How To Strengthen Your Gastrocnemius And Your Calf Tendon

The gastrocnemius, or the so called the calf is a strong muscle found in the posterior aspect of your leg so is the calf tendon. It is present immediately under the skin. It originates from the knee to be inserted in the heel making it essential for running and jumping. Together with the soleus muscle, it is responsible for flexion of the ankle and the knee. For bodybuilding, the calf muscle should be trained and strengthened by slightly bending and locking the knees then maintaining this position. This is a simple exercise to help you achieve that. The donkey calf raise exercise is excellent for this and to strengthen your calf tendon, and here’s how it’s done.

• Stand on the border of a step, keeping your toes on the step and your heels projecting off.
• Lean forwards and hold a high bar or if unavailable, put your hands on your thighs.
• Elevate your heels as much as possible to contract your gastrocnemius muscle then stretch it by lowering your heels.
• Do two sets of this. Get as many repetitions as you can to strengthen your calves and calf tendon
• Your chest has to be parallel to the floor as much as possible, keeping your knees straight as you raise your heel and slightly bent as you stretch downwards.
• To make the exercise more challenging, allow a training partner to sit on your lower back or even let him carry additional weight to make it even more intense.
All you have to do is to follow those simple steps, just stand on a calf step, keeping your heels extending beyond the step. Let a training partner sit on your hips for extra weight if you want. Then by strict powerful movements move your body up and down by contracting your calf then stretching it. If you just follow those simple steps, your gastrocnemius muscle will grow stronger rapidly and you will strengthen your calf tendon