The calves are perhaps the most overtrained and the most undertrained muscles in the entire body.
“Bodybuilders work the calves every day thinking that somehow those muscles are different,” says Gregory Florez, president of the Chicago-based First Fitness personal trainer firm. “But the calves need the same rest and recovery as any muscle group. You should not overwork them.”
In contrast, other people who follow a regular workout program tend to neglect the calves, which help stabilize the ankle and especially protect against tearing the Achilles’ tendon (men over 35 are most vulnerable). Quite sensibly, these exercisers emphasize the major muscle groups in the thighs, torso and chest — which remain the priority for overall fitness and weight control — but taking a bit of extra time with the calves can produce surprising benefits. Weekend athletes will be most pleasantly surprised.
“Calf muscles are difficult to develop in size for most people, but the right exercises can make you faster, stronger and more explosive in any direction,” says Tim Grover, who speaks on the authority of having trained Michael Jordan during the Bulls’ glory years. He now counts Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets among the more than 20 National Basketball Association clients who consult with his A.T.T.A.C.K. Athletics company in Chicago.
Grover says he never worries about the calf size of his elite clients that appears to be a function of the right genes as much as anything. Instead, he focuses on developing calf muscles that can endure more jumps and other high-impact moves without a loss in explosiveness late in games.
“My suggestion is training your calf muscles with quick movements once you establish the correct form,” Grover says. “You are then developing muscle memory.”
At the health club, Grover recommends using a standing or seated weight machine for calves with proper supervision from the staff. He says two to four sets of 15 to 30 repetitions is a good goal for the first four weeks. Do it two to three times each week, and pick a weight that makes it easy to complete 15 but hard to do more than 30 repetitions.
“Be careful not to involve the quads (muscles in the front of the thighs), which some people tend to do when they get tired and lose form,” Grover says. “Don’t lock the knees at any point of the lift or release.”
Spinning classes also can help develop strong, explosive calves. But you can make dramatic improvements using nothing more than your front or back steps during a short break on busy days. Grover recommends this isometric exercise, which uses your own body for weight: Hang your heels off the bottom step, balancing on the balls of your feet. Go up on your toes for a two-count, then down until your heels are pointed toward the floor on a four-count. Covering the entire range of motion, especially dropping those heels down, will fully develop the calves. Follow the same guidelines for repetitions, sets and number of times per week. Once you master the exercise on both feet, say in about two to four weeks, you can make the exercise more challenging by alternating legs (which requires one leg to handle your entire body weight).
One more tip: Think about each calf being worked and make sure you feel the tension throughout the muscle. It encourages proper form and forges a mind-body connection whose effectiveness is increasingly being studied and confirmed by exercise scientists. When you think about the muscles, research shows, more muscle fibers respond.
Of course, wearing high-heeled shoes also alerts those muscle fibers. When you walk, the foot bears about 1 1/2 times the body weight. If the walking is done on higher heels, the body has to work harder to accomplish the same motion, which burns more calories but also puts uneven pressure on the foot. Regular wear of high heels tends to shorten the calf muscles, which can cause knee fatigue and bunions and potentially affect balance in later years. Pain in the balls of the feet and inflamed tendons are two more unwanted results.
Florez says it is important to work the front muscles of the lower legs to complement any calf work, as this attention helps protect against painful “shin splints.” Runners and exercise walkers will particularly appreciate taking this preventive measure.
Reversing the aforementioned calf raises by lifting the toes up and then pointing them down is the suggested exercise. Don’t worry about “loading” the movement with dumbbells or any weight; Florez says most clients tire after doing 15 or fewer repetitions.
“It’s shocking how weak these muscles can be in even well-conditioned people,” he says. “You always want to work muscle groups in pairs, and the lower legs are no exception.”
Similarly, the calves contribute to the sum of leg power.
“Calf muscles are part of a chain,” Florez says. “You don’t want to be a weak link.”
