The 3-Move Calf Crusher Workout
The first installment in Yahoo Health’s new original workout series will leave your legs and calves screaming — for more. (Photo by Will Mebane, graphic by Priscilla De Castro/Yahoo Health)
The biggest mistake guys make when training their calves and legs, according to fitness expert David Kirsch: They don’t do it.
“Calves are probably the last body part that a guy thinks about in the gym,” Kirsch, the founder of New York City’s Madison Square Club, tells Yahoo Health. “They think about biceps, triceps, chest, and abs.” But your legs are the foundation of your body, supporting you as you stand, run, or lift anything heavy — and they start with your calves.
Plus, you look better when your lower body looks just as strong and built as your upper half. “When I create a training plan, I think of myself as a sculptor working to create symmetry in the body,” Kirsch says. Neglecting your legs is like leaving a statue half-finished.
The bottom line: If you want to look your best when shorts season arrives, it’s crucial to train your calves, quadriceps (front of the thighs), and hamstrings (back of the thighs).
Kirsch’s Calf Crusher Workout, created specifically for Yahoo Health, blasts your calves and lower body with only three deviously simple-looking exercises. Do the routine below twice a week as a part of a well-rounded strength and cardio plan, and you’ll not only look great in a pair of trunks, you’ll also skyrocket your overall fitness. “Doing something that your body isn’t normally used to forces your body to act and react in a different way,” Kirsch says. “That improves your strength, agility, and overall performance in addition to sculpting your muscles.”
Ready to give it a shot? Perform 15 reps of each move followed by 30 seconds of rest, then move on to the next exercise. Do two to three rounds of the circuit back-to-back.
The 3-Move Calf Crusher Workout
1. Goblet Squat
The squat exercise targets all of your leg muscles. (Photos by Will Mebane)
Grab a heavy dumbbell with both hands, bell-side up, like a goblet. Hold the weight close to your chest. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and hips to lower your body down as far as you can. Anchor your heels; don’t allow them to lift off the floor. Keep your knees behind your toes. Pause for a second at the bottom of the movement, then return to standing. That’s one rep. Bonus: Add a calf raise by lifting your heels at the top of the squat.
Why it works: Sitting back on your heels, as opposed to allowing your body to shift forward, ensures that you’re really targeting your calves, hamstrings, and glutes.
Related: Calm Stress And Boost Energy With This CorePower Yoga Flow
2. Reverse Lunge To Lateral Lunge
Lunging to the side targets your calf muscles from different angles.
Hold the round part of a kettlebell with both hands at chest-height. (A dumbbell works, too.) Take a big step back with your right leg. Bend at your knees to lower your body down until your right knee is a few inches from the floor. Your knees should form 90-degree angles at the bottom of the movement. Raise your body up and return to standing with feet hip-width apart. Next, take a big step to the side with your right leg. Keep your left leg straight. Push your butt back and bend your right leg to lower your body down. Reverse the move to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Perform 15 reps with your right leg, then switch sides.
Why it works: Most of the movement we do in a day (walking, running) involves going in a forward direction. Lunging to the side or backward engages the calf muscles and targets them from different angles, improving symmetry and preventing muscle imbalances that can lead to injury.
Related: This Bodybuilding Couple Shows What True Devotion Looks Like
3. Switch Lunges
This move is also a big heart-rate booster.
Stand in a staggered stance holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest-height. Bend at your knees to lower your body down, forming a right angle with each knee joint (lunge position). Explosively jump up and switch legs, landing in a staggered stance with the opposite leg forward. In a continuous movement, lower your body down into a lunge as you land, then jump and switch legs again. Perform 15 reps on each leg (30 jumps total).
Tip: To make the move easier, eliminate the jump. Instead, step forward into a lunge position, alternating legs, as fast as you can. You can also hold onto a bar for support.
Why it works: This exercise is — in Kirsch’s own words — “a beast.” Challenging explosive movements such as switch lunges work your strength, agility, balance, power, and coordination. They also skyrocket your heart rate, boosting calorie burn.
