Calf Muscles

  Diamond-shaped calves are priceless

There is nothing sexier than shapely legs, especially in high heels (which is the only reason some women strap on the torturous footwear). And nothing demonstrates toned legs better than well-defined calves. The muscles in a well-toned calf can almost take on the shape of a diamond. It’s up to you how strong and defined you want that diamond to be.

What are the calves and where are they located?

The calves are made up of two muscles. The gastrocnemius is a two-headed muscle that starts out just above the knee and is attached to the heel by the Achilles tendon.

The soleus (the larger of the two muscles) is beneath, running from just below the knee to the heel.

What do they do?

The calf muscles stabilize the body during walking, running and jumping.  They flex the foot downward, in what’s known as a plantar flex.

The soleus is put to work during calf exercises done with bent knees, such as seated calf raises, while the gastrocnemius does most of the work in straight-legged calf exercises.

Why you should strengthen your calves

If you don’t want to strengthen your lower legs for visual appeal, it’s a good idea to do it so you’ll prevent injury as you age and during physical activity. Calves are one of the most used muscle groups - we walk on them all day long. It’s important to challenge them beyond what they’re used to doing.

Calf strains and tears can be painful and slow to heal, some lasting several months. Strengthening your calves can help you avoid injury, as long as you do it correctly, which means warming up the muscles, not putting too much force on them and stretching correctly.

Exercises that target the calf muscles

• Standing calf raises - It doesn’t really matter where you stand, on a staircase, aerobic step, weight bench or other, as long as you’ve got something to hold onto for support. This move involves supporting yourself on the balls of your feet and bending at the ankles to raise your body up and down. It can be done with or without added weight.
• Dumbbell calf raises - This move is done while seated on a bench or stability ball with knees bent and feet on the floor, which means it will target the soleus portion of the calves. Dumbbells are held in each hand, resting on the thighs. Raise heels off the floor until you are on the balls of your feet and lower.
• Walking lunges - Soleus muscles assist in this powerhouse move, which involves the entire lower body. Stand with feet together and take a big step forward with one leg, bending the knee so your thigh is parallel to the floor. Don’t let your knee go past your toes. The knee of the other leg should bend and almost touch the ground. Push off with the back foot to return to the starting position and alternate legs.
• Step ups - This move is a compound exercise similar to the standing calf raise. Instead of standing with the balls of both feet on a platform you stand on the ground and step up to a bench or step, one foot at a time.