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions, then 1 approach with toes out and 1 approach with toes in (working different beams). Then perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each leg (with toes straight, in and out), the other leg relaxed or bent. If one leg is weaker, then they focus on the number of its failures.
The exercise is similar to the previous one, but the amplitude of flexion is increased.
Do 4 sets of 10 repetitions, then 3 sets for each leg until failure.
The principle of movement is similar (when extending the foot and lifting on the toes, the ankle and metatarsal joints work, the knee is slightly bent and motionless), the only difference is that the double load (your own weight and the weight of the partner sitting on the lower back) falls simultaneously on both legs. Potentially harmful to the lower back.
It is performed similarly to exercises 2 and 3. First, they learn to do it with a short amplitude, then on a step. The weight is in the left hand, when lifting on the left leg, the right leg is bent at the knee, and the right hand is belaying, holding onto the support.
You can pump your calves to failure only if the movement is performed slowly. It’s pointless to chase the number of repetitions, especially fast ones, as this will only dry out the calf, transferring the load to the tendons. The calves rarely hurt after training and recover quickly, like all muscles with relatively short bellies.
Few people know that the influence of posture and gait on the development of the lower leg is much stronger than the effect of training . Flat feet, if not taken into account and not compensated, also prevents the volume of the lower leg from being brought into line with the BB standard (the volumes of the neck, biceps and calves should be equal or close in value). You can pump up your calves without exercise equipment simply by choosing the right shoes and adjusting your gait.
Compliance with these rules in itself leads to the beginning of growth of lagging eggs - make it a habit.
If even before the start of training there is a disproportion between the lower leg and thigh, this indicates that there are problems with gait and posture.
Until the muscular traction of the antagonists is normalized and the defect in posture or joint flexion is not corrected, general training does not lead to correction of the disproportion, but only to its strengthening: normally, the stronger muscle, which takes over the main load, grows faster with strength training than the weak assistant, this further widens the gap between them. Therefore, training from the very beginning focuses on correcting the defect.
The training is built with an emphasis on special exercises for lagging calves, slightly restraining the development of the thigh, and at the same time measures are taken to ensure that lifestyle does not interfere with calf hypertrophy and normalization of proportions.
Complaints that the calves of the legs hurt are common. Is there a difference between the causes of discomfort in men and women? In fact, pain in the calves does not differ by gender or age. The causes and treatment of the symptom are almost the same, with the exception of some physiological aspects (a pregnant man is nonsense). It would be correct to say that pain in the calves of the lower extremities is not a separate disease; it should be considered as a symptom indicating the presence of internal pathology or the influence of an external factor. If the calves of the right or left leg regularly hurt and swell in women and men, why does this happen? The answer about the causes and methods of treatment is in the article below.
Pain in the calves that occurs when walking is familiar to everyone, and if a child has pain in the calves mainly from overexertion and excessive mobility of the fidget, then in women and men, pain in the leg may indicate serious pathological conditions that require medical intervention.
Experts, analyzing this symptom, consider the following causes to be common:
In this case, the calf muscle hurts after an unsuccessful step, excessive load or injury, and severe pain can occur suddenly, out of the blue, as a response to unusual physical activity or an incorrectly placed leg during movement.
Severe pain under the knee at the back, spreading to the calves, occurs with vascular defects, in particular with varicose veins in the legs. According to statistics, an increase in pressure in the veins with a change in the outflow of venous blood occurs in both women and men, although in the latter it is much less common due to the lack of addiction to high heels, very tight clothing and the possibility of bearing children.
Stagnation in the veins and the subsequent development of the inflammatory process in the vessels and nerves lead to pain in the calves and a feeling of heaviness.
Low physical potential, irregular loads, and a minimum of movements at any age lead to dull painful sensations or night cramps in the calves in women and men. In the absence of a sufficient range of movements, when standing or sitting for a long time, the normal blood supply to the legs is disrupted, blood stagnation occurs and toxins accumulate in the muscles.
Throbbing pain in the calf muscles with thrombophlebitis gradually gives way to a constant burning sensation. Constant pain in the calves of the legs is a typical symptom of the disease; immediate treatment of the underlying disease is required, and not just relief of symptoms with ointments and analgesics.
