How to Do Calf Exercises for Women
Most women want to have shapely legs and the calf muscles are an easy muscle to focus on. A well-toned calf muscle looks good especially when a woman wears high heels. Since it is a relatively small muscle, you do not need to use a lot of weight or resistance to make the muscle stronger. Learn some simple exercises you can do at home and at the gym for great looking calves.
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Instructions
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Do 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Move slowly and with control. If you are new to exercise, just start with one set. As you become stronger, you can work up to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each set. For best results, do these exercises three times per week, with a day of rest in between. Doing resistance exercises two days in a row on the same muscle group will lead to muscle fatigue and injury.
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Start with a basic standing calf raise. Stand up straight with the feet together. Lightly hold onto a counter or chair for support. It is best to hold onto something so you can really focus on working the muscle through a full range of motion. When you do not hold on, there is a tendency to lose your balance and do smaller movements. Slowly raise up onto your toes as high as you can. Then slowly lower down. Come down with control and avoid crashing down on the heels. A common mistake made with this exercise is to rock back on the heels after coming down. This makes you lock your knees which can cause injury, and it does not add to the exercise Come down slowly and allow the knees to remain slightly bent. You can also do this seated if standing is difficult.
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Progress to an advanced standing calf raise. Stand up straight on a stairway and lightly hold onto the railing. If you do not have a stairway, you can stand on a piece of wood or a large book and hold onto a counter for support. Stand so that your heels hang off the end of the step. Bend your knees slightly. Slowly drop the heels down as far as you can keeping your knees bent and the back straight. Do not push your hips back. You need to be very careful in this exercise to not lock or hyper-extend the knees. Slowly come back up as high as you can.
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Do standing calf raises at the gym. Set the appropriate amount of weight. Stand facing the weight stack with the shoulder pads resting comfortably on your shoulders when your knees are slightly bent. Keeping your back straight lift up onto your toes as high as you can. Slowly come down and stop before the weights touch.
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Try seated resisted calf raises. Load the correct amount of plates onto the front support. Sit on the machine facing the weights so that the pad rests on your mid thigh. Keeping the back straight, lift your heels up as high as you can, then slowly lower down. The common mistake made with this exercise is to rock the body while lifting. Keep the body still and just lift and lower the heels.
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Add variety to your workout. For more of a challenge, try doing any of these calf raises with just one leg. Hold one leg up and do all repetitions on just one foot. Then switch sides. You can also add ankle weights to the top two exercises for more resistance. Try working your calf muscle from various angles. If you are doing three sets, do the first set with the toes pointing straight forward. Do the second set with the feet turned out slightly. On the third set, turn the toes in. This will give your calves a nice sculpted look.
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Tips & Warnings
Always start slowly and gradually progress to more repetitions and resistance. Use a 2-second count to lift the weight and a 4-second count to lower the weight.
These exercises should not cause knee or hip pain. If you do have pain, check with a physical therapist or trainer to make sure your form is correct. Do not rock your body or lock the knees with any of these exercises. Just lift and lower the heels.
