A great pair of calves goes with any spring outfit! Give your legs a face-lift with this calf-carving workout.
Spring is here, summer is coming, and warmer weather means new skirts, shorter shorts, and sexy heels. It also means that your legs will be out for the world to see -- especially the lower half!
When you walk away, every guy should know what he's missing. A great calf workout will make sure that your lower legs stun stronger than the sun.
Don't just leave the gym after your last set of lunges; throw in a quick calf workout for shape! This workout is designed to define the calves, not build them.
I assume most women want to avoid the bulky, football-player look (if you are into that, I'm not judging!), so this workout is all about carving toned, tight legs.
Calf's Anatomy (The Better TV Show)
Your calves are composed of two primary muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.
The gastrocnemius is the main muscle you see, especially when standing on your toes. The soleus is underneath the gastroc (you can see it in the side of your leg).
The purpose of the gastrocnemius is to elevate the heel in the standing position. The gastroc is relatively small compared to the soleus: it makes up about 40% of the total calf volume and is made primarily of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
The soleus, on the other hand, elevates the foot when you're sitting. This muscle is primarily slow twitch and makes up 60% of total calf volume.
Because of its size, the soleus will be more likely to grow and develop, producing the tone you're looking for.
Think of the soleus as the soul of your awesome calves!
Calf Rodeo Reps
The Exercises
Because you can hit the soleus best when you're sitting down, you'll want to include seated exercises in your calf workout. Do both double- and single-leg seated calf raises to train this muscle.
To best involve the gastroc muscle, do single- or double-leg standing calf raises. You can do them on flat ground, or off a ledge for added difficulty.
Sets And Reps
Because your soleus is made of slow-twitch fibers, it will respond best to slow reps over a long duration. Use a slower tempo pattern and perform 12-to-20 reps. Don't skimp on the weight: Your calves recover quickly and can take a heavy beating, so be sure to challenge yourself.
The gastroc is a fast-twitch muscle, so it's best targeted through explosive movements with heavy weight.
Summer seasons swear by sexy legs! Make sure yours are ready!
Wicked Calves Workout
Seated Calf Raise
3 sets of 15 reps: 3-1-3 tempo
Standing Calf Raises
4 sets of 8 reps: 1-0-1 tempo
Single-Leg Seated Calf Raise
2 sets of 12 reps: 3-1-3 tempo
Note: Make sure you're doing this workout after your other leg exercises. Cramped, tired calves won't help deep squats or Romanian deadlifts.
Stretch to be Supple
Calves have a tendency to tighten and cramp, especially when pumped. Some quick calf stretches at the end and throughout your calf workouts will help them stay loose.
Placing a foot up against the wall and leaning into it is one of the best ways to stretch out the calves. Or, stand off a step and let your body weight stretch your heel toward the ground. Hold each position for 20-to-30 seconds.
Leg cramps are common after calf lifts; stretching helps you finish your sets and eases your delayed-onset soreness.
Calf-tastic Cardio
Uphill walking or running is excellent for toning and defining your calf muscles. Both exercises will also burn unwanted body fat.
Stair climbing (or using a comparable machine at the gym) is also excellent calf-toning cardio.
Push off on your toes, not your heels, to more directly engage your calves. If you really want to take things up a notch, try hopping up a staircase on just one leg, then switch sides and repeat. Feel the burn!
You can incorporate 20 minutes of cardio after any resistance workout, including direct calf training.
Lose Fat With Metabolic Cooking
Metabolic cooking is a fat loss recipe programme by Dave Ruel and Karine Losier, aka the “Musclecook & Lean Kitchen Queen”. The programme claims to help both males and females with losing body fat by turbo charging your metabolic rate. It’s actually a group of 9 cookbooks which lists 250 recipes which skyrocket your metabolism thus helping you lose weight.
Here is a quick list of the pros and cons of the program
Cons
Nothing's perfect and here are the flaws I noticed in this diet plan:
- As this is a collection of cookbooks so it might seem like a daunting task for someone who inexperienced when it comes to cuisine. It could take a novice a couple of days to get the hang of it.
- Some of you who are expert fitness trainers might find this a bit too basic but you have to understand that this was written keeping in mind the average Joe who doesn’t know much about weight loss so it covers the basics and then moves onward.
- There are over 200 recipes in there so it took me quite some time to sift through them all and decide which ones I would like the best – according to my taste of course.
Pros
- Simplicity: This is their fault and the reason of their success. The simplicity of the book is outstanding. I didn’t get confused even once. It takes you by the hand and explains everything in detail.
- Cutting Down on Your Favorite Dishes: Probably the best thing about this system- You don’t have to let go of your favorite dishes. You can eat whatever you want; you just have to follow the guidelines of the book while making it; which by the way, for me improved the taste even more!
- Limitless Weight Loss: The amount of weight loss depends on you and you alone. You can lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds. Your choice.
- Economic Factor: This system proved very economical for me. The ingredients in the dishes are pretty cheap and easily available everywhere.
- Metabolic Nutri-Profile: This is a unique profiling system that designs from scratch a nutritional profile which varies for every person. This is what it looks like:
- Guarantee: Though I don’t see why this system wouldn’t work for you. But if for some reason you are not satisfied they will refund you every cent no questions asked!
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