The muscles within the calf correspond to the posterior compartment of the leg. Historically, the absence of calf, meaning a lower leg without a prominent calf muscle, was regarded by some authors as a sign of inferiority: it is well known that monkeys have no calves, and still less do they cow leg among the lower orders of mammals.
You can help by adding to it. Idiopathic leg cramps are common and typically affect the calf muscles at night. Edema also is common and in many cases idiopathic. The circumference of the calf has been used to estimate selected health risks. In Spain, a study of 22,000 persons 65 or older found that a smaller calf circumference was associated with a higher risk of undernutrition. The two major categories of calf exercises are those that maintain an extended knee, and those that maintain a flexed knee.
The first category includes movements such as standing calf raises, donkey calf raises and stair calves. The second category includes movements that maintain a bent knee, such as seated calf raises. Movements with a straight knee will target the gastrocnemius muscle more, and movements with a bent-knee will target the soleus muscle more. However, both variations will target both muscles to a large degree. As the calf muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, they should be trained in a moderate to high repetition range. All repetition ranges offer their own benefits, and as such, calf training should be done in the 5-10 repetition range, the 10-20 repetition range, and the 20-30 repetition range. It is important to train the calves relatively close to failure, which is 0-4 repetitions away from technical failure.
They recover quickly, often requiring rest times of as little as 10 seconds and often no more than 60 seconds. Ensuring a 1-2 second pause at the top and bottom of the movement will put more emphasis on the muscle, and less emphasis on the achilles tendon. Subscription or participating institution membership required. The rational clinical examination: Evidence-based clinical diagnosis.
Acute compartment syndrome of the calf presenting after prolonged decubitus position”. Leg symptoms of healthy people and their treatment with compression hosiery”. Effect of compression stockings on running performance in men runners”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Stroke: A Journal of Cerebral Circulation. Please log in with your username or email to continue. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy.