Build Strong, Sexy and Toned Calves Summer is here and if your calves are not toned, hot and ready for the beach show then you are in a big trouble! Ok calm down, there is still time for some serious changes on your calves. Follow our calf exercises ideas and you will build up a beautiful set of toned, hot, head-turning calves.   Few things to remember about calves: - Try to hit all parts of calves at your workout. - Gastronemius is the largest calf muscle and you can hit gatronemius properly only by performing toe-raise moves while your legs are not bent or not significantly bent. Your upper body can be bent in your hips or not, it doesn’t make big difference as long as you are not bent in your knees. - The soleus is another large calf muscle, placed beneath the larger gastrocnemius muscle and running down both sides of the lower leg. To target soleus your legs need to be bent in your knees. So any variation of seated calf raises or squat raises will work the soleus. - Finally if you follow any suggested exercise but performed reverse toe raises you will work your tibialis. - Do not go too heavy but go for strong contraction and feel stretch in target muscle. Feel it in your calves! - As a beginner start with 1 set of 15 reps of each exercise and aim for 3 sets of 15 reps, and very soon you will be ready for some weights.      1. Standing calf raise exercises, donkey calf raises, and all variations of those two calf muscle exercises will work the large gastrocnemius muscle. Standing calf raise: find a step of some kind and use the vall, a chair or anything else to hold onto (to help you balance). - Stand up straight, with the ball of your feet on the edge of the step. - Lift up onto your tip toes and tense your calf muscle. - Hold for about 1-2 seconds. - Lower your heel below the edge of the step. - Repeat it. Tips: If you don’t have a step at home, you can use a plank of wood or a book under your toes, further, you can use some weights in your free hand. You can performe this excercise using one leg at a time.   2. Seated calf raises or squat raises, including any variation of those two will work the soleus. Squat Raises: - Squat all the way down as deep as you can, and stay in that position. - Lift up onto your tip toes and tense your calf muscles. - Hold and squeeze for 1-2 seconds. - Lower your heels back down to the floor. - Repeat. Tips: You can do this with a board under your feet for a better stretch. Focus and let your calves to do the entire job. Use some weight (backpack filled with sand, etc) if you feel strong. 3. Any of the top two exercises including any variations but performed as reverse toe raises will work the tibialis anterior. You can use a barbell, Smith machine, hip belt, dumbbells, press machine, hack machine, and more to perform variations of any exerecise mentioned here in order to hit your calves from different angles for even better results. Do two workouts per week and your calves will attract plenty of curious eyes this summer!  References: - Color Atlas of Anatomy - Elke Lutjen-Drecoll MD, Chichiro Yokochi, Johannes W. Rohen - Human Anatomy & Physiology (Seventh Edition 2011), Elaine N. Marieb, Katja Hoehn - Strength Training Anatomy (2001), Frederic Delavier

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