The thickening of the walls of blood vessels in the calves of the legs in women and men brings a feeling of discomfort and muscle compression. This is a characteristic symptom specifically for atherosclerosis, when the muscles of the lower leg begin to ache and ache, and it becomes painful for a person to walk. Moreover, in any weather, the foot is always cold to the touch due to impaired blood supply.
Do your legs hurt below the knees? Why is this happening? Nagging pain or aching pain in the calf can occur due to various pathologies in the spinal column, most often when discs are displaced. In this case, the irradiation of pain occurs specifically in the legs, the spine itself remains painless (sciatica).
Sharp pain in the calves in women and men occurs when peripheral nerves are affected. Moreover, its character is paroxysmal, the painful sensation lasts from several seconds to several minutes (lumbago). To get rid of pain in the calves, it is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the discomfort; for this you need an in-person consultation with a neurologist.
Pain in the calf muscle can be caused by ordinary fatigue or a serious illness!
Myositis can be considered as separate and common causes of pain in the calves of the legs in women and men. Of course, the symptoms of the disease are localized not only in the legs, but it is the right or left limb that suffers the most due to the excessive loads placed on them. Treatment of myositis requires serious monitoring by a doctor, since this disease often occurs as a complication of a number of pathologies, including influenza.
Myositis can develop after training, injury to the calf muscle, or after excessive muscle strain; in mild cases, it can be treated using external agents (ointment, gel) or using folk remedies (compresses, rubbing, etc.).
Myositis is indicated by pain, which intensifies with the slightest movement; upon palpation, dense nodes or cords are felt. When bacterial microflora is involved in the pathological process, purulent myositis develops, accompanied by an increase in general and local temperature, sometimes spreading to the joint, often involving the foot.
When blood flow is disrupted in the veins of the leg, edema develops, which leads to compression of the nerve endings, disruption of tissue trophism - pain occurs. Various factors lead to this:
Pain in the calf area becomes the primary symptom for a phlebologist, helping to direct the treatment process not only to eliminate discomfort, but also to prevent the blood clot from breaking off and moving through large arteries and vessels to the heart and lungs. Treatment is carried out only in a hospital; drugs are prescribed that accelerate the resorption of the blood clot.
One of the common causes of pain in the calves of the legs in women and men. The attending phlebologist will easily establish a diagnosis, since the affected veins are visible visually. At an early stage, treatment of varicose veins involves the use of local remedies, including those that relieve pain from the calves; if the pathological process becomes complicated, radical methods will be required - various options for surgical intervention.
The acute form of arterial obstruction is characterized by thrombosis or a sudden, unexpected cessation of blood flow through the vessels. The pain in the calves is burning, acute, with the development of swelling and coldness of the limb. Treatment is immediate, with placement in a surgical department; if assistance is not provided in a timely manner, gangrene develops. In chronic cases, pain in the calves occurs in attacks or is constant.
How to get rid of discomfort and what to do if your calf muscles hurt? The answer to this question can be obtained during a face-to-face consultation with a doctor; it is important to do a series of tests and diagnostic procedures to understand the nature of the pain. Next, the attending physician prescribes medications (tablets, ointment, gel, etc.) or surgical intervention, it all depends on whether the pain can be relieved conservatively or whether a radical remedy is required for treatment.
If the pain does not leave you all day, this is a reason to think about it and make an appointment with a doctor!
Given the obvious heterogeneity of the causes of pain, there are a number of general measures that are necessary for treatment:
There is no doubt that the treatment of pain that develops due to excessive stress is easier. If your calves hurt during pregnancy, this is a temporary factor associated with an increase in body weight and pressure from the growing uterus on other organs. As soon as the woman is relieved of her burden, the pain will go away. Also, children, with their excessive mobility, suffer from muscle strain and fatigue, this also goes away when the child rests at night.
Pumped up calf muscles look beautiful. It takes quite a lot of effort to pump them up. The difficulty of working out this group of muscles lies in the fact that they are involved in everyday life, and, therefore, are accustomed to the constant loads that fall on the legs while walking. Therefore, it is very important to select the most effective and efficient exercises.
Of course, it is best to train in a gym , where there is all the necessary equipment and sports equipment. However, there are equally effective exercises that, with patience, allow you to achieve your goal at home . The main thing is to devote enough time and attention to training, but within reasonable limits, avoiding overtraining and overload. If the load is too heavy, the calves begin to hurt. This signals the need to reduce the intensity. The correctness of training is indicated by a feeling of fatigue and burning. There shouldn't be any pain.
