Swift Calisthenics 65mm Calf Raise Blocks - for Weighted Calf Raise - do Powerful Lower Leg Exercises at Home (1x Pair)

Product Information

Stronger ankles can improve your ability to grow bigger calves, improve sports performance, and keep you training more consistently. The calves work to support ankle stability and knee stability, making direct calf training a smart idea for functional fitness athletes, runners, or anyone else who may be susceptible to ankle sprains and injuries. The more challenging bodyweight calf exercises have a horizontal lean, so bands are even more useful as a way to improve the resistance curves. Myerson MS. The gastrocnemius, an issue of Foot and Ankle Clinics of North America. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2014. Nelson NL, Churilla JR. A narrative review of exercise-associated muscle cramps: factors that contribute to neuromuscular fatigue and management implications. Muscle Nerve. 2016;54(2):177-85. doi:10.1002.mus.25176

Below are a few reasons why you can benefit from including calf raises into your workout program. Increased Hypertrophy The seated calf raise is one of the most popular calf exercises because it targets more of the soleus muscle; which lies beneath the gastrocnemius. Seated Calf RaiseYou can either do this in shoes or barefoot but the latter is better for optimally utilizing your calf muscles. Stretching: The curve also helps to give an excellent stretch without stressing the bottom of your foot. This is a great way to loosen up for a workout or when the calves are tight. Stand upright with your foot on the edge of the step or surface, and go into a deep calf stretch while holding a weight. Keep your knee extended. Push through your toes to lift the heels upwards, going into full plantar flexion of the ankle joint. Hold yourself in the top position for a second, focusing on strong muscle contraction, then lower yourself slowly under control. Calf raises can be done for aesthetic reasons as well as to accrue performance benefits. Some individuals may need to train the calves more than others, however, below is a general overview of who can benefit from training their calves. Strength Athletes

Green B, McClelland JA, Semciw AI, Schache AG, McCall A, Pizzari T. The assessment, management and prevention of calf muscle strain injuries: A qualitative study of the practices and perspectives of 20 expert sports clinicians. Sports Med Open. 2022 Jan 15;8(1):10. doi:10.1186/s40798-021-00364-0 For the exercise squat down to parallel or slightly lower and lift both heels until they’re holding up your body weight. Do this for reps as you would any other calf raise exercise. Training Frequency/ Resistance Loads If you want to train the calves for explosive movement, there are a few useful options. I consider this a supplement to standard lower leg training, and I recommend doing the standard calf work for a while before integrating these. The first two options (jump roping and kettlebell jerks) are great exercises for conditioning as well. I personally prefer these as I have had better results from training explosiveThere is a lot of bro-science floating around the internet regarding calf training, often espoused by those with naturally large calves, people who needed hardly any stimulus at all to get results. They'll tell you that you should just do leg compound training, or minimal lower leg work, because that's what worked for them. Essentially, do nothing for the calves and they will magically continue to improve. The Farmers’ Walk is primarily used to improve static/grip strength, core strength, stability, and build the posterior chain muscles. Using a leg press machine to work your calves is one of the best variations to any standing calf raise exercise. Bending your knees slightly when doing any kind of calf raises switches the workload from the gastrocnemius – the larger calf muscle – to the soleus, which might be smaller but is no less important. Your calf raise routine should include as many bent-knee exercises as straight-knee raises. Seated calf raise