The calf muscles grow slowly and are difficult to pump well. But most men and women strive to make their calves sculpted and strong. This is important not only for appearance, but also for endurance during physical activity.
There are special exercises for working this area that are recommended to be performed in the gym. For those who are unable to attend, universal classes at home are suitable. With regular training, this approach is as effective as a professional one, and the minimum equipment and required time to get quick results gives it a significant advantage.
- Step platform
Purpose of training
Before starting classes, it is recommended to set a clear goal that must be adhered to. This will help you see the results from your classes and achieve them quickly. The main goals should be the following:
- eliminating excess fat from the upper and lower legs;
- pumping of muscles in the lower leg area;
- increasing muscle strength necessary for the growth of muscle tissue;
- increase in muscle mass;
- uniform distribution of the load on all muscle groups in order to achieve proportionality throughout the body.
It is difficult for a beginner to achieve large and sculpted shins without fat in a week or a month, but regular exercise and gradually increasing the load will help speed up the process.
Main conclusions
It is possible to pump up your calf muscles at home by following these recommendations:
- Work with your own weight at first, gradually increasing the load and using weights.
- Before training, warm up your muscles and joints.
- Spend 1-3 days a week on your calf muscles.
- Follow the technique, perform movements with maximum amplitude.
- Move smoothly.
- Do not lower your heel all the way so that the muscles are constantly tense.
- Gradually increase the number of approaches, reducing the rest time between them.
- Combine sitting and standing exercises, changing the position of your legs to work all muscle groups in your calves.
- Finish your workout with stretching.
If these rules are followed, the athlete will be able to tighten his calves and make them more massive in just a month.
Exercises at home
Working out at home allows you to stay fit and build muscle in the right areas without going to the gym . Comfortable clothing and a ventilated room, an exercise mat and dumbbells (for those who have been practicing for a long time and for whom the usual load does not bring results) will be mandatory components. Sports equipment should be purchased at a specialized store.
It is necessary to start the lesson with a warm-up, especially for beginners, girls and boys who are training for the first time. Simple bending of the body, jumping rope, running in place or brisk walking are suitable for this. 7-10 minutes are enough to warm up the muscles and prevent injuries and sprains while performing the main complex. There are several exercises that will be the best for pumping up your calf muscles.
Rise
To perform this exercise, you will need a platform no more than 10 cm high, preferably 5-7 cm. It helps pump up the calves of women and men. Performance:
- Take the starting position - standing on the floor with your arms first straightened along your body.
- Place your socks on the platform, leaving your heels on the floor.
- Spread your legs 15-20 cm.
- Slowly raise your toes, straightening the part of your foot perpendicular to the floor as much as possible.
- After this, also slowly lower your heels to the floor.
To get results, a beginner needs 15-20 lifts; for trained athletes, they should do at least 40 reps. To increase the load, men are allowed to take a dumbbell weighing up to 3 kg each in each hand. Women should not use weights, especially during the first lessons.
Squats
Squats without lifting your heel off the floor are good for training your legs, especially your hips, as well as your gluteal muscles. If you do this on your toes, the calf muscles are perfectly worked out, which allows you to increase the volume of muscle tissue in this area. Performance:
- Take the starting position - standing on the floor with your legs previously spread shoulder-width apart and your arms straight along your torso.
- Squat, lifting your heels off the floor.
- Keep a slow pace to feel the work of the necessary muscles.
Perform from 20 to 50 repetitions depending on the degree of training. Hands can be held in front of you parallel to the floor or pressed to the body, first bent at the elbows. For men, the best option would be to use 2-3 kg of weights in each hand during squats. Women and girls have enough weight of their own body.
With a skipping rope
Jumping rope is popular. Both men and women are allowed to use them. They are suitable for warm-up and main training. An important condition will be maintaining balance and jumping only on your toes, without placing your heel on the floor. This allows you to maximally load the calf muscles, increase their volume and endurance.
For beginners, 3 sets of 2 minutes are enough, the pace is measured. For advanced athletes, it is necessary to perform the exercise at a fast pace and for at least 3 minutes without a break. For a good workout, 3 approaches are enough.
"Spring"
The exercise is reminiscent of simple toe raises while standing on the floor with your legs previously spread shoulder-width apart and your arms spread along your torso. But at the same time, the pace should be accelerated, and as the heel approaches the floor, leave it at a distance of 5-7 mm from it.
As a result of the fast pace, the body seems to spring, and the calf muscles are in constant tension, which allows you to work them out as much as possible and quickly increase volume. After a week of regular use, the first results are visible. Girls and women only need to complete 3 sets of 60 seconds. For men, each approach should be increased by 1 minute.
