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Many people assume that if you generally work out the legs, the calves will take care of themselves. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, as evidenced by multitudes of Achilles strains and rampant knee instability. Not only that, but if you want to walk or run faster or jump higher, calf strength is key.
Most of us know that having strength in the lower body improves balance and stability while walking, standing, running and performing everyday movements. Yes, we are strengthening the calves to some extent when we do those things, but when it comes to strength workouts most of us have a tendency to neglect the lower leg entirely.
Most lower-body workouts focus on the glutes and legs, but some simple shifts can helps us use those same — or similar — movements to target the calves. Integrating calf exercises into your fitness regimen can be easy and fun. In fact, you’re probably already doing some of the best calf exercises without even knowing it! All you have to do is fine tune your movements to target those muscles.
Why is strength training your calf muscles important?
When most people think of leg strength, they tend to think about the bigger muscles in the thighs — the quads and hamstrings. Those muscles are obviously major players in both fitness and everyday life, but they can’t do much without the calves.
The calf muscles push you forward when you run or walk, allow you to jump, help you rotate your ankles, keep your knees stable and flex your feet. So if you’re skipping calf strength training, you are literally cutting yourself off at the knee.
Your calf muscles are responsible for supporting a lot of the load from your lower body, and they propel you forward when doing activities like walking and running. The stronger your calves are, the faster you’ll be able to run, the higher you’ll be able to jump, and…
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