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Chiseling Lower Leg Diamonds with Standing Barbell Calf Raises |
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Written by Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
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Wednesday, 25 April 2007 |
Most guys don't get mesmerized by diamonds; however, there is one set of diamonds that can stir the heart of every hardcore bodybuilder. These massive diamonds are chiseled onto the lower leg of great bodybuilders. These diamonds will place a bodybuilder above their calf-deficient peers on the winner's podium so it's no wonder bodybuilders love to have these diamonds.
Store bought diamonds are developed by millions of pounds of pressure and by a good deal of time. Although it might seem that superb calves take a couple of millennium to develop, it doesn't have to take quite that long. It certainly could, if you allow yourself to slip into the pitfall of putting off calf training until the end of your workout, or skip calf training altogether.
About the only way to disguise poor calves is to live in long and baggy pants all your life, but that doesn't work if you want to compete or even hit the beach. The best approach is to start by taking a careful inventory of your calves. If your diamonds are a bit flat, you can build some nice peaks with standing barbell calf raises. This basic barbell exercise isn't fancy, and doesn't require any special machines, but it will selectively add muscle mass and greatly enhance the appearance and shape of your legs. After a few months you will want to show off your new diamonds.
Structure and Function
The gastrocnemius muscle forms most of the diamond-like shape. The upper and middle regions of the medial gastrocnemius create the medial part of the diamond just below the knee. The lateral gastrocnemius forms the outer part of the diamond. The soleus muscle sits just below the gastrocnemius muscle and is the final component to this diamond. The medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius muscle fuse together at a common attachment and attach to the heel bone (calcaneus) via a thick tendon (Achilles tendon). The soleus muscle fibers just keep on going and provide the impression of a long and full muscle belly that creates the lowest part of the diamond.
Training the soleus muscle will also push the gastrocnemius away from the bones of the lower leg, and thereby enhance the shape of the calf. The soleus fibers are quite visible on either side of the Achilles tendon between the bottom edge of the gastrocnemius and the heel. Thus, to fully complete both upper and lower parts of the diamond, the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius must be symmetrically developed.
The primary function of lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles and the soleus muscle is to plantar flex the foot at the ankle joint (raise the heel). Because both heads of the gastrocnemius muscle cross the knee joint, they can assist in movements that flex the knee joint (e.g., lying leg curls for the hamstring muscles). However, these muscles are unable to exert maximal forces at the ankle joint and the knee joint simultaneously. If your wish is to maximally activate the gastrocnemius, your knee must be straight during heel (calf) raises. Straight knees will tighten this muscle and slightly stretched muscles will always contribute to force production more completely than muscles which are not tight and stretched. Standing barbell calf raises are among the oldest calf exercises; they're also one of the best back-to-basics workouts for your calves.
Standing Calf Raises
1. Place an Olympic barbell on a squat rack and load it with a weight that's similar to the weight you use for barbell squats.
2. Place a six-inch block near the front of the squat rack. This block should be about four to six inches wide to provide an adequate base. Make sure that the surface of the block and the soles of your shoes are not too smooth or slippery.
3. Place the bar across your upper trapezius above your shoulders, as if you were setting up to do a barbell squat. You can wrap the bar with a towel if you wish.
4. Take two steps forward from the rack and step up on the block with both feet.
5. Position the balls of both feet (not your heels) on the foot block about shoulder width part and straighten your knees. The weight should be transferred directly down your spine. Don't let your buttocks extend backward.
6. Rise up on your toes as high as possible, and hold this position for at least one second. The higher you can lift your heels, the better.
7. Lower your heels and make an attempt to touch them to the floor (which should be impossible, otherwise the block is not high enough). You may need to lean a bit forward to keep your balance as you lower your heels; be careful to control your body so you don't lean too far. Make the stretch slow and deliberate and hold the stretch for two to three seconds at the bottom position.
