Beautiful legs are the pride and undeniable dignity of every woman. Due to the modern lifestyle, the shape of the legs often leaves much to be desired: sedentary work, traveling on public transport or a private car lead to the fact that the calf muscles do not work enough during everyday activities. To have graceful, slender and toned legs, you need to exercise regularly.
Those who are involved in bodybuilding know that calves are one of the hardest muscles to “punch through”, and it is quite difficult to pump them up. This happens because, unlike the muscles of the back, abs, or biceps, these muscles are used regularly by us to varying degrees. This article contains examples of the best calf exercises for both home and gym exercises, accompanied by photos and videos, as well as tips for working on them effectively. Let's get started!
For exercise to give positive results, it is worth knowing the anatomy of the leg muscles. The lower leg includes three muscle groups - posterior, anterior and external. The muscles of the outer and anterior groups are very small and almost invisible, so you mainly need to pump up the rear muscles . The posterior group consists of two large muscles - the soleus and gastrocnemius.
These muscles are physiologically adapted to long-term physical activity, as they work during almost any of our movements. The fibers from which the calf muscles are formed are not prone to increasing volume. Therefore, in order to stimulate their growth, it is necessary to load the calves to failure, and for this it is not enough to walk or exercise with your body weight. To form a beautiful calf shape, you need to regularly exercise with weights, and then you will be able to notice a positive result.
More information on how to pump up your calves at home is described in the fitness program in the next paragraph.
1. Selecting training days. For example, Monday - Thursday - Sunday. When choosing days, keep in mind
2. Each day of practice, choose three exercises you like from the list below.
3 . Do 3-5 sets , resting a couple of minutes between sets. Each approach includes 15-30 repetitions . In general, their number depends on your endurance. If you can do more than 30 repetitions per set, this means that the selected dumbbell weight is too light.
You can perform the exercises at any convenient time, in front of the TV or listening to your favorite music.
This is the basic, most basic exercise. Stand straight, put your feet together, lower your arms with dumbbells along your body. It is advisable to find some kind of support: this is necessary for greater amplitude during movements. Place your socks on a ladder, door threshold, or thick board. Then rise on your toes as high as possible, and then slowly lower to the starting position. The calf muscle is more involved here. To thoroughly work both heads of the muscle, you can perform raises with your toes together or spread apart. If you bring the socks together, the outer part of the calf will work more, and if you spread them out, the inner calves will work more.
The correct technique is shown in the video:
Sit on a chair or exercise ball. Place your hands with weights on your knees. Raise your feet on your toes and freeze in this position for 2-3 seconds, and then lower your heels back to the floor. This exercise focuses on the soleus muscle. You can see an example of how to pump up your calves while sitting on a fitball in the photo.
Stand straight, spread your legs slightly narrower than your shoulders. Take dumbbells in your hands. Then do squats, standing on your toes. Pull your buttocks back, keeping your back straight, and then slowly rise to the starting position. Here, not only the calves are pumped, but also the muscles of the thighs and buttocks.
A very simple and not so boring exercise. Take dumbbells or water bottles in your hands, rise high on your toes and walk around the apartment. Try to bend your knees as little as possible. Do this until you feel a strong burning sensation in your calves.
This exercise can be done in the entrance if the neighbors do not bother you. Take dumbbells and walk up the stairs, stepping on your toes. You can step over the step: in this case, the gluteal muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings will also work. The exercise should be performed for 15-20 minutes until the muscles completely fail. One approach is sufficient here.
Stand up straight, take dumbbells in your hands. There will be enough small dumbbells here, you can even do without them. Squat down and jump up from this position; repeat 15-30 times. This exercise burns calories perfectly and will help not only pump up your calves, but also lose weight.
The video shows the technique of performing the exercise:
This exercise is familiar to many from school physical education lessons. It can also be done with light weight. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and hold a chair or lean against a wall with the other. Extend one leg forward and squat on the other 15-30 times.
It is recommended to periodically change the exercise program, as well as regularly increase weight. Constantly performing the same exercises with the same weight becomes addictive, and the muscles stop responding to the load. As soon as you feel that you can take larger dumbbells, feel free to do so!
If you don't have dumbbells, you can pick up any suitable heavy objects, such as water bottles. Dumbbells can also be replaced with special weights that are worn on the legs.
If you work out in the gym, do not forget to pay full attention to the muscles of the lower leg. The contrast between toned buttocks and thin calves does not look very harmonious. The above set of exercises is suitable for the gym, but you can add other exercises to it - on special simulators. Beginners should exercise on simulators only under the supervision of a trainer in order to avoid mistakes and avoid injuries.
