How to pump up your calves - the best exercises and training program

The calf muscles are often subjected to enormous stress in everyday life. And no wonder, because they are one of the most hard-working muscles in humans. And during active recreation, trained calves are especially necessary. And the harmonious appearance of legs has never been in the background for either men or girls.

What needs to be done to achieve this harmony? The logical answer is to regularly perform calf exercises. By the way, there are quite a lot of them: as many as your imagination allows. Well, if you don’t want to “reinvent the wheel,” let’s look at the most common exercises, and at the same time remember which muscles belong to the back of the lower leg.

The structure of the triceps muscle

The triceps surae muscle consists of two heads of the superficial gastrocnemius and one head of the soleus.

The heads originate from the lateral condyles of the femur and from the upper part of the tibia, respectively.

Below, the muscle bundles merge into one tendon, which is attached to the heel. The triceps muscle is well contoured under the skin.

It stabilizes the body during movement and ensures extension of the ankle joint.

There are practically no contraindications to exercises on the calf muscles, except for discomfort and pain in those same muscles. But even in such cases, you can pump your calves, but only with caution and under your own weight.

Sketches of tattoos on the calf

Everyone must choose a style and design on their own, or contact a specialist. The main thing is that the design is attractive, appropriate and that its owner likes it, because the tattoo remains on the body for life. The most popular sketches:

Animals or birds. In most cases, girls give preference to cuter and more graceful animals, while men choose brutal animals (wolf, bear, tiger). As for birds, girls use swallows, men use eagle, falcon, hawk or owl. Ideal styles are realism or finished work.
Lettering is ideal for men and women. You can use phrases in different languages or Chinese characters.
Patterns and ornaments are a neutral option that is in demand, as it is attractive, but without hidden sacred meaning.
Football or cars are two main male weaknesses. The ideal option is an image of boots, a ball, a favorite athlete or a club emblem.

How to pump up your calves using your own environment

The exercises are simple and do not require special sports equipment. All you need is desire and persistence. The main condition is that you should feel the load on the muscles of the dorsal surface of the legs.

Do you live on the top floor of a high-rise building? The sports equipment is located right outside the front door: do not use the elevator - and you are guaranteed toned calves.
Are there thresholds in the house? This is also excellent equipment for working the calf muscles.
Instead of dumbbells or barbells, use any objects. which can be held comfortably in your hands.
The exercises are perfect for young mothers who want to get in shape after pregnancy, since pumping up your calves at home is not difficult. The child will happily join in the activities and will be an additional weight if you take him in your arms, sit him on your knees or back.

In addition to those listed below, you can familiarize yourself with other leg exercises in the article “How to pump up your legs at home.”

Exercises to develop lower leg muscles[edit | edit code]

Raising and lowering on your toes. Feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the belt, under the toes - an object convenient for the athlete with a height of 5-7 cm (2 sets of 8-10 times) (Fig. 67).

Alternating rise on toes with hands supporting the wall. A weighting agent is suspended from the belt (2 sets of 6-8 times) (Fig. 68).

Lifting on your toes with a dumbbell or small barbell in your hands (2 sets of 4-6 times).

Lifting on toes with a partner on the lower back (2 sets of 4-6 times).

Lifting on toes with a barbell on the shoulders (2 sets of 4-6 times) (Fig. 69).

Lifting on toes with overcoming the resistance of the simulator (2 sets of 6-8 times).

Press the barbell with your feet on the machine by extending the legs (2 sets of 6-8 times) (Fig. 70).

Lifting on toes while overcoming the resistance of a machine while sitting on a machine bench (2 sets of 6-8 times).

General principles

Guided by the basic principles, you can quickly pump up your calves both at home and in the gym.

Before any workout, muscles require warming up and stretching. Warming up the calf muscles is quite simple with a massage. After warming up, stretch your ankles (sitting and standing) and toes.
You can perform calf exercises on any training day, but it is better to include them at the end of the leg workout.
Start by working the soleus muscles, and then move on to exercises to train the calf muscles.
20 minutes is enough to train the calf muscles. This amounts to 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions. Focus on your calves 2-3 times a week.
In exercises to work the muscles of the dorsal surface of the legs, the main thing is not speed, but the maximum possible amplitude.
At the top point of the amplitude, take a short pause.
To increase the load, do exercises with weights; on one leg, then on the other
Place your feet parallel, with your toes or heels pointed together. Different positions of the feet will ensure a comprehensive study of all muscle bundles. But when working with heavy weight, keep your feet parallel, this will protect you from tendon injury.
No amount of intense training will give the desired result if you do not adjust your diet. Consume the required amount of protein (2.0 g per kg of body weight per day), which will go towards building muscle mass.

