Your calves provide a key link between your feet on the ground and your body above. They constantly work any time you’re upright and moving. Calf muscles help you keep your balance when standing and propel you forward when you walk or run.
Consider this: When you run, the overall effort required of your calf muscles is 25% greater than that of your quads. Even if you’re not a runner, that number provides pretty compelling evidence for developing strong calves. It makes sense that this correlation carries over into other sports and activities.
Ready to get started on calf exercises? As with any exercise, it helps to first understand the muscles involved. This will make your workouts much more focused and productive.
The Muscles of the Calf
The two main muscles of the calf are the gastrocnemius and soleus. Their main function is to push the heel off the ground and propel you forward as you walk or run. The gastrocnemius lies near the surface and the soleus is underneath.
Both of these muscles attach to the foot via the Achilles tendon. The gastroc goes up behind the knee to attach to the femur, while the top of the soleus attaches to the back of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg. Here’s why this matters:
- A calf raise with a straight knee works the gastrocnemius.
- A calf raise with a bent knee isolates the soleus muscle.
What’s the difference between the two muscles? The gastrocnemius is primarily associated with quicker movements like sprinting and jumping while the soleus helps with sustained walking, running, and other movements. The soleus also works to maintain your balance in standing. Your workouts should reflect the need for strength in both your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.
Simple Exercises for Your Calf Muscles
- Standing Calf Raise with Straight Knees (Gastrocnemius) – Do this with one or both hands on a chair back, wall, or other support so you can focus on strengthening and not balance.
- Standing Calf Raise with Bent Knees (Soleus) – Keep your knees slightly bent the whole time to take the gastrocnemius out of the action.
- Sitting Calf Raises (Soleus) – You can use a machine for this or place free weights or weight plates on your thighs to add resistance.
For all of the above exercises, you can incorporate these variations:
- Change the tempo (quick or slow reps).
- Do one leg at a time.
- Work eccentrically by lowering the heels slowly. (Read more about eccentric training here.)
- Use a stair step to increase the range of motion. This helps simulate the stretch on the muscle experienced with walking or running.
These very basic exercises are just a starting point to develop strong calves. Next week, we’ll look at some more advanced exercises to improve your calf strength plus stretching.
Stay fit!