A great alternative to dumbbell curls. Stand under the barbell so that it is directly above your shoulder blades. Place your toes on the platform. Perform lifts slowly and with maximum amplitude. The Smith machine allows you to use more weight than with dumbbells, and the load will be more isolated. If the bar rubs or puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders, you can wrap it with a towel or a special foam pad.
Performed in a leg press machine. For the first time, try doing the exercise without weights to master the technique. Using too much weight can easily strain your tendons. Lie down on the machine, press the platform up, and press your toes against the bottom edge of the platform. Release the side supports and push the platform with your toes up, and then slowly lower it down until the muscles are stretched to maximum. The toe press should be performed carefully, preferably with an assistant who will insure you.
Sit in the exercise machine and place your socks on special stands, fixing your knees under the support. Lower your heels as far as possible, and then slowly raise your toes as high as possible. Hold this position briefly and then lower your heels again. This simulator is designed to pump the soleus muscle.
Other similar simulators in which lifts are performed in an inclined position are also suitable for this exercise. Stand under the platform, place your toes on the stand, and place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Release the clamps and straighten your knees. Lower your heels and then lift up until you feel a stretch in your calves.
To speed up the growth of the lower leg muscles, you need to listen to the following recommendations:
Now on the Internet you can find many different training programs that supposedly will allow you to increase your calves and other muscles in a week, or even less. In fact, it is impossible to achieve noticeable results in a week. There is no such “magic” program that tells you how to quickly pump up your calves at home without much effort. Moreover, the calf muscles, as mentioned above, are the most difficult to pump up. With due diligence, muscle growth can be observed after no less than a month of regular and intense training. Much here depends on genetics: for some, the muscles quickly respond to the load, while for others it takes many months to achieve the desired shape of the legs.
We wish you good luck in building your ideal body!
It is difficult to pump up your calf muscles and make your legs beautiful, but it is quite possible. It’s difficult because the legs are accustomed to constant stress, because people walk a lot. And perhaps this becomes thanks to proven exercises that can effectively train this muscle group.
Many will be interested in learning how to pump up calves at home. For this, there are basic exercises that can be done at home. Of course, training in the gym using special equipment will be more effective. But, as they say, patience and work will grind everything down. Therefore, by paying due attention to home training, it is quite possible to achieve good results. You just need to approach your classes wisely and avoid overload. If your calf muscle hurts, then you need to reduce the intensity of your training. The muscles should feel tired, “burning”, but not pain.
Beautiful legs are needed not only by the fair half of humanity, but also by men. Nothing looks more ugly than a well-toned torso on thin and weak legs. But with well-shaped legs, the body looks simply great. And nothing will help with this more than properly organized training of the calf muscles. But before you start training, it will be useful to know how these muscles work.
The gastrocnemius muscle is the biceps muscle on the back of the leg. At first glance, it seems that there is only one muscle there. But that's not true. There are actually two muscles. On top is the superficial muscle, which can be seen and touched. And underneath it is a muscle called the soleus. It is the soleus muscle that provides volume. As it increases, it “inflates” the muscle located on the surface.
When walking and running, both of these muscles actively work. The reasons why the calf muscles are not developed as you would like may be the following:
You need to choose the right exercises for the calf muscles. It should be taken into account that the superficial muscle is worked in a standing position, and the soleus muscle in a sitting position. For the workout to be as effective as possible, it is necessary to load both muscles.
Don't try to achieve serious results by performing endless repetitions, such as calf raises. The main secret to pumping up your calf muscles is heavy weight training. It is recommended to train calves no more than 2 times a week.
If you have cardio training in your schedule, it is better to do it before working with iron. You should work on your calves after completing your leg workout. And you should always start by working on the soleus muscle, since it is stronger.
As always before training, before you begin to perform exercises on the calf muscles, you need to warm up these muscles. Self-massage will help with this; fortunately, there is no difficulty in massaging this area on your own. It is also necessary to stretch the joints of the ankles and fingers. This will help avoid sprains during exercise.
You need to start with simple warm-up exercises.
Stand up straight, keeping your back straight.
Slowly rise onto your toes, trying to raise your heels as high as possible.
Then the exercise is performed with weights. To do this, simply pick up dumbbells. If it is difficult to maintain balance with two dumbbells, train with one, holding the support with the other hand.
As a more challenging version of this exercise, you can perform it by standing up alternately on one leg and then on the other. Also with weights. Perform 3-4 sets of 30 times.
The exercise must be performed slowly.
