The Answer is yes. Even if you’ve never had calf size or definition, this beginner workout for calves can help you.
Even if you’re a beginner to physical fitness and you’ve always had skinny calves, you can improve their shape and strength.
So you have toothpick calves.
I get it. I’ve been there. Those parts of my legs are the toughest for me to build up and they always have been and I think they always will be.
Like most fitness training, some parts of your body are going to be tougher to build up and strengthen than others.
This does not mean you will forever be condemned to having the physique of a cartoon tough guy from the 1950’s.
You don’t have to be all chest and forearms with no legs.
Funny how many people I’ve run into who also have this same problem.
At first I thought maybe it’s exclusively genetics. And yes, your genetic makeup will play a role in how your muscle fiber develops.
Some people will naturally have big, well defined calves while others will not. Funny how many large calf people over the years have told me they wished we could trade.
Grass is always greener I guess.
But despite not being blessed by the calf gods, we can still work to build lower leg strength and definition. We may just have to work a little bit harder.
This is where I developed a theory about the elusive calf muscles. I’ve written in here before about my struggle to strengthen my calves. Even provided a couple ideas to work them out.
But because this issue seemed to be more popular than I expected, I decided to get together with a couple fitness colleagues to pick their brains.
From that I was able to put together a beginner workout for calves that I think will help. So far it’s been helping me.
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But back to the theory for a moment.
I think a lot of people struggle with this part of the body because it’s not as enjoyable to work on. It takes time, you can’t see them too well and it can get boring.
Well, that’s how I felt. I found it difficult to keep the motivation to build them up.
So I just decided to focus on not skipping calves anymore. I’ve never worked on them as much as I do now and finally I’m seeing results.
To be honest, I gave up on them a long time ago and just resolved they weren’t going to come around.
But with a little patience and perseverance, they no longer look like popsicle sticks and that’s good for me.
So I’m going to share this routine and I hope you get the kind of results you’re looking for and you stick with it too.
Sure, they’re not going to be noticed the same way as your ripped abs, but strong, agile calf muscles are extremely important for so many things you do throughout the day.
Your legs and feet will thank you and I believe you’ll notice the difference.
So without further hesitation, here are some great exercises that you can add to your beginner workout for calves to build strength and definition:
The Classic Standing Calf Raise
No workout for calves would be complete without the standing calf raise. We do it sometimes without even thinking about it and it’s great for building calf strength.
There are a couple ways of performing this movement and each help build strength and flexibility.
The first is simple enough. Start off by standing on a flat surface with your arms relaxed by your sides.
Then simply lift your heels up off the floor so that your are up on your toes and the balls of your feet.
Hold the position for a moment and then relax back down so that your heels return to the floor.
So you probably realize doing this, that every time you go up on your toes, you’re doing a basic calf raise.
Pretty simple.
Now here’s a variation to get a better stretch and really work the muscles that make up the calf.
This time, instead of standing on the floor, find a step you can stand on. Place your foot on the step so your heel can dangle down under the level of the step.
You’ll know your foot is in the right position because you’ll be able to feel the stretch in your calf when you press your heel down below the step.
You should have the edge of the step going across the middle of your foot to allow your heel to drop down.
Now you already know the first part of the movement. Press your heel down below the edge of the step so you feel a good deep stretch, and then rise up all the way on to your toes.
Hold it for a moment up on your toes and then return your heel to below the step where you started from. That is considered one calf raise.
You can hold onto a wall or a railing to steady yourself. If you can’t find a step, find the edge of any flat surface where you can dangle your heels and get that stretch.
There are a couple ways you can make it a little more challenging.
Instead of doing the raise with both feet at the same time, you can lift one of your feet off the ground and do one foot at a time. This shifts all the weight onto one leg.
Or you can do it while holding a weight in your hands as you’re doing the lift. If you’re doing it one leg at a time, hold the weight on the same side as the leg you’re lifting with.
Here’s a good example of the standing calf raise while holding weight from the folks over at Bodybuilding.com.
Try and do 10 lifts for both legs. You’ll really feel this movement, especially with the stretch variation. An absolute must for every beginner workout for calves.
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Jump Squat
This is an explosive movement that is a great workout for your lower body with tremendous benefits for your calves.
Start off the same way as you would for the standard calf raise. Simple stand up straight with your arms relaxed at your sides.
Then slowly lower yourself down into a proper squat position by bending at the knees. Keep your back straight and your chest up.
Stop once your thighs become parallel with the floor. Hold for a moment.
Then explode upwards, jumping off of the ground.
When you come back down, remember to keep your knees bent on the landing and then slowly lower yourself into a full squat again.
That is one complete jump squat.
Your calves get the most of the movement when you jump off of the ground and when called upon to stabilize you as you land back on the ground.
As you can imagine, this is also a great workout for your upper legs, both the hamstrings and quadriceps.
Try and complete 10 repetitions as part of your beginner workout.
Here’s a great demonstration of the jump squat from the folks over at Nuffield Health.
