Calf sense

Men's Fitness, Feb, 1999 by Bill Dobbins

Don't waste time training your calves the wrong way. Here's the smart and simple approach.

Repairmen realize that there are often only two choices when it comes to fixing a broken piece of equipment: employ a more effective technique, or use a bigger hammer. In other words, the answer sometimes calls for subtlety and other times brute force, as in just beating the hell out of it. The secret lies in knowing which application to utilize at any given time.

The same principle applies to weight training. To effectively work certain complex body parts, such as the chest, you must possess a thorough understanding of those body parts' physiology. This knowledge allows you to utilize more specialized (even esoteric) training techniques - such as variable intensity, multiple-angle configurations and the like - in your quest for maximum development.

But other body parts respond best to straightforward, pedal-to-the-metal effort. Sometimes "training smart" is not as important as just training hard, although you have to employ intelligence in all aspects of your workout regimen.

One key to understanding the difference between these two approaches is to examine the structure of the muscle or muscles being trained. The back and chest, for example, have complex structures that attach in multiple places, and you need to know a great deal about technique in order to maximize your training efforts. Conversely, other muscles - like calves - are not particularly complex structures.

Your calves comprise two muscles: the outer and inner gastrocnemius muscle and the underlying soleus muscle. Each has a similar and fairly simple function. In practical terms, the chief responsibility of the calves is to help the ankle extend, or to press the toes downward, a movement termed plantar flexion. Thus, to train your calves effectively, you need to perform exercises in which you extend your foot against an appropriate amount of resistance.

One of the tenets of exercise physiology is that (in most cases) the most efficient way to train a muscle is in a direct line from its point of origin to its point of insertion. That is, training requires that you hit the muscle on a line that runs directly between where the tendons at each end of the muscle attach to the bone. Muscle groups like the biceps and chest have multiple points of origin and/or attachment, which means they can be exercised from a variety of angles. Calf muscles, however, should be trained from only one angle, as they have but single points of both origin and insertion.

Due to their structural simplicity, there are only two types of effective calf exercises: straight-leg and bent-knee raises. Why the difference? The gastrocnemius muscle originates behind your knee on the thigh and inserts on your heel. So to fully contract the gastrocs, you must keep your knees locked and legs straight. The standard exercise for this is some type of straight-leg calf-raise movement. It's also important to note the interplay of hamstring and gastrocnemius: If you stretch the hamstring, you will also stretch the gastroc to some degree. In a practical sense, if you bend at the waist while keeping your knees locked and legs straight while performing a calf raise, you'll improve its effectiveness. The best movement to accomplish this dual task is the traditional donkey calf raise.

Once you bend your knee, however, the gastrocnemius becomes less involved in calf raises. The soleus muscle, a large, fiat, plate-like muscle below the gastrocnemius, originates below the knee on your tibia and fibula and inserts on your heel. In order to activate the soleus as much as possible, you must bend your knee, so seated calf raises engage this portion of the calf muscle more effectively.

With regard to all of the above, it's important to examine the practice of changing foot positions when performing calf raises. Many men and women point their toes outward and then inward while doing calf raises in the belief that they're hitting the muscle from a variety of angles. The fact is, however, that the toes-in and toes-out positions produce no special benefits for your calves. Your goal is to realize that the calves' primary actions are dorsi flexion and plantar flexion, pushing downward and pulling upward, respectively, with the foot. Foot angles have no bearing on these two functions of the calf muscles; the toes-straight-ahead approach is the best. The only benefit derived from angling your toes is psychological: Simply put, the added variety may prevent you from getting bored with your workout.

Calf-training tips

The following tips can improve the effectiveness of your calf training:

* Strive to achieve the fullest range of motion possible. Stretch all the way down at the bottom and come right up on your toes at the top. Calf muscles generally work mostly in the mid-range, so full-range movements tend to create a better response. However, be careful not to overstretch.

* Schedule your calf training like you would any other body part, and give them your full attention. A few sets done offhandedly before or after the rest of your workout will produce negligible results.