There are many ways to train the calf muscles. The exercises in this video post focus mainly on the gastrocnemius muscle in a standing position.  You can also train calves in a seated position.  This will also contract the gastronemius but in a secondary role as the soleus muscle, which is under the gastrocnemius, would be the primary firing muscle.  OK, I am sorry, I don’t want to sound like a textbook.

Training with high reps or low reps, toes in or out, wide, shoulder, or narrow stance, both feet or single leg is up to you.  Remember the calf muscle is no different than your triceps muscle so do not get pulled into the idea of needing to do isolated calf raises every workout.  There will be some level of calf stimulation with every standing exercise you do.  If you are doing isolation work; I would recommend trying to go the full range of motion each rep.  Hold it in the stretched position for a second or two and then in the contracted position for another second or two.  Your calf should almost feel like it is going to cramp up.  When you have reached this type of feeling you know you are getting great muscular recruitment.

In the video I show you how to use a simple chunk of 2″ x 4″ board; but really you will want it to be a little higher to get a truer full range of motion.  A step works great.   If you are just starting out; body weight calf raises in a controlled temp as explained would more than likely be all you need.  Progress by adding weight and experiment with different rep ranges.  I have some silly names that I use to represent these rep ranges.  I position the feet toes forward and in three different positions: shoulder width, wide stance, and narrow width and all reps done consecutively.  Here are some sample sets for you to try.

Satan Calves: 6-6-6 (Heaviest Calf Day)

Crazy Eight Calves: 8-8-8

Dirty Thirties: 10-10-10

Dirty Dozen: 12-12-12

I usually don’t go higher reps than that but I will do a 100 rep set and break it into sets of 25 reps and all reps are kept at shoulder width.

I hope that helps and I answered the questions that was asked.  If you have a training question or want some ideas on training just ask and I will try to keep up answering all your requests.

To your health,

Jerry

Injury prevention exercises are always a priority while writing up programs for my athletes.  I also hold these same ideals when it comes to training programs for my clients and yes even for myself.  I love going on backpacking trips and hiking those trails that take you away from civilization and back to nature.  There is a lot of good solid exercise involved in hiking a rocky trail with a 50 pound backpack loading you down the entire way.  So training for these trips is vital so I can truly enjoy the entire adventure and not get tired or injured along the way.

These ankle mobility techniques I believe have saved my ankles on more than one occasion.  Sometimes the trails are rocky and sometimes I have to cross a stream by going from rock to rock.  Let’s face it, rocks do not always stay in place and many times roll from under your foot.  Having mobility and being able to stabilize not only protects my ankles but also my knees and has helped to prevent falls.

I believe these simple type of joint mobility exercises are very important for everyone.  Give them a try and see if your ankles start feeling better in a few weeks; heck they will feel better right after you do them.

Hope these help!

Jerry

This past weekend I went on a backpacking trip into the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania with a couple of friends of mine.  Today I feel great; a little tired but my mind and spirit is completely refilled.  There is more to back packing than just going for a long hike with a heavy bag on your back. You have the scenery, fresh air, mother nature, and best of all; no radio, no TV, no cell phone, no deadlines to get work done, no busy traffic…………I think you get the idea of where I am going with this.

Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I am a simple person and have a few things that I really enjoy doing; weight training, drinking good coffee, sports, spending time with my family, and going trail hiking/backpacking.  This past weekend’s backpacking trip was three days long but I have gone on a couple of five day trips and would love an adventure of a two week trip or more.

OK, so let’s talk about the fitness side of trail hiking.   First, it is nothing like walking or running on a treadmill.  Secondly, it is not like riding a bike.  But what it is like is it’s own little adventure challenge.  You have a task at hand-the trail, and you want to complete that task.  But before you jump on the first trail you find; make sure you do your homework first.  Things like how long and the difficulty of the trail.  Almost all marked trails have information listed about them on the internet.  Find a trail that is close to where you live that might only be a mile or two or up to a few miles.  After you have researched your trail and are all set; find a friend to walk it with you or at least a portion of it so you have an idea about how the terrain is laid out and how long it took you to cover a certain amount of distance.  Each time you walk the trail see if you can decrease your time and if you are more efficient in completing your distance.  You might be surprised at the amount of distance you are covering as you are taking in all that nature has to offer.  Another thing you will notice is your renewed sense of being.  There is a real difference training outside verses being in a fitness center with TVs and/or a radio.  That’s right-I recommend you leave that I-pod at home while you are on the trail.  Enjoy your surroundings and I bet you will look more forward to a nice but challenging hike than going to find that treadmill or elliptical.

I mentioned backpacking also in this post.  This post is a little preview of an article that I am writing that will go into much more detail about hiking and some of the safety precautions to be aware of.  It will also contain information pertaining to multiple day trips with everything you will need to survive in a back pack and some of the measures to actually train for a trip like this.

If you like the idea of going for a hike on a trail for a different type of workout and you have a specific question or information you would like me to contain in the upcoming article; please just let me know so I can help supply you with this information.

Train with a purpose,

Jerry