Everyone has both abandonment and advanced muscle groups. We should never give up, even if we have bad genetics in certain muscle groups. And to strive to give everything we are capable of and we will see that the results will come by themselves.
We all like genetics to some extent. There are muscle groups that work for us, and there are those for which we have to work hard to build them. When we have well-developed muscle groups at birth, we say we are gifted. But when we face difficulty, we curse our genetics. We should never give up, even if we have bad genetics in certain muscle groups. And to strive to build a symmetrical and proportional body. Most people are not happy with the shape and size of their calves. But do they train it enough to build more muscle.
I hope this article will shed some light and hope on those who still want to build muscle mass in the calf area. You may not be able to build huge, grooved bowling balls, but I honestly believe that anyone can add a significant amount of muscle mass to their calves and improve their overall physique. You like to wear shorts in the summer, don’t you?
Building a significant amount of muscle mass in a weak spot is quite a difficult task. You need to be determined, focused, disciplined and pay attention to detail. To manipulate such a small part (no matter what part of the body it is) will change depending on the frequency, volume and technique. Doing a few sets for a calf after your lubricating thigh workout won’t do any good.
This training program requires intensity in each series, full range of motion, stretching and pumping the muscle as much as possible. Rest periods are carefully marked.
A quick anatomy lesson
The musculature of the lower leg consists of three main muscle groups. Let’s look at them.
Gastrocnemius : These calf muscles have two heads (medial and lateral) located behind the knee of the thigh, reach the heel and connect to the Achilles tendon. These heads form the famous diamond shape that every trainee tries to build and is best seen when the knees are straight while moving.
Soleus : This muscle is located below theGastrocnemius on the back of the lower leg. It is mostly activated while the knees are bent.
Tibialis Anterior : This is a very neglected muscle that is located on the front of the lower leg. The significance of theTibialis Anterior is that it helps balance the lower leg for strength, muscle mass and prevent injuries.
Standing calf raises – Standing calf raises:
Standing calf raises : This movement is one of the best for building muscle mass in the calf area. Put your shoulders under the pillows, step up to the width of your shoulders and bend your knees very slightly to avoid straining the knee ligaments. The knees should be in this semi-locked position throughout the movement. You lower yourself until you reach the full range of motion and feel a strong stretch of the calves, then lift as high as possible, trying to hold for a second in the upper position. Then repeat until you reach the specified number of repetitions.
Important notes ; When lowering the heels, do not bend your toes, let the foot move. Also, do not spring while performing the movement, do it slowly and in a controlled manner. Many people train the calf very wrongly and cannot get the most out of the movement itself. It’s as if they’re doing the trick. The full range of motion will bring you closer to the real results.
Tip : – If your gym does not have such a device, you can do this exercise on a “Smith” machine . Put something high and comfortable on which you can step. Attach the lever to your trapeze as if you were doing a squat with a barbell and perform the exercise as I mentioned above.
Seated Calf Raise
Seated calf raises : This is another basic calf exercise that loads the soleus muscles. This movement is great for enlarging the calf when viewed from the front and for thickness when viewed from the side.
Fix your knees on the cushions of the machine and place your feet on the platform of the foot – at about shoulder width. As with Standing calf raises:, use the full range of motion. Also, do not spring while performing the movement, do it slowly and in a controlled manner.
Leg Press Calf Raises
Leg press calf raises : Another good exercise for building muscle mass in the calf area. This exercise differs from the other two in that it loads the calves at a different angle.
Sit on the couch and take a position as shown in the photo. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly so as not to overload the knee ligaments. Perform the movement slowly and in a controlled manner.
Important notes : Many people in the gym load the device with very heavy weights and make partial movements (the biggest mistake when training for a calf). Choose a weight with which you can perform the exercise correctly. Stretch to the end in both the upper and lower position. The calf is the farthest muscle from the heart. Accordingly, blood is the most difficult to reach. Do more repetitions until you feel a burning sensation in the calf area. Then the effect will be greatest.
Lifting the fingers with one leg (Single leg calf raises)
Single leg calf raises : A not-so-used calf exercise, but it works quite well. This exercise will give you strength and balance in the lower legs. With this exercise you will be able to focus on each calf separately. If either of me is behind, with the help of Single leg calf raises you will be able to compensate for this difference.
The exercise can be performed with or without a dumbbell in the hand. Also with one or two dumbbells. If you do it with a dumbbell, hold it with the hand corresponding to the working calf.
Bend the knee slightly so as not to overload the knee ligaments. Your back should be straight. Perform the exercise in its full range. After doing the specified number of repetitions per leg, switch legs and repeat.
We recommend that you do this at the end of your calf workout so that you can squeeze the muscle as much as possible.
Tip : If you do more repetitions with either leg (it happens very often), do a few forced repetitions with the weak leg. With the hand in which you do not hold the dumbbell, you can help yourself to do a few more repetitions with the weaker leg to equalize the number of repetitions.
Tibialis raises
Tibialis raises : You may see this exercise for the first time. Almost no one does it in the halls. This exercise is recommended mainly for runners, as it will not only help you build muscle mass in the front lower thighs, but will also help strengthen this area by developing a balance of the opposite part of the calves. This in turn will lead to a more balanced physique.
Sample calf workouts
Remarks
- Do 1 or 2 warm-up sets of 15-20 repetitions in the first exercise.
- Rest only 45 to 60 seconds between sets (use clock if necessary)
- Do different calf workouts twice a week
Complete development of the calf
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Training for overall calf development |
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| Exercise | Series | Repetitions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifting your fingers from a standing position | 3 | 12-15 | |||
| Lifting your fingers from the seat | 3 | 12-15 | |||
| Lifting toes with one foot | 3 | 12-15 | |||
| Tibialis raises | 3 | 12-15 | |||