This tip is a bit of a change
of pace... no pictures...no video (this one would be tough
to show in a picture or video but is pretty easy to explain).
If you're looking to really
build your calves, this one little piece of advice will help
TREMENDOUSLY. Yet you rarely, if ever, see anybody mention
this when you get instructions on calf exercises.
So what is this advice? It's
a simple thing...when you do a calf raise exercise and you're
coming to the top of the movement, be sure to COME UP ON THE
BIG TOE KNUCKLES (on the bottoms of your feet, of course).
This activates the gastrocnemius
(calf muscles) muscle bellies strongly. The difference contraction
and fiber activation will surprise you!
Next time you do calf raises,
don't use this technique and just do them as you regularly
do them. Notice how your feet move as you come. Chances are,
as you do the calf raise, your feet roll to the OUTSIDE.
This is typical because this
is the path of least resistance for the biomechanics of your
calves. If you look at how your feet are shaped, the big toe
is longest and furthest up. As you move towards the outside
of your feet, your toe knuckles slope "downwards".
Naturally, your feet will roll to this side unless you force
them not to.
This doesn't need a picture
because you can look down at your own foot and see this sloping!
I want you to stand up and try
this right now doing just a bodyweight calf raise on both
feet just on the floor - you'll feel the difference.
When you're doing the regular
calf raise, the body naturally wants to follow that path of
least resistance and will roll towards the outside. Do a few
reps of this, just letting your body take the natural path
when doing the calf raise. Look down at your feet as you do
it - you'll see even though your toes are all pointing straight
forward, the downward slope of your toe knuckles make your
ankles roll out to the sides.
Granted, you can still get a
LOT of tension on the calves even when you roll out like this.
And you can build good calves this way.
Now to use the big toe technique.
(when you use this in training, lighten the weight up so you
get the form exactly right). Now, when you come up, try to
put ALL the pressure on the big toe knuckles of your feet
and push down hard with the big toes.
Your goal here is to try and
put as much tension as possible on the big toes rather than
letting your feet roll out to the outside as is the tendency.
In fact, I want you to place NO tension on the rest of your
toe knuckles other than those big toes as you come!
Come up and squeeze hard. Feel
the difference? MAJOR contraction in the calves. Now imagine
adding weight to this technique!
This is the secret to getting
those beautiful, just UGLY looking calves that really stand
out and mark you as a serious trainer! I don't know about
you, but my goal with my calves has always been to have regular
"non-training" people go "eww" when they
see them. :) That's when I'll know I've reached my goal.
Honestly, this big toe thing
is one of the reasons ballet dancers get such great calves.
They dance on point, which is basically on the big toes. The
other toe knuckles don't play as big a role.
So give this technique a try
in your next calf workout. Lighten the weight and come up
on your big toe knuckles. It'll make a BIG difference!