An elementary, but quite effective exercise. It consists of rising on your toes and walking on them for a while, trying not to bend your knees.
Just go up and down the stairs for as long as possible until your muscles feel tired. You can walk either at a normal pace or by stepping over the steps. It is best to alternate these two types of walking.
These simple exercises will not be difficult to perform at home, because special exercise equipment is not required to perform them.
If there is no platform, you can perform these exercises on a step.
Stand with your toes on the edge of the platform or on a step. Keep your back straight.
Rise on tiptoes as high as possible. Lower your heels as much as possible, significantly stretching your ankle. You can take a dumbbell in your hand, resting your other hand on the wall.
Alternate the position of your legs, keeping your feet parallel, moving your heels or spreading your toes. This will help work different parts of the calf muscle. With the feet parallel, the middle part is worked, with the heels shifted, the inner surface of the muscle is worked. If the toes are shifted, then the main load falls on the outer surface.
This exercise loads the calf muscles quite seriously.
Squat. Dumbbells in hands.
Jump out of the squat as high as possible.
There are also specific exercises aimed at working separately the soleus and separately the superficial gastrocnemius muscles. Let's look at them, and at the same time learn how to pump calves in the gym.
Raise your socks as high as possible. Pause in the final position.
Before each repetition, pay attention to stretching the soleus muscle.
Performed on a leg press machine.
Lying in the exercise machine with your knees bent.
Squeeze the platform of the exercise machine with your toes.
Use limiters and pause.
We have already looked at standing calf raises, which can be done at home by holding dumbbells in your hands. Here is the same lift, only using a simulator.
Rise up onto your toes as high as possible.
In the final position there should be a pause.
Use restraints to avoid accidents. Pause in the final position.
When performing these exercises, just like when doing squats with a barbell, you should select the weight so that the maximum number of repetitions does not exceed 8 times, and the number of sets does not exceed 3-4.
Many women are dissatisfied with the size of their legs or legs in general and dream of reducing their calves even through surgery. But is this really the only way?
In fact, there are less expensive and dangerous methods that you can use:
Move your legs even while sitting! To quickly lengthen your shin, stretch it at any moment. Sitting on a chair with your back straight and pressed against the back, rotate your left leg clockwise and counterclockwise 6-10 times. Repeat the movement with the other leg.
Removing the calves on the legs like folds on the stomach or riding breeches will not work, since the lower leg rarely accumulates fat, and its shape is determined by the calf muscle. An increase in the fat layer occurs, especially in winter, but with regular walking, the calves regain their slender state quite easily. Thus, regular aerobic physical activity helps to remove fat - walking long distances will be ideal for any level of fitness.
Losing fat on your legs and calves in a week is real, but difficult. Working for speed involves increasing the intensity of the load - using jumps. Of course, fat will burn, and leg muscles will strengthen in response to tension in them. Since a person uses a muscle often, the body receives a signal - it needs to be grown.
A set of exercises will help you quickly burn fat and avoid getting too inflated calves if it combines three types of loads:
Each exercise is performed for a minute without a break. First, we perform calf raises without using dumbbells. Then we jump from side to side, you can pause if your breathing becomes difficult.
We perform side jumps in the “skater” style - we jump from foot to foot, tilting the body and moving the bent leg back.
At the fourth minute, we get into the plie position - with our feet wider than our shoulders, squat down and begin to lift our heels off the floor one by one.
Fifth minute - stretching against the wall: we put one leg back, rest our hands on the wall and lean forward, bending our left leg at the knee, and touching the floor with our right heel - 30 seconds for each leg.
Sixth minute – bent over stretch: put one leg forward on the heel, bend your body forward, keeping your back straight, and pull your toes towards you.
“Bottles” is a popular name for legs with developed calf muscles. Most likely, a girl with voluminous calves has an enviable rounded butt and arms without sagging - heredity determines the shape of the muscles.
To correct it, you need to maintain physical activity at the level of 2-3 aerobic workouts per week, as well as actively engage in stretching, for example, power yoga.
Downward-facing dog pose gives a good stretch to the calf muscles. Get into a plank position on your palms. Lift your pelvis up, squeezing your abs, stretching the backs of your legs, and arching your upper back.
The heels tend to the floor, and then a tension is felt in the calves. In this position, try to walk forward on straight legs. Do 10-20 steps in three approaches, improving stretching.
Perform the reverse “procedure”. Instead of building muscle mass in the lower leg area, burn it with cardio exercises. But remember that the muscles go away evenly on all legs. To preserve the muscle mass of the rest of the legs, back and arms, you will have to load them even more intensely, and simply forget about the calves for a while, add slow running for 40-60 minutes.
