A 20
You've heard the saying "don't skip leg day," so you wouldn't dream of it. But when it is leg day, are you remembering to train all of those muscles? Usually we make sure to strengthen our quads, hamstrings and glutes, but forget about our calf muscles.
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Your calf muscles run along the backs of your legs, from below your knees down to your ankles. There are three muscles that make up your calf: the gastrocnemius, popliteuss and plantaris.
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Your calves are needed for most daily activities, as they're responsible for aiding in movements like walking, running, dancing and jumping. Your calves also allow you to point and flex your feet.
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Strong calves are necessary because they absorb the impact of your movement and support the weight of your body. Think about any high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class you take or sport you play. With every step (or jump), your calf muscles are activated. So, it's important to train them for maximum power and keep them strong to prevent injury. That's where this 20-minute dumbbell calf workout comes in!
Grab a set of medium to heavy dumbbells, and try this 20-minute workout that will strengthen your calf muscles, as well as target the rest of the muscles in your lower body for a leg day you'll never want to skip.
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Perform each exercise below for the amount of sets and reps listed.
Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.
If you don't have one heavy dumbbell, you can use two medium dumbbells.
To target different muscles in your calves, you can internally or externally rotate your feet as an option.
For a lower impact option, instead of jumping, lift onto your toes quickly then return to flat feet.
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Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.