Walking on your toes
The simplest and most versatile exercise that can be performed at any level of physical fitness. Within a week there will be a visible result. This is a simple walk on your toes every day for 5 minutes. When performing, it is important to keep the raised part of the foot as perpendicular to the floor as possible so that the muscles experience the load.
If this condition is not met, the tension will be insufficient and the volume of muscle tissue will increase very slowly. Trained men are allowed to pick up a dumbbell while walking, each weighing up to 4 kg.
Walking up the stairs
Another universal and simple exercise that is suitable for trained athletes, women and men. It is recommended to perform it every other day. Any steps in the entrance of a multi-storey building or on the street will do. An important condition will be to ascend and descend only on your toes.
5-7 minutes at a moderate pace is enough to increase muscle tissue in the lower legs. There is no need to rush, because in this case the muscles will not be worked well. To increase the load, men are allowed to take 2-4 kg weights in each hand. Girls and women need their own body weight.
Jumping exercises with dumbbells
The exercise is suitable for men and women who have a sufficient level of physical fitness. Girls and beginners should choose another option. Performed similarly to toe squats, but with a weight in each hand. When lifting, you need to make a springy upward movement like a jump or even jump slightly without bending your legs.
It is important to ensure that your back is straight, does not round in the thoracic spine and does not arch in the lower back. For men, a weight of 5 kg is allowed for each hand; for women, 1-2 kg is enough. Perform from 10 to 20 times depending on the level of training.
"Gun"
The exercise consists of squats, but there are some peculiarities when performing them:
- Take the initial position - standing on the floor with your legs previously spread shoulder-width apart and your arms along your torso.
- Raise one leg 20 cm from the floor without bending your knees.
- On the other, squat so that when lowering the body, the raised leg takes a position parallel to the floor.
- Your arms can be pressed to your body, pre-bent or straightened in front of you.
When squatting, the foot is on the toe. This allows you to create maximum tension in the shins. The exercise is suitable for men and women with an average level of physical fitness. 10 squats for each leg are enough.
Run
Running is also a universal exercise and is suitable for women and men. You need to run at least 3 times a week and for at least 20 minutes. In this case, you should not place your heel on the floor or ground, but constantly keep your balance on your toes.
Running is allowed outdoors or at home. It is important to maintain a rhythm and not to strain the muscles too much. Unbearable pain in the shins serves as a signal to stop training until the discomfort completely disappears.
Additional ways to pump up your calves quickly
The muscles of the lower legs work almost constantly, so to pump them up you need to increase the load in all possible ways. The effectiveness of special exercises can be greatly enhanced if you supplement them with jumping, running and other types of physical activity.
Squats
Exercises designed to strengthen the buttocks and thighs also involve the calf muscles. The load on your shins during squats can be increased if you lean on your toes while lowering your pelvis . Adjusting the position of the feet makes it possible to focus attention on the outer or inner surface of the leg.
Important! The lower leg muscles are difficult to pump as a whole, but for the fair sex the most problematic part is the inner part. Therefore, a girl should perform most of her lifts with her toes turned outward.
Run
Regular jogging is a great aerobic workout for the whole body, but especially for the legs. To pump up your calves quickly, you need to focus not on running speed, but on its duration: the longer, the better. To consolidate the result after a run, it is advisable to perform the above set of exercises .
To pump up your legs, it is useful not only to run, but also to simply walk, especially in the park. Such long walks, if combined with regular climbing of the stairs instead of the elevator, have a beneficial effect not only on the relief of the legs, but also on the heart and blood vessels.
Jump rope
If the size of your living space allows you to freely jump rope, then you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity.
Exercises in the gym
Training in the gym is suitable for men and women who have a sufficient level of physical fitness. Girls who have decided to exercise for the first time should not immediately resort to this option, since some exercises are complex and are performed on machines.
When pumping up the calf muscles, pain and discomfort may occur in the area being worked on. This is considered normal. But if the pain intensifies and hemorrhages appear on the skin, you should stop training.
The following are considered the most popular and effective exercises for increasing the size of the calf muscles.
Step platform
A universal and simple exercise that is suitable for trained and unprepared people. Performed on a regular platform 10-20 cm high:
- Take the starting position standing on the floor with your legs previously spread shoulder-width apart.
- Stand with the toe of one foot on the platform, leaving the heel suspended.
- Raise your body on one leg, placing half of your foot as perpendicular to the floor as possible.
- Maintain a steady pace to maximally work your calf muscles.
Perform at least 15 lifts for each leg. If additional support is needed, it is allowed to hold on to a wall or handrail with one hand.