To quickly remove calf muscles or fat from your legs means that you are aiming to change your body composition. “Replace” fat with muscle or burn both. Cells do not burn out in a day, nor do they grow.
You can lose weight only with a caloric deficit of at least 250 kcal per day in combination with cardio or an “on your feet” lifestyle - mobility and activity. Be slim and irresistible!
What muscles will you need to train?
To pump up your calves on your legs, you need to know what muscles our legs are made of. Among them:
Stories of how stars trained their calves (popular exercises by Arnold Schwarzenegger)
“Iron Arnie” is the proud owner of large, prominent leg muscles. But how did he achieve this? His advice and training methods will help answer the question of how a man or girl can build up their calves.
This famous bodybuilder himself developed an exercise regimen using light weights. That is why this option can also be used by lovely ladies. It is enough to rise on your toes with a weight of up to 300 kg for 8-10 repetitions. You can use the “pyramid” method, when gradually, with each approach, the weight is dropped, but the number of repetitions increases.
Believe me: Arnold knows exactly how to build better calves for girls. It is enough to select the required weight. But remember - it shouldn't be too small!
How to pump up your calves as quickly as possible? It's simple. It is enough to develop the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in your legs to the maximum. They form the round shape of this part of the body. Below we suggest getting acquainted with the most effective exercises.
Calf raises standing, sitting
If you don’t know how to pump up your calves at home, then you should take a closer look at this exercise. It is basic and works all the important muscles of the lower leg. Ideally, of course, you will need a simulator to perform, but dumbbells will be enough. So, the technique:
Legs slightly bent. This is for safety and convenience.
The final result depends on how the calves are anatomically located (low or extremely high) - how you will be able to pump up your calf muscles. Each option has its own amplitude. The upward emphasis should be present in those who have high calf muscles. Particular attention is paid to the lower point by those who have rather “low-set” calves.
We perform 8-10 times for each approach.
This is another exercise that will answer the question of how to pump up the calf muscles of a girl or man. It is better to do it not at home, but in the gym. This will be safer, and it will also be possible to load heavier weights. The bottom line is that the legs bent at an angle of 90 degrees are loaded with weight. It will have to be constantly lowered and raised from a position as low as possible. It is necessary to “stretch” the workout, working the shins in each position. Such classes will help anyone who is interested in how best to pump the inner calves.
“Donkey” for thickening the shins
Another training that helps you achieve such a result as pumping up your calves on your legs is “Donkey”. It needs to be done from a position where the toes of the feet stand on a height of 15-20 cm. We bend forward and lean on some horizontal plane. It turns out that as a result, the hip joints are located directly above the toes.
Additional load can be applied. Then the partner sits on the exerciser’s back. Moreover, you need to sit very low so that the weight falls on your legs.
Finally, lower your heels as low as possible. Now we rise until the muscle contracts completely. We repeat this a lot about 8-10 times.
Do you want to know how to pump up the calves of a girl or a man? Then it is important to study not only the basic stages of training, but also its pattern, duration and regularity. You will get good results if you do no more than 20 minutes at a time. Any more time will be useless, and perhaps even harmful. In total, you can do 3 approaches to each exercise per workout. Otherwise, there is a possibility of getting even microdamages, which will not develop the lower legs.
Together with calves, you can train any other part of the body. But it is worth remembering that special attention should not be paid to the legs more than 2 times a week.
Reviews from those who have already practiced and received their results
“I decided to improve the shape of my legs, especially the bottom. I do only 2 exercises (calf raises from a standing and sitting position). I exercise once every 5 days for 15 minutes. This is quite enough. After a month I already noticed changes. The main thing is not to stop.”
“I didn’t know how to pump up my calves. I read how Schwarzenegger did it. Now I’m working according to his scheme. 2 months and shins are like iron. I’m not stopping.”
Do you have weak calves and do you blame it on genetics? A targeted calf training program will give you a new look at this muscle group. Discover exercises that will help you tone your calves!
We all either love or hate the G word: Genetics. If genetics has gifted us with certain areas of the body, we consider ourselves lucky. But if we are faced with difficulties and difficult tasks, we begin to curse it and practically give up the idea of pumping up the symmetrical and proportional body that we dream of every day.
Why are we great at pumping up some muscles and not at all able to pump up others?
Most often we are talking about calves. In all my years of training, I have met only a few athletes who were happy with the size of their calves. Most trainers simply don’t know what else to do to build muscle mass on the calves, and reduce all exercises for this group to a few approaches at the end of the workout.
