Calf Training: It’s time to recruit your calves

It’s really interesting and amazing how calves were trained in the past. We don’t look back to the 70’s or 80’s, instead we look back to the days when men ran around in leather or leopard skin shorts.

Did they carry their wives and children on their backs, carrying the brunt of the burden when they traveled through swamps or wild jungles? Did they haul 2-ton blocks to the biggest mountains to build luxury apartments for their family?

However, everything is much simpler. In the Stone Age, people were no less willing to improve their bodies than they are now.

Fortunately, hundreds of years later, the benefits of technology and equipment such as the nautilus, leg press or calf machines have come down to us. And guess what: nothing has changed, the calves remain as stubborn as they were hundreds of years ago.

Basic exercises for calves

Calf exercises if you’re interested in taming these elusive little ones and turning them into real rocks.

Observations while standing

Place your feet on the platform so that all toes and part of the foot are firmly supported and the heel is down. Slowly lift your heels, hold the top position for 2-3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Perform 15-20 repetitions for 3-4 approaches, so you feel that something is on fire. Above all, don’t overdo the weight.

Legs while sitting

Everything is similar to observations while standing. The main difference is that in this exercise the knees are bent and this emphasizes several very important muscles that are not affected much when performing the exercise while standing. Place your feet on the platform as in the previous exercise, raise your heels as high as you can, keep the muscles tense at the highest point for a slight twinge, and slowly return to the starting position. Perform 15-20 repetitions of 2-3 energy approaches.

Observations on leg press machines

Sit well on the machine, place your feet firmly, make sure your feet are parallel and not V-shaped. Your feet should be close to each other, at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from each other. Stretch slowly, at maximum extension squeezes everything you can from your calves: explosive power. Then lower your heels slightly and repeat 2-3 approaches after 12-15 repetitions.

Practical advice

For high-load variations, try a superset of all three exercises. Start with standing stretches, after doing the exercise, don’t delay anything and go to seated stretches and finish everything in the leg press machine until you can’t take it anymore. Rest and do another final superset.

The most important thing to remember is that variety and persistence are key to moving a particular muscle group. If your legs look like sticks from behind, don’t worry. You are not alone.

Calves are like a snail always hiding in its shell. All you need are the right tools, a positive attitude and they will appear in all their beauty.