There is no need to question the fact that weak and thin legs do not make a man look good, especially if he has a pumped and powerful torso. Such a disproportion looks quite comical. An athlete’s figure looks completely different if the legs are well designed and have an attractive relief. And to achieve this, you need to properly and competently organize the training of the calf muscles. This can be done by having a clear understanding of how this muscle works.
The gastrocnemius is the name given to the biceps muscle located on the back. At first glance it may seem like there is only one muscle, but in fact there are two muscles. This misconception is due to the fact that you can see and touch only the upper one, under which is located the second one, called the soleus. It is the muscle “invisible” to the eye that is responsible for volume. Increasing, it affects and, as it were, inflates the upper one.
When running and walking, both muscles are used at once. Constant load does not always give the desired result. The main reasons for this may be the following:
To correctly compile a set of training, it should be taken into account that the lower one (soleus) is worked out in a sitting position, and the one located above it (superficial) - in a standing position. To get maximum results, you need to use both the lower and upper muscles in the training.
The key to success is not the constant repetition of the same exercises, but hard training with weights. The regularity of classes should be moderate. It is recommended to train once or twice a week, but no more. Otherwise, it will cause overload and the result will be the opposite of the desired one.
The frequency of training should be such that the cardio loads present in the schedule, if any, are carried out before working with iron. It is best to work the calf muscles at the end of a leg workout, and start with the soleus, since it is stronger than the superficial one.
You should proceed to the actual exercises after warming up. A massage would be an excellent solution; you can do it yourself. There is no difficulty in kneading and massaging your calves yourself. In addition, you need to stretch your fingers and ankles. These “measures” are the prevention of sprains.
You need to start with the simplest exercises, which are warm-up exercises; they can be performed at home.
Stand up, keep your back straight.
Rise up slowly onto your toes. Try to do this so that your heels are as high as possible. Next, take dumbbells. When it is difficult to maintain balance, you can hold on to the support with one hand and take only one weight.
To complicate the exercise, you can alternately perform it first on one and then on the other leg. The main thing is to do it with weights.
Perform the spring 3-4 approaches, 30 in each.
You need to do the exercise slowly.
A simple but effective exercise, the essence of which is to walk on your toes for some time. The main thing is to try not to bend your knees.
Go up and down the steps until your muscles feel tired. You can just walk or step over the steps. It's better to alternate both approaches.
These exercises are very simple, do not require the use of exercise equipment, and can be easily performed at home.
Instead of a platform, you can use ladder degrees.
Keeping your back straight, stand on the edge of the platform or on the step with your toes.
First rise on your tiptoes as high as possible, and then lower your heels all the way so that you can clearly feel the stretch of your ankle. You can lean against the wall with one hand and take a dumbbell in the other hand.
Change the position of your legs. Keep your feet parallel, then move your heels or spread your toes. A combined approach to the exercise will allow you to work different parts of your calves. The parallel position of the feet is aimed at developing the middle part, the shifted heels are on the inside, and the toes are on the outside.
A very complex and difficult exercise with a high load.
Sit down, pick up dumbbells.
Jump as high as possible from the accepted position.
The exercises below are specific. They are aimed at separately pumping up both the superficial and soleus muscles, and are performed using simulators.
Sit on the seat of the machine, place your toes on the steps, point your heels down, and lower the levers onto your knees, and then lock them.
Raise your socks to the maximum possible height, linger at the extreme point.
To ensure the exercise is performed correctly, stretch your calf muscle before each lift.
They are similar to those done using dumbbells at home, but are performed on a machine.
Stand with your toes on the support step, and place your shoulders under the supports. At the same time, your heels should be lowered and tension should be felt in your calves.
Rise as high as possible on your toes.
Hold for a few seconds in the extreme position.
They are done on a leg press machine, which is an extremely effective sports device that perfectly copes with working out all the muscles in the legs and pumping up the calves.
Lying on the machine, straighten your legs, squeezing the platforms, fix the stops.
Remove the platform from the supports, squeeze it out with your toes, and return to its original position.
To avoid injury, use restraints.
Weights should be selected in the same way as plates when performing squats using a barbell. The optimal weight is one that allows you to perform a maximum of eight repetitions and no more than three or four sets.