Building Your Calves Muscle Using These
Calf Exercises
Building
Your Calves Muscle Using These Calf Exercises
One of the best ways to exercise your calves muscle is by
the smith machine calf raise. It is recommended to do the
smith machine calf raise as the first exercise on calf days
while you still have all your strength. This may be followed
by seated calf raises to train the soleus muscle. In this
article, I will be explain how to do the smith machine calf
raise.
• Put a wooden block at least 6 inches high below
the bar of a smith machine, keeping it in line with the
bar. Adjust the bar to about shoulder height.
• Stand on the step with your toes keeping your heels
projecting off so they can move up and down freely.
• Load on the bar on the back of your shoulder (on
your trapezius muscle).
• Keeping your toes straight, grab the bar at about
shoulder width then rotate the bar to unhook it.
• Keep your legs straight and your spine erect so
that your whole body is in line with the bar so that your
calves muscle work harder.
• Put your heels down slowly until you feel maximum
stretch in your Achilles tendon.
• Inhale deeply then hold your breath and push up
to raise your heels as high as possible by contracting your
gastrocnemius muscle.
• Maintain this position for 2 seconds as you are
still holding your breath.
• Exhale as you descend back to initial position.
Here are a few points to keep in mind while performing the
exercise:
• Your legs have to be straight as much as possible
because bending them will put more stress on the soleus
muscle and less stress on the gastrocnemius, that is less
efficient training.
• During peak contraction at the highest point, hold
your position for 2 seconds to guarantee maximum contraction
of your calves muscle.
• To improve your stability and get more instant power,
hold your breath as you rise up.
• Move slowly and don’t bounce up to cancel
the effect of inertia and focus more on your muscle contraction.
Once you master the smith machine calf raise, you may try
using different foot positions to work certain parts of
your gastrocnemius. Point your toes inwards to focus more
on the outer part of your gastrocnemius and vice versa.
Building
Your Calves Muscle Using These Calf Exercises
Building Your Calves Muscle Using These
Calf Exercises articles
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