The Top Five Exercises To Build And Strengthen Your Calf Muscles:- Generally, people tend to forget about their calves, while working out. Doing just a couple of calf raises will not help, but instead, you need to exercise your calf muscles to strengthen them. A proper work out plan and training them regularly, is needed for your calves, as the calves are stubborn. When your exercise your calf muscles, you need to feel the pain and always remember the mantra “No Pain No Gain”.

The gastrocnemius muscle needs to be targeted when doing exercise. The muscle is clearly visible when you are standing and is also responsible for the round shape of your calves. The muscle that runs under gastrocnemius muscle, is the soleus, which is the longer and flatter muscle and is equally important.

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We have listed out some of the effective exercises to build and strengthen your calf muscles.

A) Single Leg Calf Raises

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By doing one leg at a time, make your calf raises more effective. On a single leg, you will be lifting the weight of your body and doing calf raises. While doing this exercise, make sure you are standing near a wall.

How to do it:

- Start by standing to face the wall.

- Now, lift up your left leg and place the foot behind the right leg.

- Now, lift up your right heel and stand on the balls of the right foot.

- Return to the original position and then repeat on the other foot.

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B) Skipping

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A versatile workout equipment is the jump rope. Doing this exercise will not only help lose weight, but will also make your calves strong.

How to do it:

- Take your skipping rope and hold it out on your sides.

- Spin the rope and jump to move the rope under your feet.

- Try to skip for about 15 minutes per set.

- Do it at least thrice a week.

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C) Seated Calf Raises

This seated calf raises will benefit both the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles.

How to do it:

- Start by sitting down in a chair with your feet on the floor.

- Make sure your knees are right above your feet.

- Place your palms on your thighs to add resistance.

- Now, raise your heels and press down the balls of your feet.

- Return to the original position and then repeat.

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D) Box Jumps

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Strengthen your calf muscles by doing this box jumping exercise. Train your calf muscles to contract and react quickly, by practicing this exercise regularly.

How to do it:

- Start box jump with a lower level box.

- The box should be sturdy as you will jump on top of it.

- Place the box in front of you and jump onto the box using the balls of your feet to land.

- Jump back to the original position.

- Repeat this about 10 times.

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E) Double Leg Calf Raises

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For this double leg calf raises exercise, you will be using both your legs and your body weight. Doing this exercise will tone and strengthen your calf muscles.

How to do it:

- Stand straight with your feet slightly apart.

- Now, raise your heels by pressing down the balls of your feet.

- Keep your abdominal muscles engaged.

- Return to the original position and then repeat.

- You can add resistance by carrying a heavy back pack or holding weights.

These exercises will help you to strengthen and tone your calf muscles. To see the change, make sure to do these exercises regularly.

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