How You Can Actually Train Your Calf Muscles to Grow

This is Your Quick Training Tip, a chance to learn how to work smarter in just a few moments so you can get right to your workout.

It’s easy to hate the calves. Compared to other lower body muscles, they’re relatively small, slow to grow, and quick to plateau, making them a common source of insecurities about ‘chicken legs’. No wonder calf implants are among the most popular cosmetic procedures for men—a lot of guys simply give up on building these maddeningly stubborn muscles. But you don’t have to go under the knife for more size if you make a few key changes to how you train them.

Running along the backs of your lower legs, your calves are comprised of not one, but two distinct muscles that work together to flex your ankles. The gastrocnemius is the outermost of the pair, and has two heads that attach to your femur above your knee. It’s comprised largely of type II (strength and power-focused) fibers, and is the primary ankle flexor during movements such as running and jumping. Beneath it is the soleus—a broad, flat muscle comprised largely of type I (endurance-focused) fibers that attaches to the tibia and fibula below the knee. The soleus is most active during highly repetitive, low intensity activities such as walking.

Therein lies the secret to building bigger calves: You have to train each of those muscles as the two different entities that they are.

Your move: Target your calves two to three times a week on non-consecutive days with a variety of exercises that emphasize their individual strengths. Straight leg exercises such as the standing dumbbell calf raise and plyometric moves such as the squat jump and split jump will hammer your gastrocnemius. The soleus responds better to low weight, high rep sets of bent leg exercises such as the seated calf raise. (Bending your knee inhibits the gastrocnemius, forcing the soleus to work harder.)

The ultimate size of your calves is determined by genetics, but as long as you’re smart about how you train them, you’ll never look like you skipped out on leg day.

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