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Fitness Tips For 1/6/2005
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Ultimate Calf Training
For Maximum Results
by Karen Sessions
You have been pounding away at the iron game for years, set after
set and repetition after repetition. You have literally put blood,
sweat, and tears into your calf training routine. You step back
to look at the view in the mirror only to notice that you are
still lacking lower leg development. How can that be? You have
trained calves a million and one ways, you have eaten properly,
received adequate rest and still fail to see any distinct results.
Do you suffer from small calf syndrome? Does any of this sound
familiar? Are you tired of putting in 100% effort and receiving
only 10% results?
Have you ever seen someone who doesn’t workout at all or
exercises very little, yet they possess beautiful and balanced
calves? Just as with any other muscle, calves are genetic. The
length of a muscle and the tendon’s insertion point will
determine how great your calves will be. Those with short calf
muscles and a long tendon insertion will have a much more
difficult time building them to greatness, as this makes them
smaller and higher.
Building calves can be frustrating and it has to be the most
difficult muscle in the body to get to respond to training.
Even if you are not genetically gifted in the calf department,
there are some tactics that you can employ to maximize your
lower leg development.
Calf Structure
Before you can maximize muscle gains in the calves, it is
important to understand how they work and what is involved.
Calf training requires a different type of intensity, not just
more sets, more repetitions, more rest, etc. You have to
understand what is involved to capitalize on the gains. Train
hard, yet smart. Use your calf muscles as well as your mind.
You must focus and visualize.
The calves are composed of two major muscles, the gastrocnemius
and the soleus. These two muscles add size, width, and
symmetry to the lower portion of the leg. In addition, there
is a smaller muscle that comes into play, the tibialis anterior.
Even though it is small and may seem insignificant, it is an
important muscle to develop for strength, size, power,
endurance, and shape.
The Gastrocnemius
The gastrocnemius is the larger of the two major calf muscles
and it gives shape to the rear lower leg. It is located at
the top back of the lower leg and it extends from the knee
joint to the ankle joint and it is composed of two heads
(medial and lateral) that lie next to each other. It can be
easily seen when it is well developed and accompanied with
low body fat. The gastrocnemius portrays that well-known
diamond shape or an upside down heart.
Best Targeted
This muscle is best targeted with straight legged-heel raises,
such as donkey calf raises and standing calf raises. Some
put a slight bend in their legs to relive some pressure, but
this will only target the soleus more, putting less emphasis
on the gastrocnemius. If you are going to train the
gastrocnemius, then train it and don’t bring other muscles
into play.
Donkey raises are superior to standing calf raises due to the
position it puts you in. The gastrocnemius ties in with the
hamstrings at the back of the leg. When you are in the bent
over position, the hamstrings and gastrocnemius are stretched
out, giving the donkey calf raise an advantage over standing
calf raises due to the intensity and localization.
The gastrocnemius muscle responds well to heavy weight, using
more sets and fewer repetitions due to the great number of
fast-twitch (white) muscle fibers.
The Soleus
The soleus is the smaller, yet slightly wider, of the two
major calf muscles. It is not visible because it lies under
the gastrocnemius. The soleus muscle gives width to the back
of the lower leg.
The soleus comes into play in many endurance activities. The
gastrocnemius is usually has a lot of fast-twitch muscle
fibers or an equal number of fast and slow-twitch fibers.
This allows the soleus to take over in many cases when the
gastrocnemius becomes fatigued.
How many times have you done endless sets and repetitions of
straight-legged calf raises with nothing to show for it?
Straight-legged calf exercises build power and strength.
If you want to build larger calves you must put effort and
focus into training the soleus as well.
Best Targeted
The soleus can be best trained with any bent-knee exercises,
such as seated calf raises. The gastrocnemius is not
strongly involved in this movement.
The soleus responds well to light weight, fewer sets and
more repetitions since it is composed mainly of slow-twitch
muscle fibers (red).