I hope that this article will help at least a little for those who still dream of impressive calves. You may not be able to build huge, bowling-ball-sized muscles, but I truly believe that almost anyone can add significant muscle mass to their calves and improve their overall body proportions. You like to wear shorts in the summer... right?
Building muscle in a weak spot is a very difficult task. You will need focus, discipline, determination and attention to detail. To target a weak spot (no matter what part of the body it is), you will need to change the frequency, volume, and technique of the exercises.
A few sets of calf raises at the end of a super-intense hamstrings and quads workout won't solve the problem. You need to radically reconsider your training program and your attitude towards business. Your success depends largely on the belief that you can achieve your goal. Without it, you are unlikely to succeed.
Treat the program and techniques presented in this article like an intense series of bench presses or squats. Using a full range of motion, stretching and contracting your muscles, and paying special attention to rest periods will help you achieve the results you need. Be patient, persistent and let's get started!
The musculature of the lower leg includes three main muscle groups. Let's look at each group and its function.
Gastrocnemius : This muscle with two heads (medial and lateral) originates behind the knee on the femur and is attached to the heel by the Achilles tendon. The heads are responsible for the famous diamond shape of the muscle that every trainer dreams of, and are most involved when exercises are performed with straight knees.
Soleus : This muscle is located under the gastrocnemius on the back of the lower leg. It is most involved when the knees are bent.
Tibialis Anterior : The least overlooked muscle is located at the front of the shin and is responsible for dorsiflexion of the foot (extends the foot and lifts the edge of the foot). The importance of the tibialis anterior muscle is that it is partly responsible for balance as it relates to strength, muscle mass and injury prevention.
Now that you know about the anatomy and movement mechanisms, let's figure out how to get impressive calves. The movements and exercises presented are designed to get maximum results every time you visit the gym. Remember to always use proper technique and not lift too much weight to risk your safety.
Calf raises are a time-tested exercise for building overall muscle mass in the calves, especially in the calf area. To perform it, secure your shoulders under the pads of the machine and stand on the balls of your feet on the block below, with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
The legs should be completely straight except for a slight bend in the knees to take the stress off the joint. While performing the exercise, your knees should remain half-bent.
Slowly move down, lowering your heels towards the floor. When you reach full range of motion and feel a deep stretch in your calves, reverse the movement, lift up on the balls of your feet and squeeze the muscles as much as possible.
Important: When rising onto the balls of your feet, don't strain your toes—let your feet do all the work. Also, avoid rocking at the bottom or making similar movements throughout the exercise. Many athletes perform this exercise exactly this way and get virtually no results from the effort expended. The result will only be achieved if you perform the exercise at a calm, even pace.
Tip: If your gym does not have a normal machine for performing calf raises with various weights, you can use other options. Try doing sit-ups on a Smith machine. Place a footrest under the loaded bar and perform the exercise as above. No stand? Use free plates or step.
Another great exercise for any calf training program is seated calf raises, which develop the soleus muscle. Thanks to this exercise, you can add width (when viewed from the front) and thickness (when viewed from the side) to your calves.
Secure your knees (not your hips) with the exercise pads and place your feet on the platform below, shoulder-width apart. As with the standing version of the exercise, use the full range of motion - you should feel the muscles stretch and squeeze your calves firmly at the top. Don't wiggle your legs!
Tip: If your gym doesn't have a machine for doing seated calf raises, try setting one up yourself. To do this, you can use either a Smith machine or a loaded barbell. For comfort, wrap a soft pad around the bar or place a thick, folded towel on your thighs while performing this exercise.
Place a stand, step or plate under the balls of your feet and secure your knees under the bar. When using a Smith machine, lift the bar and remove it from the rack (it's also a good idea to install safety pins just in case).
When working with free weights, have a partner place a loaded barbell across your thighs and keep your hands on it for balance and safety. Perform the exercise as above.
Another great exercise for general muscle building is calf raises on a leg press machine. They are usually performed on a leg press machine with the back at a 45-degree angle and are an excellent option when the necessary machines are occupied or unavailable.
The secret that distinguishes this option from the others discussed above is to maintain an angle in the hips as close as possible to 90 degrees. When done correctly, the calf muscles will stretch incredibly.
Sit in the machine, place your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly - just like when doing this exercise in a standing position. Lower the weight to stretch the muscles, then slowly lift it up for an intense contraction.
Important: Many athletes load a lot of weight and do not complete the movements (the biggest mistake in calf training). Make sure there is enough weight, but not too much weight where you can only lift the slab halfway. Full stretch and full contraction is the only way to make the exercise effective.
