Calves

The Calves tend to be the most neglected part of the body, after the legs, for most weight training enthusiasts. It is a common sight to see overdeveloped upper-bodies and non-existent calves in the gym today.

Why?- Well, they are mostly hidden and it’s not the first body part one would flex for the ladies, is it?

One can easily identify those who are serious and well-informed about their training by taking a quick glance at their lower-body development.

When it comes to increasing lower-body strength, improving speed, or getting more agile, the focus is primarily on the large muscle groups; the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. We need to remember, though, that the weakest link in the chain determines its strength. The strongest quads, hamstrings, and glute combination is but useless without equally developed calves to transfer the power into the ground and stabilize the entire body during activity.

Anatomy of the Calf 

The calf is not a single slab of muscle but is slightly more complex. It is a combination of two individual muscles:

The Gastrocnemius, and

The Soleus.

The gastrocnemius is the main chunk of mass that constitutes the calf. It is the big muscle at the back of the lower leg, the bicep-like feel when you hold or massage your calves.

The soleus is smaller and lifts the gastrocnemius, thus forming the bulge of the calf. This is because it lies snugly underneath the gastrocnemius.

Plantar Flexion:  It is the movement at the ankle that allows you to point your toes. This is achieved by the simultaneous contraction of both the muscles in the calf.

Why are they an important link, if not “the” link?

The calves are one muscle group that performs numerous functions. These could be strength and performance related or could have a deeper, more subtle agenda.

Blood Circulation

Oxygenated Blood not only has to flow from the heart to the various extremities of the body but also, the de-oxygenated blood has to return to the heart. With the lower half of the body, this occurs against the force of gravity. 

The calves are known as the Peripheral Heart due to the role they play. When we contract our calf muscles, the compression of the veins forces the blood to flow upwards towards the heart.

The contraction of the calf muscles builds up an external pressure which facilitates the return flow of blood against the ever-present force of gravity.

Running

Your calves are particularly important while running. Although nearly all the leg muscles are used in running, the calves act as the link between your leg muscles and the ground.

The measurement of the overall muscle effort of a runner’s legs, done by Finnish scientists, showed that while running the calves put in 25% more effort than the quads.

The calf muscles cushion each foot during landing, absorbing the impact by acting as shock absorbers. As you push off, they put the spring in your stride helping you to blast off the blocks.

Since they do this every time you take a step throughout your waking hours and not only while running, it’s not surprising that they tend to fatigue faster. Train your calves to make them stronger, to avoid fatigue and, prevent injury, not just in running but in all sports.

Knee Stabilization

Any kind of sport, like soccer or tennis for example, that requires quick directional changes puts heavy stress onto the knees. Deceleration puts pressure of up to 10-12 times the bodyweight on the calves. Strong calves cushion the torque and prevent stress or tears in the ligaments of the knees. Jumping movements performed with unstable knees can result in poor form and injury. Here, a strong set of calves protect the joints.

Training

A healthy and strong set of calf muscles are not attained by performing just strengthening exercises, but by also supporting their regeneration process. Calves have just one range of motion, from the toes pointed up thus lowering your body, to the toes fully extended thus raising your heels off the ground.

Strengthening

Two basic variations for calf strengthening are the standing and seated calf raises.

The left image is the start position. For a better range of motion and stretch of the calf muscles, it is better to be on an elevated platform. The dumbells are not needed till you are used to the exercise and need additional weight.

If you do not have weights or workout at home, you could perform the exercise one foot at a time.

The image on the right is the end position with the toes extended.

The image below is the same exercise performed in a seated position. The difference between the two is that the standing method allows for a greater stretch and is a more natural movement.

There are variations, like the donkey calf raises and the barbell seated calf raises, but those are performed when you have spent a good deal of time and effort on the above two exercises. Calves require high repetitions to be effective.

Recovery

When exercised with correct form and intensity, the calves tend to become tight and their movement stiff.

Foam Rolling assists the calves to regain their flex and break up muscle knots, resuming normal blood flow and allowing your calves to recover faster and be more elastic. Foam rolling is like a do-it-yourself massage.

Compression socks aid in blood flow and regeneration of damaged tissue. These are mostly used for running rather than weight training, but could be used for a limited time post-workout to reduce DOMS. 

Ideally, compression socks should not be worn for an extended period.

Calf Injuries

Calf strains occur due to a sudden, or excessive and forced over-stretching of either or both of the calf muscles. A sudden explosive change of direction could cause a sudden sharp pain at the back of the leg. A mild strain may feel more like an ache during or after exercise. A more severe calf strain will cause a sudden sharp pain in the calf and tenderness of the calf muscle.

R.I.C.E

No, not the kind consumed the world over but the  Rest. Ice. Compression and Elevation kind of treatment. This is the most effective for calf sprains. 

Resting the injured muscle is the most important as any additional stress would only delay recovery and could also make the injury worse. Ice could be used to minimize the pain. Compression and elevation reduce swelling.

Resume training the body part only after 2-3 days of pain-free movement and normal flexibility.

Supporting your entire body the whole day makes the calves one stubborn muscle group and a glutton for punishment.

Make sure you burn those calves.

Also Read: Calf Strains