This is a great movement for improving strength, balance and endurance.
If you’re looking to make it even a little more challenging, try doing it while holding a weight in your hands. Make sure it’s easy to hold and not too heavy. You don’t want to lose control of it while you’re jumping up and down.
Just remember to take your time lowering down into the squat and explode upwards with the jump. This will really work your calves.
Farmer’s Walk With Calf Raise
This is a great movement that I think gets missed sometimes for its potential as a calf exercise.
Start by standing straight up again. This time you want to be holding a weight in each hand. This is easiest with dumbbells.
You want the weight to be enough so that you feel it but not so much that it’s incredibly challenging to move.
Keep the weight low to begin with but you’ll want to increase it if the movement is too easy. You’ll know what I mean.
Holding the weights in each hand, begin by taking a step forward. As you step forward, lift up onto your toes of the foot that remains planted.
As the foot you’re stepping forward with comes down, lower the foot that your were up on your toes back down on the ground.
Then, step forward with that foot and repeat the whole process.
Here’s a fun tutorial on how to do the farmer’s walk from the folks over at Buff Dudes.
You will be walking forward and performing single calf raises along the way. All while holding the weight in both hands.
Try and do 10 raises for each leg while walking forward.
This is a great exercise for your calf muscles. It will help you build strength, coordination and balance with your lower leg.
Simultaneously, depending on the weight you are using, you will also be working on your grip and forearm strength.
So it turns out to be a pretty good compound exercise with particular attention to your calves.
This one might feel a little awkward at first but you’ll find your balance quickly.
Obviously, you can increase the level of difficulty by increasing the weight you’re holding. You can also play around with when you lift up onto your toes if you like.
Again, remember to take your time and feel the weight through your calves.
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All three of these movements are great exercises for your calves. You can put them together for a concentrated beginner workout for calves or split them up and use them individually for days you work your legs.
You should try to do each exercise about three times each for the designated number of repetitions.
But it’s really all up to you.
Now, if you do happen to be a beginner and enjoy the idea of putting all three together for a focused calf workout, you can take it to the next level and…
Make It Metabolic!
What do I mean by that? Well, I’ll tell you.
This routine can be turned into a great metabolic workout for beginners.
If you haven’t heard of a metabolic workout before and want to know what it is, here’s a general breakdown for you.
A metabolic workout tends to involve compound exercises. Compound exercises utilize multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at the same time.
So for example the squat jump is a great compound exercise incorporating the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Your core is probably getting in on it too.
As you can imagine, it works multiple joints for these muscle groups to work together.
A good metabolic workout will have you boost your metabolism with a good calorie burn. Your metabolism is generally measured by how many calories you burn while at rest.
The faster your metabolism the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn the better your chances of burning fat and losing some weight.
Metabolic training tends to incorporate large muscle groups in the body. Though it can be done with smaller muscle groups as well. It utilizes high intensity and you’ll definitely feel the burn in the muscles you are working.
The high intensity also means you’re able to workout for a shorter period of time to achieve the same results.
The benefits of a solid metabolic workout routine for beginners include improved cardiovascular performance and strength training. There also tends to be a boost in fat loss as a result of increased calorie burns.
Some studies indicated that following a good metabolic workout routine, a percentage of the increased levels of calorie burns continue while at rest. This has been referred to as the “afterburn effect”.
Also known as the excess post exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. It’s really just a fancy way of describing the increased number of calories burned after exercise.
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So How Do We Turn These Exercises Into a Metabolic Workout For Beginners?
Great question. Here’s what I’d suggest.
Start with your rest period in between exercises. This is one way to boost the intensity.
So instead of resting for a couple of minutes between each movement, which I presume you’re probably doing, cut your rest down to 30 seconds.
And then, if you still feel like you’re not really being challenged, take out the 30 second rest and go straight into a 30 second set of jumping rope.
This is an exceptional exercise for your calves, especially since you will do most of the jumping up on the balls of your feet.
So just to be clear. You’ll do one of the designated calf exercises, then go straight into 30 seconds of jumping rope.
Then, straight into the next calf exercise followed immediately by another 30 seconds of jumping rope.
Do this all the way through with all three exercises without taking a break until you’ve done each movement once.
Then take a break for a couple minutes. Then do it all again until you’ve completed 2-3 sets.
And maintain a steady pace all the way through.
By boosting the intensity in this fashion you’ll reap the benefits of this routine in less time and effectively turned it into a great metabolic super charged beginner workout for calves.
The Wrap Up
So there you have it. Great exercises and workout for beginners to build strong and defined calves.
If you’re able to jump right to the metabolic workout, I’d imagine you’re not quite a beginner and may be ready soon to take this workout to the next level by adding additional weight and sets.
If you are a beginner, these exercises should get you on track to building your strength and toning your calves. Try and do them at least a couple times a week until they get considerably easier.
At that point you won’t be such a beginner anymore. You’ll be on your way to the next level. Way to go!