8. Continue to the next repetition and rise as high as possible. Make sure your knees don't bend on the upward movement.
Training Tips
You may wish to experiment with different foot positions. Pointing your toes inward or outward will do nothing to change the recruitment of muscle fibers in the calf unless you are distributing the weight differently over your foot as you raise your heels. Pointing your toes outward will only be effective in recruiting the medial gastrocnemius if you also roll your bodyweight over your big toe (and of course rise as high as possible at the same time). The action of coming up on your big toe is created by shortening the medial most fibers of the medial gastrocnemius more strongly than the lateral fibers. Some people point their toes out but then come up so their weight is over their little toe, and that will not effect the change you are looking for.
In contrast, if you need more sweep to your lateral gastrocnemius, roll your weight to the outside of your foot over your three most lateral toes (not your big toe). Pointing your toes straight ahead will activate both heads of the gastrocnemius about equally; however, if you tend to roll to one side or the other when you go up on your toes (and everyone does), the side you roll to will achieve the preferential work (because it shortens the most). You can usually tell if you normally roll your weight on the outside or inside of your foot (e.g., during walking or running) by examining the wear in the soles of your shoes. Preferentially enhanced recruitment of the medial or lateral gastrocnemius will occur only if you roll the weight over your toes in the proper manner.
The gastrocnemius has only one major blood supply (the sural artery). This increases the tendency for muscle fatigue, muscle cramps and a potential for metabolic by-products to build up in the calf during exercises like heel raises. You can reduce these painful side effects by stretching your calves and perhaps some light massage between sets. In spite of the discomfort that can sometimes accompany training your calves, if you stick with it, the slow but progressive muscle slabs will be added, one fiber at time.
The calf muscles are not impossible to build, but they seem to be slower than many other body parts. Part of the problem is that the calves get a fair bit of stimulation just from walking and they get very accustomed to high activation levels. To inject some serious muscle growth, you must increase the intensity level beyond what you are normally accustomed to enduring. Heavy weights will activate the large type II fibers so don't be afraid to lift some heavy iron.
Try to completely get up on the balls of your feet on each repetition at least on the first part of your set. Once your calves become fatigued and you cannot complete another repetition, you can squeeze out a couple of more repetitions by flexing your knees and then quickly straightening them on the way up. This will help to boost the weight up a little more for these final two "cheat" repetitions of your last set or two. Another approach to move fatigued calves past the burn barrier is to complete several partial repetitions once you are unable to complete a full repetition. Simply go up as high as you can. Even if it's not all the way up, hold this for a second, and then drop as low as you can to get a super stretch. Move into the next partial repetition and complete four to five partial reps before calling it a set.
Your average dull and flat calves can become dazzling huge diamonds and the crowning Pinnacle of your legs. There is nothing sweeter than showing the world the fruits of your difficult but fulfilling labor. Even if your calves are not the polished gems that will win a trophy at the moment, you will soon be sending your baggy track pants to Goodwill and showing off your new diamonds in shorts.
References
1. Clemente, C.D. Anatomy, A regional atlas of the human body. Second edition, Baltimore, Urban & Schwarzenberg Pub. Co., 1981, pp. 33-75.
2. Kinugasa R and Akima H. Neuromuscular activation of triceps surae using muscle functional MRI and EMG. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 37: 593-598, 2005.
3. Torricelli A, Quaresima V, Pifferi A, Biscotti G, Spinelli L, Taroni P, Ferrari M and Cubeddu R. Mapping of calf muscle oxygenation and hemoglobin content during dynamic plantar flexion exercise by multi-channel time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy. Phys Med Biol, 49: 685-699, 2004.
4. Trappe SW, Trappe TA, Lee GA and Costill DL. Calf muscle strength in humans. Int J Sports Med, 22: 186-191, 2001.
5. Yanagisawa O, Niitsu M, Yoshioka H, Goto K and Itai Y. MRI determination of muscle recruitment variations in dynamic ankle plantar flexion exercise. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 82: 760-765, 2003.
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