It seems nobody enjoys working the legs. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s very strenuous, or because the legs just don’t get as much credit as the upper body. However, I think, if it were possible (and I’ll explain why under normal, natural circumstances it’s not, later) that most people would be walking around with huge upper bodies, propped precariously atop of un-worked chicken legs. It’s a ridiculous picture, but one I think most would be happy with.
Anyway, if the legs are under worked, and the thighs being the obvious ‘jewel’ of the leg, then the calf muscles are the poor cousin… the dried, withering berry on the branch. Let’s see if we can change that, and restore some balance to the physique, shall we?
Ok, the calf muscles, if you don’t know where they are, they are the muscles which are on the back of the shin bone of the lower leg. Their purpose is to control rotation and movement of the foot, and provide stability whilst walking or running.
If your calf muscles are un-worked thus far, you may be able to add some size to them with relative ease, by performing simple calf raises, and then one legged calf raises. But, eventually, as everything in bodybuilding requires more weight and resistance, you’ll need to up the ante a little.
You can do this by using either a weighted dip belt, which naturally fastens around your waist and a heavy plate is attached to a chain on the belt, giving more resistance to the movement and thus better development, or if you have the access to people (yes, people!) you can perform the granddaddy of calf building exercises, known as donkey calf raises.
To do these, you simply bend over at the hip so your upper body is almost parallel to the floor, keeping the back straight, have somebody hop on your back whilst your forearms steady and balance you. Now, preferably with the balls of you feet on a black to allow greater lowering of the heal, begin lifting with the calf muscles, up and down – slowly.
It’s a killer, but rest assured, your calf muscles will explode in size.