The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles make up what is commonly known as the calf. the soleus is the larger and deeper of the two muscles, originates from both the fibula and the tibia, and is designed to flex the foot. The gastrocnemius has two heads, one originating from the lateral aspect and the other from the medial of the lower femur. Both heads join to overlay the sloeus and join with it to insert into the achilles tendon, which inserts into the heel bone, and flexes the foot. There is also a tibialis anterior which runs up the front of the lower leg alongside the shinbone which helps to flex the foot.
Calves are a very good aesthetic body part. Powerful calves were one of the qualities that the ancient Greeks gave to the statues that they carved of their ideal masculine figure. Ideally, your calf development should about equal the development of your biceps.
The calves are the muscles on Stan's lower leg. The gastrocnemius is the large buldge in the back, and the soleus is the smaller buldge forward from it on his right leg.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:To develop the overall mass of the calves.
EXECUTION:
(1)Stand with your toes on the block of a standing calf raise machine, your heels extended out into space. Hook your shoulders under the pads and straighten your legs, lifting the weight clear of the support. Lower your heels as far as possible toward the floor, keeping your knees slightly bent throughout the movement in order to work the lower area of the calves as well as the upper, and feeling the calf muscles stretch to the maximum.
(2)From the bottom of the movement, come up on your toes as far as possible. The weight should be heavy enough to exercise the calves, but not so heavy that you cannot come all the way up for most of your repetitions. When you are too tired to do complete repetitions, finish off the set with a series of partial movements to increase the intensity of the exercise.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:To develop the lower and outer areas of the calves.
EXECUTION:
(1)Sit on the machine and place your toes on the bottom crosspiece, hooking your knees under the crossbar. Slowly lower your heels as far toward the ground as possible,
(2)then press back up on your toes until your calves are fully contracted. Try not to rock back and forth too much, but keep the calves working with a steady, rhythmic motion.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:To develop the front of the lower leg. Many bodybuilders with good calves forget about developing the muscles at the front of the lower leg, primarily the tibialis anterior, which separates the inside calf from the outside calf and makes the leg seem much bigger.
EXECUTION:
(1)Stand with your heels on a block, lower your toes as far as you can,
(2)then lift them up, feeling the muscles at the front of the lower leg contract as fully as possible. Do about 20 or 30 repetitions with your own body weight. As a variation, you can hook your toes under a light weight to provide extra resistance.