Calf workouts are important for stability, balance, agility, and speed. Stretching routines increase flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. Calf raises and machines build muscle and tone calves. Gym machines include the seated and standing calf raise machines.
Calf workouts are part of most exercise routines, and for good reason. The calf muscles contribute to stability and balance, as well as agility and speed. Working your calf muscles effectively means choosing calf workouts that build muscle and increase flexibility, and such workouts can be included with other lower-body workouts to form an effective strength-training routine. The easiest calf exercises to perform are simple stretching routines, which will increase flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and improve blood flow in the lower legs. Stretching routines can be done at home, in the office, or at the gym and generally require little to no specialized equipment.
Stretching your calf muscles will prepare those muscles for more strenuous exercises to come. By keeping your calf muscles flexible, other leg muscles will also loosen up and become more flexible, which in turn can improve hip flexibility and core strength. Calf stretching exercises should include toe raises, which involves placing your toes on a slightly raised platform and dropping your heel. Another way to stretch your calf and hamstrings at the same time is to lie on your back and wear a strap around your toes. One should raise the leg so that it is perpendicular to the ground, then pull the strap so that the toes begin to stretch towards the body.
Other calf workouts are meant to build the calf muscles. The most common exercise included in muscle building workouts is the calf raise. To perform a calf raise, one must take a dumbbell in each hand (the weight depends on the lifter’s fitness level) and find a raised platform. Then the toes will be placed on the raised platform and the heels will be lifted off the ground so that the weight of the body is on the toes and the ball of the foot. The lifter will hold this position for two seconds and then release. Several repetitions of this exercise will help build muscle and tone your calves.
A gym or fitness center will have machines specially designed to work the calf muscles. Calf workouts that include the use of these machines will help build muscle quickly. The two most commonly used machines are the seated calf raise machine and the standing calf raise machine. The standing calf raise machine works the same way as the calf raises described above, except that the user is not holding weights in their hands. Instead, a resistance yoke rests on each shoulder, providing weight for the calf raise. A seated calf raise works similarly, except the user is seated and the yoke rests on top of the knees.
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