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Calf Exercises Are Often Overlooked But Here Are Calf Exercises That Are Simple Yet Very Effective For Calf DevelopmentYour calf muscles are no different than any other part of your physique. They must be given the proper attention. Many people use the excuse that it's their genetics that is preventing them from developing great, muscular calf muscles. Do not make this mistake and use genetics as an excuse to avoid doing calf exercises. In fact, there is a lot you can do with various calf exercises to drastically improve the development of your calf muscles. The first thing however, is to eliminate the problems associated with any exercise for your calf muscles and poor calf development. There are two main calf muscles that you should be concerned with when performing any calf exercise. They are the gastrocnemius and the soleus calf muscles. The soleus is a wide, flat muscle that lies beneath the gastrocnemius. The gastrocnemius muscle extends from your knee joint to your ankle joint. Both muscles contract to extend the feet and toes, but the soleus can only fully contract when your leg is bent as with exercises such as the seated calf raise. There are many things that people do during their calf exercises that prevent them from reaching their true potential. These include:
If you have trouble developing your calves you can use the following calf exercises to your advantage. It's very important to remember that when you do any exercise for your calf muscles you need to do them correctly. If you don't you will just be wasting your time. Standing calf raise: This calf weight lifting exercise is a basic calf exercise that works your gastrocnemius muscles. Anytime you are performing standing calf weight lifting exercises you need to ensure that your legs stay locked at the knees. If you can, try and use a standing calf raise machine for this type of calf weight lifting exercise. If you can't, then you can do the calf weight lifting exercise while holding a dumbbell in one hand and balancing yourself with the other. Stand with your toes on the block of a standing calf raise machine and your heels hanging off the end of the platform. Hook your shoulders under the pads place your head between the shoulder pads and straighten your legs, lift the weight clear of the support. Do not hunch but rather keep your body straight. Keeping your legs straight, lower your heels and the weight as far as possible toward the floor. Then rise up on your toes as far as possible until your calves are fully flexed. Hold the contraction briefly, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Seated calf raise: Any exercise for your calf muscles that you perform in a seated position with your legs bent will target the soleus muscles. Calf weight lifting exercises such as this are by far the best way to develop your soleus muscle. Sit on a seated calf raise machine and place your toes on the bottom cross piece, locking your knees under the pads so that the pads rest on the lower part of your quads. And place your feet about shoulder width apart with your toes pointing forward. Slowly lower your heels as far as possible towards the ground. Then press up on your toes until your calves are fully contracted. Flex hard at the top then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. And repeat Try not to rock back and forth, but instead keep your calves working with a steady controlled motion. Donkey calf raises: Calf weight lifting exercises such as the donkey calf exercise is excellent for working your gastrocnemius muscles with some work being done by your soleus muscles. With any exercise for your calf muscles like this, you will to use a donkey calf machine or you will need a partner to help you or a weight belt to attach extra resistance. If you are using the machine begin by placing your middle back on the pad and the balls of your feet on the plate. Now allow your heels to drop as far below your toes as possible, getting a full stretch in your calf muscles. Next slowly rise up as high as you can on to your toes until your calf muscles are fully flexed. Hold this position for a second then slowly reverse the procedure to the start. Then repeat. If you are performing this exercise with a partner stand with the balls of your feet on a block, with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend over and rest your hands on an exercise bench or something to keep your upper body parallel to the floor. While keeping your legs straight have your training partner sit up on your hips and balance in place. From this point on the rest of the exercise is done the same way as if you were using a donkey calf machine. Calf press with a leg press machine: To begin any exercise for your calf muscles like this one, you need to begin by sitting in a leg press machine. Keep your back pressed firmly into the padded seat just as if you were doing a leg press. Now position your toes on the plate at less than shoulder width apart then press the weight rack up as if you were going to do a leg press. The exception being that when you press the weight all the way up lock your knees and slide your feet down so that only the balls of your feet are on the plate.
While keeping your knees locked slowly press your toes as high up as you can. Contract your calves, hold this position for a second then slowly reverse the direction to the starting position and repeat.
To Know About Calf Exercises" |
