The calves are often an afterthought in many people's workout programs because they simply aren't aesthetically desired like say having strong glutes or quads are.
That said, it's important to develop strong calves because they're one muscle that will be with you every step of the way - literally. Each time you walk, you will be working your calf muscle.
Let's go over a few of the top training tips you need to know and remember when it comes to hitting this muscle group properly...
1. ROM Counts. First, remember to train your calf muscle through the largest range of motion possible. So many people simply do standing calf raises from the floor up. And, while it's great they're doing them, this is only half the range of motion.
Instead, you should be lowering your calf all the way past the horizontal, standing off the edge of a step or box.
This will help you work far more muscle fibers overall, seeing superior strength gains. Lift all the way up and then slowly lower down again in a controlled movement. Never jerk your way through a calf raise either - you want the entire movement pattern to be done in a very slow and controlled motion.
2. Seated And Standing Are A Must. Next up, you must be sure you perform both seated and standing calf raises. If you only perform standing calf raises, you simply won't be calling the soleus muscle into play as you should, thus you'll only be working one half of the equation.
In every lower body workout you do, both the standing and seated calf raises should be utilized.
3. Add Variety As Often As Possible. Finally, last but not least, get as much variety into your calf workout as possible. This means you perform both seated and standing calf raises, but in addition, you also work your calves across multiple different rep ranges and weight loads.
Likewise, you might turn your feet in on some sets and turn them out on others. All of these little changes will add up and keep your calf muscles responding at all times.
So there you have the primary points to know about calf training. Make sure that you aren't neglecting this important element of your lower body strength training routine.