How to Strengthen and Define Your Calf Muscles

A listener named Victoria wrote to me the other day and said, “I have really skinny calves. So skinny that I am starting to feel self conscious about wearing leggings without high boots. How can I get my calves to match the rest of my strong physique?”

Well, Victoria, you are not alone. Tons of people have trouble building their calves. Just look at photos of body building competitions and you will likely see that more than half of the competitors have an imbalance or two, and that imbalance is usually centered around their calves. Heck, even Arnold himself struggled with puny calves in his early bodybuilding days.

Believe it or not, working your calves is not exactly rocket science.

Luckily, believe it or not, working your calves is not exactly rocket science. Calves are not a difficult body part to work but they can be a difficult body part to grow. The good news is that calf workouts do not tire you out like squats do (so you won’t need to spend the remainder of the day on the couch) and they don’t burn you out like a shoulder workout does (so you won’t have to get a close friend to wash your hair for you). Calves are also pretty easy to foam roll or self-massage so there is really no excuse to not add some serious calf work into your plan.

 

Calf anatomy

The calf muscles may look like a complicated set of interlocking and intertwining bands of tissue but in actuality they’re not that wacky. Let's break them down.

The gastrocnemius

Gastro is Greek for "belly" and this muscle is what people most commonly refer to when they talk about their "calves." They’re the most noticeable muscles in the lower leg, and they get the most action during everyday activities.

The gastrocnemius (or gastroc) is most visible when you are standing up. If you want to see them well, try this: stand up and raise your toes off the ground toward your shins. Now look behind you at your lower legs, there you will be able to see your medial and lateral heads of the gastroc contract. Cool, right?

The gastrocnemius may be the most obvious section of the calf muscles but it should not be the only one that you train in the same way that the pecs are not the only chest muscles that should be worked on. We don’t want to look wonky or move weirdly, right? (No, we don’t.)

The soleus

Soleus is Latin for sole (...

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