How To Get Bigger Calves

If you have ever wanted to train your calves to look better, then we would certainly suggest that you focus on those calves.

These shapely muscles at the bottom of your trousers will not only give you plenty of definition in clothing, but they will also help you to train in other exercises such as cardio.

This isn’t a matter of genetics, simply anyone can increase their calf exercises to get some bulbous muscles at the bottom of their legs. This will help you with your coordination, as more developed muscles will allow you to balance better.

But how exactly can you increase your calf size and what exercises are the best to target these areas?

Well, if you are interested in knowing what the best calf workouts are for these, then you should definitely read on. We have a few very simple routines that you can do to increase the level of your calves.

Bigger Calves: Why?

Having bigger calves will not only look really good, but they will make you more agile and improve the quality of your exercise in general. If you are running up a flight of stairs, then you will notice that it is a lot easier if you have trained your calves.

Some experts have stated that calves are some of the hardest muscles to grow, as they only really develop to support the weight of your body.

You’ll have noticed that larger-framed people usually have larger calves to accommodate for their weight. You have to really work your calves hard to get that extra definition and bulk.

Exercises To Get Bigger Calves

Luckily, there are some exercises for calf muscles you can do to increase the level of those muscles. These exercises really require little to no weights or additional equipment, and you can simply do them from the comfort of your own home.

Building Up Your Calves

To build up these lower leg muscles, all you have to do is pick one or two of the exercises below and do them a few times a week. Remember to stretch your calves before proceeding with these workouts to ensure that the muscles are working as they should be, and to avoid cramping. Check out our complete guide on how to stretch your calves here. 

If you are really going to develop your calves, then we would certainly recommend that you switch it up often.

Intense Training

The first method of building up your calves is by concentrating all your efforts on exercising them.

We would certainly recommend that for 2 - 4 weeks you really hone in on your calf muscles so that they will start to flourish. Do some of the following exercises to around 4 - 6 sets to really boost those muscles.

Training At Bedtime

Before you settle into bed every night, we would suggest that you squeeze your calves around 100 times every night.

This will help you to increase the muscles in your legs, allowing them to rest as you sleep. Use the weight of your body to squeeze your calves together.

Walk On Your Tiptoes

You should try walking around on your tiptoes rather than using the flat of your feet as this will encourage you to put a lot of strain on your calves.

This is the reason why ballet dancers have very strong calves, as they are often found on their tiptoes.

One great thing about this exercise is the fact that you do not have to use any excess weights or buy equipment. You can simply use the weight of your own body to rock from the back of your heel to the front.

Do Calf Raises

When you are using the stairs, whether in your own home or out and about, place the tiptoe of your foot on the edge of the stairs and then rock back onto your heel.

This will give you a complete rotation of your foot, giving you the ability to be able to stretch out the calf muscle, which will also tense it, gradually building strength in it.

If you can walk up and down the stairs repeating this movement, then you will get an even deeper workout.

You can be sure that you’ll have everything you need to keep the muscle tense and taught. If you repeat these exercises on a regular basis, then eventually your muscles will begin to develop.

2 Calf Workouts A Week

We would suggest that you mix up the number of exercises that you do with your calves in a week. Try doing a lighter exercise such as the stairlifts at the start of the week then build it up slowly to something a bit heavier at the end of the week.

For the lighter reps, then we would recommend doing around 25-35 reps, which attack the lesser-used fibers in your legs.

This will also help you do the heavier exercises, as you will be using a lot more areas in the muscles of your legs. This will help you to isolate the muscles that you do not utilize in conventional workouts.

Barefoot Training

Training barefoot will certainly help you to develop the muscles in your calves, as your entire leg will have to work overtime to really push itself beyond the usual limits of the muscle.

The leg is naturally inclined to push itself in the calf, especially when there is no additional protection and cushioning in the ball of the foot or the heel.

Cardio

Running and cardio exercise will also train your calf to be more responsive to exercise, naturally encouraging the blood flow all the way through the leg. This will also encourage more flexibility in the ball of the foot as well as the heel.

Running alone will not build up your calf muscle, but you can be sure that it will help define your calf muscle if you do it in conjunction with the exercises listed above.