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Many people focus on strengthening their core and upper body, thus restricting their workouts to the same at the gym. But, you must know that it is equally important to work on your lower legs — beyond squats and lunges. Taking time to work the calf muscles, especially, offers not only aesthetic but biomechanical benefits as well.
Talking more about these groups of muscles, Utsav Agrawal, fitness coach, FITTR said that they are located at the back of your lower leg, and consist of the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. “The gastrocnemius is the larger muscle, which is responsible for creating the visible bulge on the back of your leg. The soleus is a smaller, flatter muscle that lies underneath the gastrocnemius. Both muscles work together to help you stand, walk, run, jump, and perform other lower-body movements,” he told indianexpress.com.
According to Runner’s World, a survey of 14,000 injured runners conducted by sports podiatrist Stephen M Pribut revealed that calf pulls were the second most common injury. As such, it must be noted that the risk of injuring the calf increases if you neglect strengthening and stretching the lower leg.
Bhagyashree Dassani, a hardcore fitness enthusiast, also highlighted the need to work on the calf muscles. “For most people, leg workout means squats and lunges. So primarily, you are only exercising your quads and hamstrings. Unless your trainer reminds you, you too forget to exercise your calf muscles,” she said as part of her #TuesdayTip series on Instagram.
According to the actor, the calf muscle helps propel you forward while walking and running. “It also acts as a spring when you jump. A strong calf muscle can not only protect you from having calf tears, but will also prevent sprained ankles, Achilles tendinitis and tendinopathies of the ankle, foot and even the knees,” she said.
Concurring, Agrawal said that working on the calf muscles can have several benefits, such as improving your balance and stability, preventing injury and increasing your athletic performance. “Additionally, it can help improve the appearance of your lower legs, which can boost your confidence and self-esteem,” he added.
Explaining some exercises that help build calf muscles, the fitness expert said, “Two popular exercises for working on the calf muscles are standing calf raises and seated calf raises. Standing calf raises involve standing on a raised surface with the balls of your feet and then lowering your heels as far as possible before rising up again. Seated calf raises involve sitting on a bench with your knees bent and lifting your heels by pressing the balls of your feet onto a footrest. Both exercises target the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. ”
“In addition, the calf muscles are primarily composed of slow-twitch muscle fibers. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are highly resistant to fatigue and are used for activities that require endurance, such as long-distance running. Therefore, it’s important to use high-repetition, low-weight exercises to effectively work your calf muscles,” he added.
Concluding, Bhagyashree noted that simple exercises like these also help improve blood circulation, elongates your muscles, increases mobility and flexibility along with strengthening. “So, build those calf muscles.”
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