In many ways, they resemble the previous version of the “donkey” calf raises. You may have seen videos of this exercise performed by Arnold or Franco during the Golden Era of bodybuilding.
You will need one or two brave friends to complete this exercise. Simply stand on a stand on the balls of your feet (as you would for simple standing sit-ups), bend at the hips, and place your hands on a Smith machine bench or bar. Your partner should climb on your back to add pressure. Perform with straight legs, full stretch and full muscle contraction.
One of the best ways to build muscle mass in the calves is considered to be one-leg calf raises, which, however, are used very rarely. Very few people do these exercises, but if you do, you will significantly strengthen and pump up your lower legs.
Why? Because many athletes do not reach their full potential due to discrepancies in the strength and development of the muscles in their lower legs. Once this point is eliminated, you can move on and begin to build muscle mass on your calves evenly.
These exercises can be done with dumbbells or without a dumbbell in your hand (if you're a beginner, we recommend starting without a dumbbell to practice the movements). Find a stand and place one foot on it as you would for a standard standing sit-up (leg straight, knee slightly bent, back straight).
If you are using a dumbbell, hold it on the side of your working leg, grab a vertical rack for stability and perform the exercise with strict technique (fully stretch the muscles and lift up on the ball of your foot for a full contraction).
Tip: If you find yourself doing more reps on one leg than the other (which is very common), do a few extra reps with strength on your weaker leg. Help yourself a little with your hand without a dumbbell, slightly pulling yourself up on the rack you are holding on to. The muscle will work very intensely, and you will soon notice that the mass is growing evenly.
The exercise that everyone always forgets (or ignores) is heel raises. Primarily used by runners, it will not only add muscle mass to the front of the calf, but will also help strengthen the area, balancing both sides.
This, in turn, will improve your technique and reduce the risk of injury to all lower leg muscles, resulting in a more harmonious and proportionate body.
Simply place your heels on a support and lower your feet down to stretch the muscles. Rise up on your heels and bend your toes upward, pointing your toes toward the ceiling. You don't need weights for this exercise because you may realize that this is your new weak point. Try not to sway back and forth - strictly follow the technique and you will feel how the muscles work!
Perform one of the following programs 1-2 times per week with at least 4 days of rest between workouts for maximum results. You can alternate exercises and choose those that suit you best.
Note: Perform 1 or 2 warm-up sets of 15–20 reps on the first exercise. Rest only 45-60 seconds between sets (use a watch if necessary). Vary your calf exercise routine twice a week.
Hello, dear readers!
In this article we will look at how to pump up your calves . As often happens, only the girl approached her cherished parameters and discovered, or rather did not discover, caviar. They became flat and expressionless. Why this happens and how to pump up your calves using homemade methods - this will be discussed in this article. After all, developed calves are not only beauty, but also the health of our musculoskeletal system. As always, I look forward to your questions in the comments.
When we talk about calves, we are talking about the back of the lower leg. From the back, the shape of the lower leg is formed by two muscles:
If these muscles are susceptible to dystrophy, due to a number of reasons, this jeopardizes the health of the joints through which they pass (ankle and knee). Since our musculoskeletal system works as a single system, those joints that are located above suffer - the hip, spine, and so on.
The soleus muscle plays a huge role in ensuring venous outflow. When it is strong and well developed, it acts as a powerful muscular pump, driving blood through the veins to the heart. Developed calf muscles are an excellent prevention of varicose veins.
What can affect the shape of these muscles?
Firstly, genetics. In some people, calves are not expressed due to heredity.
Secondly, what most often leads to thin legs is our lifestyle and diet. A sedentary lifestyle often leads to muscles atrophying as unnecessary. A low-calorie diet also deals a serious blow to a person’s muscle mass, making it lean and atrophied.
Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised that your gorgeous calves have disappeared after you went on another unbalanced diet.
The whole difficulty of working with these muscles is that they are very strong. They work every day, carrying our own weight along with the weight of bags, children and other additional burdens.
It is known that in order to start the process of muscle growth, more significant loads than usual are required. And these should be power loads.
Cardio, such as step or running on stairs, will only help with significant atrophy. Then the muscles will simply return to normal, and only if there is a balanced diet with sufficient calories. Excessive endurance training can also lead to muscle atrophy.
Another plus in the direction of strength training is the fact that the soleus muscle consists of approximately 80% slow-twitch fibers, designed to work with significant weight. That is, working without weight for a large number of repetitions will be absolutely ineffective.
