Many lower-body workouts focus on the hamstrings and but neglect a very important muscle group: the calves. Many people assume that if you work out the legs, the calves will take care of themselves, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. Ignoring the calves can cause knee instability and , while incorporating calf exercises into your routine improves while walking, standing, running and performing everyday movements.
Increasing awareness and fine tuning your movements to target the calf muscles will improve and balance your overall leg strength. The calves support a lot of the load from the lower body, and propel you forward when doing activities like and running. The calf muscles also help you flex your feet and rotate your ankles.
The stronger your calves, the higher you can jump, the , and the less likely you’ll get injured. The calves are made up of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Each of these muscles is critical to walking, running, jumping and .
The gastrocnemius is the largest part of the calf and the most visible. It connects from the femur bone down to the ankle by way of the achilles tendon. Toned gastrocnemius muscles not only look good, but also propel you forward.
These muscles activate when you lift your heels off the ground, and they cross two joints — the knee and the ankle. For this reason, the gastrocnemius is more prone to strain and injury than a muscle that only crosses one joint. Think of it this way: the gastrocnemius has multiple jobs in .