Other exercises for leg muscles[edit | edit code]

Deadlift
Forward bends with a barbell
Lunges
Squats
Leg press
Hack squats
Extensions in the simulator
Leg curls in the simulator
Hyperextension
Deadlift
Standing calf raise
Donkey calf raise

Romanian deadlift
Seated row of block to the waist
Hyperextension with emphasis on the hamstrings
Overhead weight squats

Exercises for the buttocks and legs (for women)

Beginners

Squats
Lunge
Lunge to the side
Good morning
Lunge with arms raised
Step up
Step up and sideways
Lying pelvic lift with one leg

Advanced level

Jump Squats
Cross lunge
Skater
Jump Lunge
Squats with weights
Jump onto the platform
Partial Squat
Step up with a jump
Platform squats

Professional level

Pistol squat
Overhead weighted squats

How to effectively pump up your calves at home?

Let’s look at a few “at-home” exercises that won’t require anything other than enthusiasm. In essence, this is an instruction on how to pump up a girl’s calves.

“On your toes” : walk, run, jump rope, walk or run up the stairs on your toes, and when walking, running and jumping, bend your knees normally.

“Climber”: stand in a plank position, alternately bring your legs to your stomach, springing from the floor, and lowering them, bend your ankles as much as possible. This exercise will not only pump up your calf muscles, but also strengthen your abs, upper back and shoulder girdle.

“Springs”: standing on the floor, rise on your toes to the maximum possible amplitude and lower without touching your heels to the floor.

By performing the “springs” exercise while sitting, you will pump up the soleus muscles more effectively, but for the desired result you need to put a load on your knees.

If you are doing this exercise on a step, stand on the edge and go up and down as much as you can until you feel a stretch in your calf muscles.

You can “spring” without your heels touching the floor, and in a deep half-squat, with your legs spread wide. At the same time, tighten your buttocks and outline your thigh muscles.

“Jumping” from a plie will also help effectively pump up the dorsal surface of the lower leg: jump as high as possible from the squat position. Weighten the exercise with a weight. But it is not advisable to do this exercise with a child because of the danger of missing it.

Make a half-bridge: lying down, resting only the back of your head, shoulder blades and feet on the floor (legs bent at the knee joints, pelvis raised), fully extend your ankles. Make the exercise heavier by placing a weight on the pelvic area below the abdomen. Do the exercise first on one leg, then on the other. Along the way, you will train your buttocks.

Useful exercises

Such perfection is achieved through repeated exercises and proper load.

In our article we will focus on those exercises that can be performed at home. It is worth noting that most often they are performed without additional weight. If you find them too easy to do, you can pick up a couple of five-liter water bottles or other heavy objects.

Girls should pay attention to the legs of dancers and gymnasts. It is in their legs that they have everything and there is nothing superfluous.

Rhythmic gymnasts, for example, do not use any additional sports equipment during training at all, using only their body weight, including pumping up their calves.

To do this, their daily training arsenal contains exercises that are remarkably effective.

The main exercise in the gym: deadlift technique
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Exercises for arms with dumbbells for women https://stroy-telo.com/domashnij-trening/silovye-uprazhneniya/uprazhneniya-dlya-ruk-s-gantelyami-dlya-zhenshchin.html

