Vadövningar
Gastrocnemius and Soleus
Alla vadövningar (12)
Om Calves (Rear)
The calves are made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius, which is the larger outer calf that crosses the knee, and the soleus, which sits beneath it and is active primarily when the knee is bent.
In calisthenics, the calves contribute to jumping, landing, and any movement requiring plantar flexion. They also provide ankle stability during single-leg balance work and pistol squats.
Weak calves under high training volume lead to Achilles tendon stress and plantar fascia irritation. These are slow injuries that accumulate silently and then appear at inconvenient times. Building calf strength and endurance prevents both.
Hur du tränar Calves (Rear)
Single-leg calf raises are the most effective calf exercise in bodyweight training. Double-leg calf raises do not provide enough resistance for most trained athletes. Perform them on a step to allow full plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range.
To target the soleus specifically, perform calf raises with the knee bent at 90 degrees. This removes the gastrocnemius from the equation, since it cannot fully engage with a bent knee.
Jumping and landing variations build calf endurance and elasticity simultaneously. Box jumps, broad jumps, and jump rope develop the stretch-shortening cycle that calf raises alone do not replicate.
Vanliga frågor om Calves (Rear)
The calves are slow-twitch dominant and resistant to hypertrophy. They require high volume, full range of motion, and consistent progressive overload over a long period. Most athletes do not apply adequate volume to them.
Train calf strength consistently, not just calf stretching. The Achilles tendon adapts to load when it is exposed to it progressively. Sudden spikes in training volume are the most common trigger for tendinopathy.
Four to five times per week with moderate volume is appropriate. The calves are used in almost every lower body movement and respond well to frequent, moderate exposure rather than infrequent high-volume sessions.