The calves are probably neglected more than any other group of muscles in bodybuilding. All the people who go into the gym desire a large chest and massive arms. Then these people find the basics, so they start to train using squats and deadlifts. But after a few years of bodybuilding training a lot of people take notice that their calves have been under developed in comparison to the rest of their body. Also, many people have a bad family history and genetics that have resulted in them having naturally weak calves that are higher than usual on the lower leg. This means that whatever they do as far as training, their calves will always be the weaker of their muscle groups.

Calve Muscles

The calves are made up of two groups of muscles; these are the gastrocnemius and the coleus. The gastrocnemius is the shape on the leg that resembles a diamond; this muscle is split and extends from the back of the knee down to where the calf ties into it. The coleus is the inferior sheet of muscle, which is located under the gastrocnemius, and is tied in at the heel bone by way of the Achilles tendon.

Training Calves

Every technique to train the calves is basically the same general motion; this motion is bringing the toes up and down in order to lift a weight or the body's weight. Standing calf raises are the number one choice for bodybuilders to train their legs. While this is the preference, a reasonably large selection of exercises can be used. Some examples of these are sitting calf raises, dumbbell calf raises, leg press toe raises, and others. No matter what the exercise is, the toes move through the whole movement. The exercise begins by bringing the weight down while keeping the toes up and the heel down. The heel is brought up smoothly until the toes are pointing down. This exercise is great for hitting both the gastrocnemius and the coleus. The reps need to be done at a slow pace. Since there is only a single artery that brings blood to the calves, cramping can be normal and needs to be watched for.

Toe Position

A lot of bodybuilders will hit their outer calf by pointing the toes inward, and will do the opposite to hit their inner calf. This technique can be very beneficial, but won't offer any results unless the exerciser shifts the weight to the side that they want to train. So to make sure this happens, when the toes are pointed inwards barely lift the outer side of the foot to move the pressure to the other side. Unless this is done, the muscles will equally share the burden of the weight.