Friday, January 01, 2010 4:35 pm

Your Better Calf

Men & women like to show off heart-shaped calves, but they do much more than make you look good.

By Brian Biagioli

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Men and women like to show off heart-shaped calves, as they are the highlights of any sculpted leg. But your calves do much more than make you look good. They are integral to most lower-body movements and important in high-performance athletics.

Bosu plantar flexion
Women looking to add shapeliness without size in the lower leg while enhancing posture (especially when wearing heels) can benefit from Bosu plantar flexion. Additionally, the action’s stability requirements enhance joint health at the ankle. Since the soleus dominates plantar flexion when the knee is flexed, positioning the body for optimal tension is requisite to training this muscle.

Bodybuilders traditionally train the soleus using the seated calf raise, but machine-isolated strength does not have the same functional effect as an exercise performed on an unstable surface, like a Bosu. Also, using body weight instead of machines increases neuromuscular awareness, also known as teaching your muscles to work together.

Step-back to plantar flexion
The gastrocnemius works with the hamstrings as a knee flexor, but it is also a key factor in human locomotion, driving plantar flexion (think of the movement involved in pressing down a gas pedal) when the leg is extended. Men looking to improve gait speed can benefit from combining hip extension with plantar flexion.

The exercise is preferable to using a standing calf machine because it enhances muscle coordination by causing momentum transfer to the gastrocnemius. As an added benefit, when resistance is placed on the shoulder, the trunk stabilizers must also manage the movement. The step-back to plantar flexion is warranted for any exerciser or athlete, since it enhances ankle stability for sports movement.

Read our detailed guide for these calf-sculpting exercises in the January/February 2010 issue of SOBeFiT Magazine.