Springs	We stand straight and slowly rise up on our toes, lifting our heels to the maximum possible height. Then we slowly lower our heels almost to the floor and immediately go up again. And so 3-4 sets of 30 times or just 100 times in a row. We take weights in our hands - small dumbbells or bottles of water - and do the same springy calf raises. If you can’t keep your balance, take the load in one hand and hold the wall or the back of a chair with the other. Very complex “springs” are done alternately on one or the other leg. You can also do it with weights 4 times 30 times.
Stand lifts	A step platform, a thick encyclopedia, or just a step will be needed for the next exercise. Stand with your toes on the step, leaving your heels in the air. Now rise “on tiptoes” and then lower down, stretching your ankle to the limit, touching your heels to the floor. On a step or step platform, you have the opportunity to maneuver: you can adjust the angle of rotation of the foot and work exactly the part of the calf that is needed. Girls often need to pump up the inside of their calves. If you keep your feet parallel when performing insteps, then the middle part of the muscles will receive more load; if the heels are together and the toes apart, then the inner part will work more, but vice versa - the heels apart, the toes together - load the outer part of the calf muscles. Men's platform lift: Lift up with maximum range of motion while holding a dumbbell in one hand and using the other hand against a wall for balance.
Walking on toes	The simplest and most accessible exercise everywhere: walking on your toes, like a ballerina. Rise high on your tiptoes and walk in small steps, almost without bending your knees.
Walking up the stairs	A great way to pump up your calves, this time without leaving your front door. Find out at what time the movement of residents in your entrance subsides and go ahead! Up and down the stairs. You can do it over a step and with dumbbells. 15-30 minutes will be enough.
Jumping rope	Everything is clear here. If your living space allows, take a jump rope and jump until your calves burn. This is an exercise from the arsenal of gymnasts and boxers. Related article: How to jump rope to lose weight?
Jumping with a load	Jump up from a squat while holding dumbbells in your hands. This is another exercise that puts a serious strain on your calves.
Squats with a load	In your hands are dumbbells or a six-liter canister of water, in your legs there is a burning sensation from repeated repetition of the same action: squats.
Seated calf raises	It is imperative to pump up your calves while sitting, because this is the only way to pump up the soleus muscle, hidden from view, which gives three-quarters of the volume to the calves. Exercises done while standing put stress on the outer calf muscle, but this is only a quarter of the volume. Sit on a chair, grab a can of water, or sit your child on your lap. Raise your feet on your toes. If after 15 repetitions your shins “burn”, then you took the right weight. The exercise is performed slowly.
Gun	Remember this exercise from physical education lessons at school? Surely you remember. True, it is difficult to do, so it is suitable for advanced athletes. Hold onto something with your hand and, with one leg extended forward, squat down on the other as many times as you can.
Run	Jogging (how to breathe properly when running) will help pump up your calves very quickly. Do not neglect this method, especially in good weather.
Bicycle, skis, tennis, roller skates	Any of the above sports is “calf-forming” and gives amazing results for the leg muscles. So buy roller skates or a racket and pump up the muscles you need while enjoying a fun, non-boring sport. True, this time you won’t be able to sit at home.

Choose 4-5 exercises you like and perform them every 3-4 days. You can alternate them and change places so that the muscles do not get used to the load.

Basic terrain training program
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Calf exercises in the gym

If you regularly visit the gym, do not forget to include exercises for the calf muscles in your training routine. You can do this by using the listed types of exercises, but training on exercise machines will be more effective, since pumping up a man’s calves can only be done with heavy weights.

A leg press machine is perfect for training your calf muscles Calves can be pumped up in two ways:

do a bench press by bending and unbending your knees and squeezing the platform with your toes;
Straighten your legs and press the platform with your toes using your ankles, without bending your knees.

To effectively target your soleus muscles , rise onto your toes while seated in a calf machine with the padded lever resting on your knees.

In the calf machine, in a standing position, lower the lever rollers onto your shoulders, bend and unbend your legs at the ankles.

With a large weight, it will be safe to raise on your toes in a Smith machine .

Exercises

One of the main problems with calf training exercises is their isolation nature.

Let's consider the main ones:

Exercise	Load type	Working muscle group
Standing calf raise	Insulating	Gastrocnemius
Seated calf raise	Insulating	Soleus
Raises on toes in the machine at an angle	Insulating	Soleus + gastrocnemius
Run	Cardio	Gastrocnemius
Stepper	Cardio	Gastrocnemius
Exercise bike	Cardio	Gastrocnemius + soleus

Although a heavy squat does not affect calf development, it significantly increases static calf strength, which creates a solid foundation for building a harmonious body and developing functional strength.

Standing calf raise

This exercise is designed for athletes of any level of fitness and is considered the main one for working the calf muscles. Standing calf raises have many variations, including:

Weighted calf raises.
Single leg calf raise.
Rolling from heel to toe.

