Many peoples treat calf training as an afterthought. Many people also train there calves only at the end of their workout. Training the calves with low levels of energy will give a poor results because calves are a pair of stubborn muscle that are developed for endurance.
Because the calves are a muscle group that is used constant in the performance of daily tasks, the calves require more training than many people offer for this muscle group. The chart below provide a list of exercises that target the different areas of the lower leg. The gastrocnemius muscles is the pair of muscles that are visible on the surface of the lower leg.
How to Train Your Calves
When a person stands with their knee straight, the gastrocnemius muscles form a diamond shape. The soleus muscles lie beneath the gastrocnemius on the lower leg. A person contracts the soleus muscles when they bends their knee.
Many strong lifter will perform standing calf raise with the intention of targeting the gastrocnemius muscles. They may be unaware that their calves appear flat from the side because they are not contracting the soleus muscle. The soleus muscles make up a large portion of the total mass of the calf muscles.
Because slow-twitch fiber primarily comprise the soleus muscles, they best respond to higher rep ranges for strength and size performance. Both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles should be trained together for most optimal results for the lower leg muscles. The exercises in the chart target the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle with different positions of the knee.
When the knee is kept straight, the standing exercises mainly target the gastrocnemius muscles. When the knee is bent, such as during seated exercises, the soleus muscles are target. The distinction in the type of exercises that are performed impacts whether a person develops height or thickness in the calf muscle.
Single-leg exercises target muscle imbalance in the lower leg and fix them, leading to better results then training bilateral exercise with heavier load. Plyometric exercises will target the fast-twitch fibers of the calf muscles. The plyometric exercises include box jump, jump rope, and short sprints.
These types of exercises will train the elastic property of the Achilles tendon. Lifting the calves without plyometric movement will not train the elastic properties of the Achilles tendon. These types of exercises will lead to more better definition in the calves.
While plyometric exercises should not be used in every training routine for the calves, they should be incorporated into the training routine a couple time per week to enable the calves to respond to the training. While genetics will determine the length of the calf muscles relative to the Achilles tendon, the size and strength of the calves can still be trained. An individual with a high insertion point mean that there is less muscle to develop the strength and size of the calf muscles.
While training cannot change the insertion point of the calf muscles, the individual can still develop the strength of their available calf muscles. The calves should be trained four to six times per week. The calf muscles has the ability to recover quickly.
Daily walking will provide the calves with a baseline level of training that they need for the calf muscles to develop. Compared to the other muscle of the body, the calves can recover more frequent. Form is essential for training the calves because the range of motion of the calves is very limited.
With such a limited range of motion when performing calf muscle exercises, an individual could easily develop bad form when training the calves. The technique section of the chart target both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles with a full stretch at the bottom of the exercise and a deliberate pause at the top of the exercise. Using these technique will prevent bouncing and allow the tension to remain within the calf muscles.
Furthermore, slowing the lowering phase of the exercise will increase the growth signal of the calf muscles. The tibialis anterior is a pair of muscle on the shin in the lower leg. Individuals who perform strength training exercises for their lower leg rarely train these muscles.
Including these exercises will provide better stability to the ankle joint and improve the appearance of the lower leg. Neglecting the tibialis anterior muscles can cause imbalance in the lower leg that may result in pain when running or jumping.