Seated Raises
To perform this exercise, you will need a special exercise machine for pumping your calves, which is available in every gym. It is a kind of chair with a small platform for the legs and a special rod, on which, as you train, you can put weights on, gradually increasing their number.
Execution does not require special skills. You need to sit on the machine and raise your feet on your toes at the same time as the lever on which the weights are located. Depending on the degree of fitness, you should perform from 10 to 30 lifts at a measured pace. Girls should not choose this exercise at the beginning of classes. It is more suitable for men and trained women.
Toe press
For this exercise you will also need a machine called a “leg press”. It consists of a surface for lying on your back, and a special platform on rollers, which must be lifted with your legs up from a lying position. For beginners, the weight of the platform itself is enough. For advanced women and men, it is allowed to add weights in the form of pancakes on each side, which are placed on an iron rod.
It is important to note that lifting should not be done with the entire foot, but only with the toes, this will allow you to maximally pump and increase the volume of the calf muscles. For a beginner, 20 presses are enough; for advanced athletes, up to 50 repetitions are allowed at a measured pace. Girls should not immediately take up such a simulator, since such a load often provokes sprains and injuries due to lack of preparation.
Smith machine
Another machine for pumping calves will be the Smith machine, in which a person squats with a barbell on his shoulders. Regular squats should be replaced with squats on the toes, due to which the effectiveness of the exercise for the legs will increase several times. This option is suitable only for men and advanced women, since the load is serious.
You should start with 10 repetitions, gradually increasing the number to 30 per workout.
Simple rules for every day
In fact, there are less expensive and dangerous methods that you can use:
- Do not walk on your toes, as this will strain your shins. A high heel maintains muscle tone, and this promotes responsive growth, like any activity associated with toning the legs, be it ballroom dancing, or even jumping rope. Everything is individual. For some, jumping and dancing will result in a decrease in the volume of the lower leg, for others - an increase. Track the results with a measuring tape and don’t panic;
- Run to reduce the thickness of your legs. Running is a powerful weight loss tool, but it's worth comparing the physiques of short- and long-distance runners. Athletes who run marathons have thin legs, while sprinters have powerful thighs and calves. Long distance running on flat terrain, at low speed and without acceleration is the answer to the question of how to remove fat from calves and legs in general;
- Avoid activities that require development of stamina, power and leg speed - this leads to muscle growth. For example, short intense cardio workouts, running on hills and incline treadmills, and jumping jacks build large calf muscles in response to exertion;
- Avoid intense jumping, including jumping rope, in interval training. Swimming, walking, cross-training, and the elliptical machine can all help you lose weight in your calves. Walking lengthens the muscles between the back of the knee and ankle. Avoid steppers, as they pump up the calf muscles;
- Resistance training can be kept as part of an active lifestyle, but use light weights and high repetitions. If you need to eliminate fat around the calf muscles, you will need to limit carbohydrates in your diet and increase the amount of cardio;
- Stretching makes the leg muscles longer and slimmer - stretching, yoga and Pilates classes are recommended for everyone who wants to become fit without building up calf muscles.
Move your legs even while sitting! To quickly lengthen your shin, stretch it at any moment. Sitting on a chair with your back straight and pressed against the back, rotate your left leg clockwise and counterclockwise 6-10 times. Repeat the movement with the other leg.
Massage
A good way to combat congestion in the ankles , which cause visual fullness of the calf muscles, is a comprehensive massage. Of course, this method cannot be called the only way out of the current situation, since it is better to use it in combination with stretching and physical exercise. To notice a rapid reduction in your calves, contact a professional massage therapist and undergo full-fledged therapy. According to experts, 6-10 sessions are enough for the patient to feel lightness of gait and feel comfortable.
However, in order to undergo massage prevention it is not necessary to go to a professional salon. There are many massage options that you can easily perform yourself at home. For example, lymphatic drainage massage, which consists of the following: take 2 chairs, sit on one, and put your foot on the second. The direction of the massage is from the feet to the knee, using leisurely and smooth movements. Immediately before the procedure, the skin should be treated with massage oil.
Relaxing the muscles
After performing a set of exercises, you should not forget about stretching, since the calves are especially susceptible to overexertion and cramps. To avoid such problems, you can place your foot against the wall and transfer your body weight to it. Or another way: lean your hands on the wall, take a step away from it without lifting your palms, and allow your own weight to pull down.
Adding volume to your calves at home is a completely doable task. Training should be taken responsibly, classes should be regular, and the load should progress. It is in this case that the legs will take on the desired shape, and their owner will be happy to wear short skirts or shorts.
