How to Build Calf Muscles

                          

The calf muscle gets little attention in the fitness and bodybuilding world, and there are many reasons why; it takes a lot of work to build calf muscles, it is painful to truly work these muscles and most have no idea how to build calf muscles. Its also quite easy to hide a pair of pencil legs under a pair of baggy pants. However, for those opposed to the baggy style or just not willing to settle for stick legs there is hope. Travel down a road paved with pain to find the best way to build calf muscles.

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First off you must recognize that the calf has two distinct muscles: the gastrocnemeus and the soleus. In order to really build calf muscles you must address the fact that two approaches are needed to effectively work both the calf muscles. Standing calf raises do a good job at targeting the gastrocnemeus; stand feet shoulder width apart, holding dumb bells at your side or a barbell across your shoulders. Push the balls of your feet into the floor and lift your heels as high as possible without losing balance. Don't limit your self to the standard calf raise either; use variations to really build calf muscles from all angles.

Try different variation in width of stance from wide stance, or sumo stance, all the way to a foot to foot military stance. Experienced lifters or those with good balance can attempt a one footed calf raise, wherein all of your body weight is moved by one leg. Another effective trick to build calf muscles is to try toes pointed in, or toes pointed out to target the inner or outer calf area.

However to work the often ignored soleus muscle you need to add a secondary approach by sitting down. Calf raises while seated force the calf to work across a bend knee joint and this calls the soleus into play. Sit on a chair or bench with dumb bells on your knees or barbell across them, feet positioned hip width apart, feet under your knees. Again variations can target the different areas, however this not quite as effective as the soleus is a smaller muscle.

Range of motion is another limiting factor when trying to build calf muscles, and the wider a range the more growth stimulus provided to the calves. If you do standing calf raises from the floor or a flat footed stance you limit the amount of work placed on these muscles and therefore limit your ability to build calf muscles. The calf is best worked from a fully stretched position to the full extension described above. Stand on a two by four with your hells hanging off the back, resting on the ground or stretched towards it if your feet don't reach. If you workout in a commercial gym, you'll find many spots where you can rest the balls of your feet and let the heels hang. Doing calf raises from this stretched position will really help you build calf muscles like never before.

Finally, most people are wimps and it takes a fair bit of pain to really build calf muscles as these muscles are small and quickly pool up with lactic acid. Try doing stairs or some other moderate cardio between sets of exercises that build calf muscles, this helps flush toxins out. Grit your teeth and remember that you're doing this so you can feel proud wearing shorts to the gym in the summer, and traveling the road paved with pain is the only way to really build calf muscles.

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