Ins & Outs of Calf Exercises
Myth: On calf exercises, turning your toes in will work your outer calf and turning your toes out will work your inner calf.
The truth is that turning your “toes” is really a matter of altering the position of hip rotation. You turn your whole leg inward or outward. The hinge joint we know as the ankle is not affected by this change. Additionally, both heads of your gastrocnemius attach to a common tendon running to your foot and again are unaffected by this attempt at “variation.” MRI and EMG studies both show greater activity of the medial head regardless of the “variation”. The ankle joint dictates that the feet be aligned parallel to one another for optimal performance on most calf machines.
One considerable factor during calf training is that of maintaining alignment of the foot joint that is just below the ankle. This is the joint that allows the side to side motions of the foot. Often the ankles are allowed to roll outward as the heels near the top of the motion during a calf exercise. This demonstrates a lack of use of the peroneals, a muscle group that lies on the outer most aspect of the lower leg. By maintaining the alignment and ensuring that the heel moves straight up, and not out, these muscles are utilized and developed. Due to their position on the leg, they will add to the size and appearance of the “outside” of the calf.
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