Then the muscles will simply return to normal, and only with a balanced diet.
So, we’ve sorted out the causes of muscle dystrophy and thin calves, let’s move on to exercises.
Let's get back to anatomy for a moment. The soleus muscle (4) passes through only one joint - the ankle. Its upper part is attached below the knee joint.
The gastrocnemius muscle consists of two halves (1 and 2) and passes through two joints. From above it is attached above the knee joint, from below it passes through the ankle joint.
Under normal conditions, both muscles perform the work, with the gastrocnemius taking the main load. The soleus helps her in critical situations, for example, taking a wide step forward (lunging jump over a large puddle or when running up a few steps on a ladder).
Accordingly, developing the calf muscle is quite simple - the main thing is to take significant weights (remember that this is a very strong muscle and we need to surprise it with heavy weight).
If you train in a gym, there are special machines there. If you are at home, then the most suitable exercise is to stand with your toes on a strong elevation (step), holding on to the support with one hand so as not to lose your balance. You can put a backpack with a suitable weight on your back or put a Bulgarian bag on your shoulders. Make sure your feet are level and strictly parallel . Now rise up on your toes and lower down. Your heels should go lower than the step you are standing on.
The soleus muscle is somewhat more difficult to load. To work effectively, it is necessary to completely exclude the participation of the gastrocnemius muscle. The easiest way to do this is to bend your leg at the knee joint. Then the distance between the attachment points of the calf muscle will be reduced; it will relax and will not be able to participate in the work. That is, it is necessary:
If you are training at home, you can put a suitable weight on your knees (a bag of anything) or sit an older child on your lap and play with him the game “over the bumps, over the bumps, along a flat path, into the hole, bang!” 🙂
The number of repetitions of each exercise is selected individually, but no more than 10-12 times per approach.
So, in fact, we looked at the two most effective exercises for increasing the volume of the calves.
The main thing to remember is that:
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“Chicken legs” is what people in the world of foreign bodybuilding call the owners of a pumped up torso with skinny legs. You've probably seen a picture more than once in your gym, when a guy has a wide back and massive arms, but at the same time all this mass walks on thin chicken legs.
Unfortunately, this picture occurs all the time; many iron lovers focus all their attention only on the upper body, forgetting or completely avoiding training their legs. This approach to training is fundamentally wrong, and not only because the disproportion in muscle development looks ridiculous.
Leg training is also important from a physiological point of view to maintain the health and longevity of your joints, because strong leg muscles relieve stress on the knee and hip joints. Each kg of weight gained greatly increases the load on the joints, so if the leg muscles are not developed, the latter work for wear and tear. Therefore, today we will look at how to pump up your legs and the best basic leg exercises.
First of all, let's look at how the leg muscles are built; they can be roughly divided into the front and back parts. The anterior part is formed by the quadriceps femoris (quadriceps), which consists of: the rectus femoris, vastus internus, vastus externus, vastus medius. The mass of the back muscles of the legs is the biceps femoris (biceps femoris), as well as the triceps surae, which in turn is formed from three muscles: the gastrocnemius, soleus and plantaris.
To fully develop the leg muscles, you need to train all three groups: quadriceps, hamstrings and additionally load the calves. In this case, the load should be distributed evenly on the front and back of the legs.
When training legs, one often sins by being overly enthusiastic about various bench presses, which leads to overdevelopment of the quadriceps to the detriment of the femoral biceps. This imbalance is harmful from an anatomical point of view and can cause knee pain.
Safety and moderation are the most important principles in training leg muscles, since the quality and longevity of training depends on health.
In this regard, you need to select the right and safe exercises and, most importantly, perform them with perfect technique.
There are many different exercises for developing leg muscles, these are different types of squats, lunges with a barbell or dumbbells, leg extensions and curls on block machines, leg presses and straight-legged barbell rows. As you can see, the arsenal is large, but not all of these exercises have the desired effectiveness, especially at the beginning of training with iron.
We will not give advice to professional athletes; they already have sufficient experience to build their training according to the characteristics of the body, as well as goals and objectives for a certain period of time.
No matter what anyone says, the most effective and, believe it or not, safe exercise for developing the muscles of the legs, and the whole body as a whole, are squats with a barbell. Yes, it is squats that build the raw mass of the legs, squats strengthen the hamstrings and thereby strengthen our knee joints.
When performing squats, we use almost all the muscles of the body, so this exercise has a high hormonal response, which, translated into simple language, means that by performing squats with a barbell, we gain overall muscle mass faster. It’s not for nothing that there is a proverb: if your arms don’t grow, start squatting!