Tibialis
The anterior tibialis is located at the front portion of the
lower leg. A developed anterior tibialis adds more depth
and symmetry. It will make your calves appear larger from
the front and side.
Best Targeted
This overlooked muscle can be best trained with toe raises.
Simply place the heel of your foot on a platform, such as a
weight plate placed on the floor. Place a dumbbell across
your foot and raise your toes as high as you can in a
controlled fashion. Lower and repeat.
Finisher
Rebound training is a great finisher for a calf routine. It
is simply jumping rope or jumping onto and off a box landing
on the balls of your feet. This will give them a good burn
and a good pump. Finish off with one set of as many as
possible.
Maximizing Gains
· Grab on to something supportive and do a calf raise. Use
your own body’s resistance and push down, adding pressure to
the calves. Hold the contraction for as long as possible.
Repeat three to four more times.
· How many times have you seen lifters using the popular
“toes-in” and “toes-out” approach to calf training? Were
you intrigued? Did you know that it is a complete waste of
time and energy since all the muscle fibers run in the same
direction? It is also dangerous to internally and externally
rotate your ankle or knee. The ball-and-socket joint in the
hip allows for the foot rotation, and it produces zero
emphasis on the calves since there is no calf muscle that
crosses the hip joint. Those who claim they feel the
difference have nothing to do with the external or internal
rotation of the hip, but rather bad form. The secret to
targeting the different areas of the calf muscle is to angle
the pressure by rolling over on your big toe (inversion)
or rolling over on your little toes (eversion). You should be
angling the soles of your feet. Targeting has everything to
do with form and technique, not rotating the knees. At least
with angling you can actually take advantage of a movement
that occurs in the ankle. Rolling over on the big toe will
stress the lateral head more, while rolling over on the
smaller toes will direct more of the resistance to the
medial head. Roll and angle the pressure. Don’t turn and
twist.
· You can increases the intensity of calf training by holding
the contraction at the top position for a count of two, lower
to the intermediate position for a count of two and lower.
· The soleus is largely composed of red (slow-twitch or
endurance) fibers, but you can develop some of the white
fibers by training the soleus in a very fast, yet controlled
manner.
· Train flat footed. Forget the stylish athletic shoes that
give you an artificial arch. Train calves in your bare feet
or wear combat boots or some other shoe that is flat in
structure. If you want to build bigger calves, you are going
to have to get to the bottom of things.
· Lock the knees with standing and donkey raises and keep
the tension on the gastrocnemius. Don’t allow the tension
to shift to other areas.
· Since the calves are a very different type of muscle, they
can be trained more than other muscle groups. You can train
the calves every other day, unless you are sore from the
previous calf training. You can also split up your
gastrocnemius and soleus training so you are training them
separately.
Best Exercise For Building Calf Muscles
Calf Workout #1
Monday
Standing Raises – heavy poundage – 3 sets of 4 repetitions
Seated Raises – light poundage – 6 sets of 20 repetitions
Toe Raises – light poundage – 4 sets of 10 repetitions
Wednesday
Donkey Raises – heavy poundage – 3 sets of 4 repetitions
Seated Raises - light poundage – 6 sets of 20 repetitions
Toe Raises – moderate poundage – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Rebound Training – 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Friday
Leg Press Calf Raises – heavy poundage – 3 sets of 4 repetitions
Seated Raises – light poundage – 6 sets of 20 repetitions
Toe Raises – light poundage – 4 sets of 10 repetitions
Calf Training Program #2
Monday
Standing Raises – heavy poundage – 3 sets of 4 repetitions
Rebound Training – 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Wednesday
Seated Raises – light poundage – 6 sets of 20 repetitions
Toe Raises – moderate poundage – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Friday
Donkey Raises – heavy poundage – 3 sets of 4 repetitions
Rebound Training – 3 sets of 10 repetitions
The following Monday begin with soleus training.
Now that you have more facts on the structure of the calf
muscle, you have the power to train them to their full
potential. Use this information and take your lower leg
development to the next level and blow away the
competition.
Note: Be sure to visit Karen Sessions website
