Q&A for How to Build Calf Muscle Without Equipment

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  • Question
    Will building calf muscle help me walk with more balance, or walk without a cane?
    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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Strengthening the calf muscles will help, but really all the muscles of the legs, hips, lower back and foot are used in walking. Muscles to focus on for walking include the front of the thigh and the foot-lifters, the tibialis anterior in the front of the shin. Standing on one leg, lifting the toes and holding the leg lifted in front of you are good exercises to help with walking.
  • Question
    To get protein from beef, should the meat be well done or slightly pink? Another problem I have is that I hate chicken. What would be good alternative to chicken?
    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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Beef can be cooked any way you like it. Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, fish, lentils, seeds and nuts are all good alternatives to chicken as protein sources.
  • Question
    What exercise is best for 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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Two fantastic calf exercises include performing calf raises on a stair and skipping rope.
  • Question
    Can you build calves with jump rope?
    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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Yes, jumping rope is one of the best exercises for building the calf muscles.
  • Question
    How do I make my calves bigger?
    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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Make sure you get enough protein in your diet to build muscle and try calf raises, single leg calf raises, hop scotch (jumping on one foot) or jump rope to build the muscles.
  • Question
    Can you build muscle without lifting weights?
    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.
    Certified Fitness Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Yes, body weight exercises like lunges, squats, jumps, lifts, push-ups, planks and calf raises are all great for building muscle.
  • Question
    Can ankle weights help with this?
    Community Answer
    Absolutely. Wearing ankle weights while doing calf raises, jumping rope, etc. will make the exercises a little more difficult and you will see results faster.
  • Question
    Will calf muscles help me jump higher?
    Community Answer
    Yes. The calves are a big part of jumping, and training them will improve your jump height.
  • Question
    Do jumping jacks help with this?
    Community Answer
    Yes, these work the calves, balance, and are good cardio.
  • Question
    Do squats help build calves?
    Community Answer
    Not really. When doing squats, most of the strain is placed on the glutes and quads.
  • Question
    How would I work on my outer calf?
    Samuel G
    Community Answer
    Turn your feet inward when doing double calf raises. Pay attention to any unusual pain in the joints.
  • Question
    How long will it take for me to see results?
    Community Answer
    It depends on a couple things. 1. How regularly and how hard you train 2. Your individual height, weight, metabolism, etc. It takes some people longer to build muscle than others.
  • Question
    Does a man's calf muscles get smaller after an orgasm?
    Community Answer
    No. There is no logical reason a body would do that. Calves can get small due to inactivity, "you use it or you lose it."
  • Question
    Are there specific foods that help legs or calves?
    Community Answer
    Protein is what builds muscle, In order to gain good muscle, preferably consume about 1 gram per pound of body weight. Foods high in protein include dairy products, fish, eggs, chicken, nuts, broccoli, and beef.
  • Question
    I have shin splints. Would these workouts help me?
    Community Answer
    You should rest and consult your doctor so that you do not get injured worse.
  • Question
    If my legs are thin because of polio, can I thicken them with regular exercise or will I need special treatments?
    Community Answer
    Not knowing much about polio, I would say that you could probably build up your calves substantially through regular exercise. If you don't see an improvement in 6-8 months, then I would consider seeing a specialist.
  • Question
    What is the fastest way to build muscle in my calves?
    Community Answer
    If you are overweight you will need to create a caloric deficit while working this muscle group. If you are a healthy weight you would want to eat enough for a small caloric surplus to aid in building muscle. Be aware that you may see rapid growth early in your routine, but it can taper off as you keep up with the exercises. This is normal and healthy.
  • Question
    Can calves make me jump higher?
    Community Answer
    It's really in the hips and knees.
  • Question
    What if I don't have a box jump?
    Community Answer
    You just need to jump onto, and down off of, any sturdy surface. Whatever it is, it needs to be strong enough and sturdy enough to withstand your body weight coming up and down off of it.
  • Question
    How do I heal a torn calf muscle?
    Community Answer
    Protect the strained muscle from further injury, and rest it. Ice the muscle area (20 minutes every hour while awake). Compression can be gently applied with an Ace or other elastic bandage, which can both provide support and decrease swelling. Elevate the injured area to decrease swelling.
  • Question
    How many days per week should I work out my calves?
    Community Answer
    Every other day, allowing a day of rest in between for your calf muscles to grow larger.
  • Question
    How often should I do this to get quick results?
    SAEEISAE Albrecht
    Community Answer
    You should do this about three days a week.
  • Question
    How to build shin muscle? I run four times a week, so my calf muscle is developed but my shin muscle seem out of proportion.
    Community Answer
    Consider doing anterior tibiaulis curls where you put a lighter resistance band around your feet, then hold one of your legs up with your hand just above the knee and curl your foot up and down. You can also do these without bands if you don’t have them. Building shin muscles like the anterior tibialus will also keep your ankles from rolling/ spraining as much.
  • Question
    How long does it take for a beginner to build calf muscles through the above mentioned exercises?
    Community Answer
    You should notice a difference in a few months of consistent workouts, depending on how long and frequent your sessions are.
  • Question
    Do many women have well built calf muscles than men? I have seen some women having well built calf muscles but they didn't work out as much as men.
    Community Answer
    Wearing heels is a high possibility. Also, women hav greater fat stores than men. Also, do you know they don’t work out or is that an assumption? If they do work out, perhaps taking training tips will help since they’re more likely to be honest about their training regimen compared to men.
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