Therefore, this exercise comes first in our rating; naturally, the benefits of squats can only be obtained if the exercise is performed with impeccable technique and with moderate working weights.
When squatting with a barbell, you should make sure that your knees do not go beyond the line of your toes and move towards your big toe. The back should be straight and slightly arched in the lower back, you should look straight ahead or up, but under no circumstances should you turn your head.
Squats with a barbell work the quadriceps and hamstrings, but the latter, like the calves, work to a lesser extent, so they should always be worked on additionally.
You can squat using different techniques and with different leg positions; the best option for distributing the load between the quadriceps and hamstrings is the average leg position or the one that is anatomically comfortable for you. To determine this position, remove the bar from the racks, close your eyes and take a pose for squats, placing your feet in a comfortable position, open your eyes and remember the placement of your feet, this will be your comfortable and safe version of squats.
Also, when performing squats, you should not fall below the parallel of the lower part of the biceps of the thigh to the floor, this will protect your knees from unnecessary overload, while your legs will receive enough load for growth. You should avoid deep squats if you do not want to become the owner of a big butt, since with a low squat, most of the load is taken by the buttocks.
Many people replace squats with leg presses and avoid this exercise; for some, doctors have forbidden axial loading, while others are simply afraid of being “injured”; in each case there is a reason. But believe me, if you go to the gym and carry iron, you are no longer disabled and can fully exercise. Barbell squats don't have to involve huge weights, bandaged knees and loud screams. You can happily squat with a comfortable weight, which, according to the advice of experienced sports traumatologists, is a weight equal to your own.
Just start squatting without weight, then add load.
If you have injuries or weak joints and don’t know how to train your legs safely, start with regular squats without weight, then squats with a body bar, then with a bar, increase the weight very slowly, feel your muscles and joints.
Before you start squatting with weights, you should first strengthen your back by performing hyperextensions with additional weight.
Remember the main rules for a safe squat - do not straighten your legs completely at the top of the movement and squat smoothly and under control.
Next on the list is the Romanian deadlift; this exercise also includes the entire array of muscles in the body while specifically working the back of the thigh and lower back.
The Romanian deadlift perfectly stretches the hamstrings, gives them shape and makes them strong, this exercise is very effective and cannot be replaced by any lying leg curls. The reason for this is the same high hormonal response, thanks to the work of a large number of muscles in this exercise.
Since the Romanian deadlift engages the lower back muscles, it can be performed on back day or on leg day before squats.
You should not do Romanian deadlifts with heavy weights in a refusal style more than once every two weeks.
In a correct and safe technique, the knees should be slightly bent, the lower back should be arched, the gaze should be straight ahead, the head should be fixed.
To train your calves, you can choose any exercise that suits your taste, but it is better to alternate different exercises at each leg workout. There are a number of special machines in the gym for working your calves; if your gym doesn’t have any, then the simplest option is to do calf raises while standing on one leg with a dumbbell in your hand.
A special place in this story is occupied by the leg press machine; you need to bypass all the leg press machines where the weight is adjusted by weights. They are usually angled at the top and have special protrusions on the sides for hanging pancakes. These devices are extremely dangerous for the knee joints due to incorrect anatomical movement during the exercise. Believe me, it is better to squat with a 60 kg barbell than to bench press 200 kg on a leg press machine.
An exception may be leg press machines with a horizontal block weight system. They should be used at the beginning of leg training as a warm-up exercise for 15-20 repetitions in 3-4 approaches.
There are also various leg bending and extension exercises, but their effectiveness for developing leg muscles is extremely questionable; they are used as pumping at the end of leg training for athletes of average and high levels of fitness.
For a beginner lover of iron sports, it is enough to perform squats with a barbell, Romanian deadlifts and one exercise for calves; this is quite enough to develop powerful and strong legs. Also read how to pump up your calves.
The complex consists of 3 cycles, after completing the last week the complex is repeated. In working approaches, the weight is selected in such a way that the last repetition is at the limit. In the last recovery week, exclusively light recovery exercises are performed in the “pumping” mode.
The first number is the number of approaches, the second is the number of repetitions, rest between approaches is 2-3 minutes. Before starting the complex, a general warm-up of the whole body and warm-up of the knee joints are required.
Barbell squats – 3x6
Romanian Deadlift – 3x6
Calf exercise – 4x12
Leg press in a horizontal block machine – 3x15-20
Barbell squats – 4x10
Romanian Deadlift – 4x10
Leg press in a horizontal block machine – 4x20
Lying leg curls on a block machine – 4x20