How to Have Slim Calves: Best Exercises & Diet Tips

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Learn what causes large calves and how to make them smaller

Co-authored by Danny Gordon and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: August 12, 2025 Fact Checked

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Best Exercises

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Diet & Lifestyle Tips

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What causes large calves?

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Do heels make calves bigger?

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Video

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Expert Q&A

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Warnings

If you feel like your calves are too big, trying to figure out how to make them smaller can be frustrating. The shape of your calves is largely determined by your genetics, but there may be things you can do to reduce their size. We talked to certified personal trainer Danny Gordon to find out how to slim down your calves, including the best exercises to do (and avoid) and other diet and lifestyle tips to speed up the process. Keep scrolling to learn more!

How to Get Smaller Calves

Certified personal trainer Danny Gordon says if your calves are carrying excess weight, reduce your calorie intake and do exercises that work your whole body, since you can’t target fat loss to specific areas. If your calves are muscular, avoid overtraining them. Instead, focus on lengthening and endurance exercises.

Section 1 of 4:

Best Exercises for Long, Lean Calf Muscles

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1
Lunges Lunges are a great way to strengthen and tone your legs without adding bulk. To do a standard lunge, stand with your feet together, then take one big step forward with one foot. Bend your knees and lower your back knee until it’s touching the floor at a 90° angle. Keep your front knee behind your toes to avoid injury. Push back up to a standing position, then repeat with the other leg. ^{[1]
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Research source} Also, try lunge variations like:
- Walking lunges: Bring your back foot up to meet your front foot with each lunge so you walk forward.
- Diagonal lunge: Step out at an angle each time you lunge.
- Lateral lunge: Step out to one side, then the other.
- Reverse lunge : Take a big step backward instead of forward.
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Danny Gordon is an ACSM-certified personal trainer and the owner of The Body Studio for Fitness.
2
Glute exercises Toning your bottom may make your legs look longer and leaner. Try exercises that will tone and shape your glutes—but avoid adding weights to these moves, since that could increase your muscle bulk more than you want. Good moves for toning your glutes include: ^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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- Squats : Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with your toes turned out at about a 45° angle. Push your hips backward and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat, then push back up to a standing position.
- Glute bridges : Lay on your back with your arms by your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Push up with your hips until your body makes a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, then lower back to the floor.
- Fire hydrants: Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Lift one leg up and to the side, keeping your knee bent. Do this 10 times on each side.
- Clamshells: Lie on one side with your knees slightly bent. Keep your heels together and lift your top leg, then lower it back down.
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3
Calf stretches Stretching your calf muscles can release tension that could be making them look bulkier. Over time, these lengthening stretches could potentially make your calves look longer and leaner. ^{[3]
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Research source} Some of the best calf stretches include:
- Standing calf stretch: Put your hands on a wall, then step backward with one foot. Lean your weight forward onto your other foot and lengthen your back leg for 30–60 seconds. ^{[4]
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  Research source}
- Wall calf stretch: Place the ball of one foot against a wall, then lean into the wall while keeping your heel on the floor and your knee straight.
- Downward dog: Start with your hands and feet on the floor and your hands under your shoulders, then walk your hands forward slightly. Push your hips up and tighten your core, straightening your knees through the stretch.
- Seated calf stretch: Sit on a chair with a resistance band looped under your foot. Hold the resistance band and push your foot away from you until you feel a stretch your calf.
- Calf drops: Stand on a step or workout block so your heels are hanging off the back, then slowly lower your heel down to lengthen your calves.
4
Foam rolling Release tension in your calves by rolling your legs back and forth over a foam roller , from just below your knee all the way down to your ankle. Do this with your foot pointed inward, then outward to ensure you target your whole calf. ^{[5]
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Research source}
- You can also run a smooth stick firmly under your calf muscles for a similar effect.
- Calf massages may also be effective.
5
Endurance running Long-distance running involves running at a relatively low speed on flat terrain. It’s a great way to tone and shape long, lean legs without adding much bulk to your thighs or calves. ^{[6]
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Go Ask Alice
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- Use a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike if you prefer exercising indoors. ^{[7]
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  Research source}
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Low-impact, high-rep bodyweight exercises You may find that your calves look more toned and less bulky if you do low-impact exercises that use light or no weights. Gordon says, “Try to do around 12–15 reps of an exercise. That will help you build endurance instead of building muscle size.” ^{[8]
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Expert Source

Danny Gordon
Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview}
- Good low impact exercise programs include Pilates, yoga, and barre workouts. ^{[9]
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  Research source}
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Limit heavy calf exercises. Gordon says, “If you have muscular calves, certain exercises can contribute to making them bigger. Avoid things like jumping and other calf exercises. Also, try to only work your calves once a week.” ^{[10]
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Expert Source

Danny Gordon
Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview} Other exercises to avoid include:
- Calf raises
- Heavy squats
- Heavy leg presses
- Weighted lunges
- Sprinting or cycling on inclines ^{[11]
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  Research source}
- High impact jumps ^{[12]
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  Research source}
- Stair climbs
- Jumping jacks

Section 2 of 4:

Losing Weight with Diet & Lifestyle Changes

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1
Do at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to target fat loss to one particular part of your body. ^{[13]
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Research source} However, doing regular cardio exercise can help you burn calories and reduce fat all over, including in your calves. Try doing 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio 5 days a week to start slimming down. ^{[14]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- Examples of moderate cardio exercise include light jogging or brisk walking , ballroom dancing , tennis , using an elliptical machine , or biking at a rate of less than 10 miles (16 km) per hour. ^{[15]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Heart Association
  Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
  Go to source}
- Even day-to-day activities like gardening, housework, or climbing stairs can count towards your daily exercise goals.
- If you’re not used to doing a lot of exercise or if you don’t have time to exercise for 30 minutes at a time, split your cardio sessions up into a few 10 or 15-minute sessions throughout the day.
- Reader Poll: We asked 219 wikiHow readers if they found cardio effective for losing weight, and 71% of them said yes. [Take Poll]
2
Add at least 2 strength training sessions to your weekly routine. Strength training, which helps build muscle mass, is another important component of fat loss. Aim to do 2–3 strength training sessions per week, alternating between different muscle groups in your body. Avoid exercises that overly tax your calves, as this can make them look bulkier. Try to do a single set of 12–15 reps for each exercise. ^{[16]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Examples of strength training exercises include: ^{[17]
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National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
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- Body weight exercises, such as planks , pushups, and squats
- Weightlifting
- Using resistance bands or resistance machines
3
Eat a healthy diet and take in fewer calories than you burn. Gordon says, “You can’t spot reduce fat mass in your calves, so you have to reduce your calorie intake and exercise your whole body.” ^{[18]
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Expert Source

Danny Gordon
Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview} Here are a few tips for planning nutritious meals:
- Stick to healthy sources of fat , like fish, vegetable oils, and nuts and seeds. ^{[19]
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  Research source}
- Include plenty of fruits and vegetables , like leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables (like spinach and mustard greens), and citrus fruits.
- Replace refined grains with whole grains like wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and pastries.
- Choose lean sources of protein to promote healthy muscles , like white chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, legumes, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

Section 3 of 4:

What causes large calves?

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1
Genetics The shape of your calf muscles—like any other part of your body—is largely determined by genetics. ^{[20]
X
Research source} Some people are more prone to have muscular, defined calves, some people have thinner lower legs, and some people carry excess weight in their legs.
- While you may be able to somewhat impact the appearance of your calves, it’s important to have realistic expectations about how much they’ll actually change.
2
Overall weight If you’re carrying extra weight on your body, you might notice that your calves appear thicker. In this case, a combination of a healthy diet (with a caloric deficit) and low-impact exercises may help your calves become smaller.
- Some people have a condition called lipedema, which causes them to accumulate fat in the lower half of their bodies. Diet and exercise aren’t always effective at reducing the size of the legs in patients with lipedema. Currently, surgical intervention (liposuction) is the only known treatment for lipedema when diet and exercise don’t work. ^{[21]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
3
Vigorous exercise If you frequently do high-intensity activities like playing sports, running, or weight training, you may develop muscular calves. This is totally normal, and you’re unlikely to change the shape of your calves as long as you still do these activities.
- That said, stretching, massage, and foam rolling can help relieve tension that may make your calves look especially firm. ^{[22]
  X
  Research source}
- The way you walk may be working your calves more than you know. According to Gordon, “Some people walk on their toes without realizing it. That actually causes your calf muscle to contract, so they may look more developed.” ^{[23]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Danny Gordon
  Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 4 of 4:

Can wearing heels make my calves bigger?

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Maybe—stick to flat shoes or vary your heel size. Wearing high heels won’t actually make your calf muscles bigger, but it can cause the muscle fibers to shorten and make the tendons in your calves stiffen. This can make your calf muscles look more prominent. Try going without heels for a while, or wear heels at a variety of heights so your calves don’t get used to being in one position all the time. ^{[24]
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Research source}
- You can also combat the effects of high heels by regularly stretching your calves.

Expert Q&A

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How to lose calf fat in 1 week?

Danny Gordon
Certified Personal Trainer
Danny Gordon is an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Personal Trainer and Owner of The Body Studio for Fitness, a fitness studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 20 years of physical training and teaching experience, he has focused his studio on semi-private personal training. Danny received his Personal Trainer Certification from the California State University, East Bay and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Danny Gordon

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

You can't lose weight in just one area of your body, so if your large calf size is due to fat mass, you'll need to do exercises that work your entire body, and cut back on calories so you can lose weight overall. Keep in mind that it will probably take a bit longer than a week to notice results.

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Question

How can I get rid of calf muscle?

Danny Gordon
Certified Personal Trainer
Danny Gordon is an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Personal Trainer and Owner of The Body Studio for Fitness, a fitness studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 20 years of physical training and teaching experience, he has focused his studio on semi-private personal training. Danny received his Personal Trainer Certification from the California State University, East Bay and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Danny Gordon

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

If you want smaller calves, avoid doing a lot of calf exercises when you're working out, as these can make them bigger. For instance, you might only do calf exercises once a week, whereas most people might work their calves 3 times a week.

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Question

How do you get big calves?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a Fitness Trainer based in Sidney, British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002, and was certified as a Personal Trainer by the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA). Michele is also a Registered Clinical Counselor, and uses her 20+ years of fitness coaching experience to help clients understand their mind-body connection. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC), certified by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. In her work, Michele uses the tools of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectic Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. She practices and teaches mindfulness and acceptance in all of her coaching work. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Work your calf muscles with single leg calf raises, skipping, or running. Do these exercises two to three times a week to get bigger calf muscles.

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Consult a physician before undertaking a new exercise regimen or dietary plan. This is especially true if you have any potentially conflicting health concerns, such as diabetes or arthritis.

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How to Have Slim Calves: Best Exercises & Diet Tips

How to Get Smaller Calves

Steps

Best Exercises for Long, Lean Calf Muscles

Losing Weight with Diet & Lifestyle Changes

What causes large calves?

Can wearing heels make my calves bigger?

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

Warnings

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