Let's consider the technique of performing the exercise:

Stand on a wooden beam. If a wooden beam is not available, the edge of a step, threshold or any other protruding surface will do. There are also special simulators. You can perform the Smith movement by placing a step platform under your feet and placing the barbell on your shoulders.
Fix the body in a straight position (stable posture).
If additional weight is required, take dumbbells or weights into your hands. The simulator is loaded with pancakes.
Next, you need to slowly lower your heels below the level of the bar, trying to stretch your ankle ligaments as much as possible.
Rise onto your toes with a powerful impulse movement.
Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and tense your calves.
Slowly lower to the starting position.

Note: There is some debate regarding full knee extension. On the one hand, this greatly facilitates the exercise, on the other hand, it increases the load on the knee. If you use light weights for training, you can straighten your legs completely. However, if you work with heavy weights (for example, in a Hackenschmidt squat machine), then it is better to neutralize the fact of the joint load.

Calf raise while sitting in the machine

Despite the similar technique of execution, raising the toes while sitting in the machine does not use the calf muscle, but the soleus muscle lying underneath it.

The exercise technique is extremely simple:

Set the appropriate weight on the machine (usually it is up to 60% of the working weight for a classic calf raise).
Get into the exercise machine.
Slowly lower your heels below the level of the clamp on the machine, trying to stretch the ankle ligaments as much as possible.
Rise onto your toes with a powerful impulse movement.
Lock in this position for 1-2 seconds.
Slowly lower to the starting position.

Note: if you do not have a machine, place dumbbells, weights, or barbell plates on your knees as additional weight. The use of third-party items will significantly reduce the effectiveness of the exercise, but will allow you to perform it at home.

Raising your toes at a 45 degree angle

Among all the exercises aimed at developing the calf muscles, this can be called conditionally complex and the most difficult. It's all about changing the angle of working the legs, which allows you to use not only the gastrocnemius, but also the soleus.

The exercise technique is practically no different from the previous ones:

Get into a block simulator (Hackenschmidt). Depending on the design, you will be facing towards it or away from it.
Set a suitable working weight. It is calculated as the arithmetic average between the working weights in the two previous exercises. Next, select the weights according to the loads.
Then you need to lower your heels, trying to stretch your calves as much as possible.
Perform a toe raise.
Fix in the position of extreme tension for 1-2 seconds.

Video recommendations

Using the video lesson materials, you will learn how to perform a full range of calf exercises. In the video, an experienced trainer explains the technique, focuses on possible mistakes, and clarifies the sequence of training the calf muscles for more effective development.

A variety of exercises for the calf muscles allows you to train them both at home and effectively work them in the gym. The triceps muscles of the legs receive the greatest load in everyday life compared to other muscle groups.

And the development of the calf muscles is necessary to give the legs a harmonious, athletic look. Calf exercises must be included in the training complex.

Do you do calf exercises? If so, which ones do you like best? Tell us about your calf workouts in the comments.

Calf tattoo: meaning

If we consider a tattoo on the calf from the point of view of astrology, then it establishes and strengthens the connection with chthonic forces (the underworld). The tattoo emphasizes the relationship of the legs with the earth, so it will be an ideal option for people with the earth element according to the horoscope: Capricorn, Taurus or Virgo. Such a tattoo will enhance people’s energy, emphasize and increase their relationship with the earth.

Located at the bottom, tattoos on the calves of the legs have sublime meanings. The first of them is humanity, the primacy of the species and the high development of civilization. As you know, humans are the only upright species on Earth. All other living beings rise from their forelimbs temporarily or do not do so at all.

The leg is a sign of a person’s dominance and power over the world, so a tattoo that reinforces such associations would be an original solution. The ideal solution is an image of a lion on the calves, which has an interesting plot. Another original idea is the image of an owl on the calves, serving as a symbol of wisdom and thoughtfulness. An equally interesting option would be a bear, personifying simple and brute strength, power and dominance. All these solutions will be ideal for a man who wants to emphasize his brutality.

The leg is a symbol of victory. Nowadays, the winner or judge raises the hand of the strongest, but in ancient times the winners marked their victory with a gesture, placing their foot on the defeated opponent. In this regard, a tattoo on the calf can also serve as a symbol of victory. The ideal solution for this would be a tattoo depicting a kiss that loses its sexual connotation. The meaning of a kiss tattoo on the calves is that the owner of the tattoo is above the weak and slaves who kiss his feet.

An equally interesting option would be the image of a ship on the calf, because the legs serve as a symbol of travel. Sailors and wanderers loved such paintings very much, because when they set foot on foreign land, they signified the development of new lands.