Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKEDDid you know that there are two calf muscles? They are called the soleus and the gastrocnemius. In this post, we are going to dig into the soleus, which is hidden underneath the gastrocnemius, yet is the larger and stronger of the two calf muscles.
Contents:
The soleus, which has a name that is derived from the Latin word "solea", meaning "sandal", is a large muscle on the back of the lower leg. It lies beneath the other calf muscle called the gastrocnemius.
It is a powerful muscle that originates from the back of the tibia (the larger, inner bone of the lower leg) and the smaller fibula (the smaller outer bone of the lower leg), and attaches to the heel bone via the Achilles tendon.
The soleus only crosses the ankle joint and it powers plantar flexion (pointing the toes down).
The soleus muscle assists the gastrocnemius during actives that require plantarflexion like walking, running, and jumping. But like the gastrocnemius, the soleus will benefit from a little extra love and attention.
The calf muscles (soleus and the gastrocnemius) play an important part in locomotion activities. They move you forward, backward, and side to side, and absorb the impact of activities when you’re running, jumping, or training legs.
The soleus and gastrocnemius provide support for the lower body in terms of good ankle and knee stability, as well as ankle mobility. If they are weak or restricted this may affect the joints further up the body.
The soleus's main anatomical action is that of plantarflexion with the knee bent in flexion. The more the knee is in flexion, the more the soleus becomes the primary mover for plantarflexion because the gastrocnemius is being taken out of the equation. Put simply, the soleus is needed, and absolutely vital for, pushing your foot away from the ground, especially when doing so from a bent-knee position.
The soleus, along with the gastrocnemius, also plays important role in a muscular pump. When both muscles contract, they influence the venous return of blood up towards your heart. Because veins are passive compared to arteries, veins rely on muscular contractions to encourage venous flow.
GASTROCNEMIUS VS SOLEUS EXERCISES:
When considering its function for plantar flexion, we can say with certainty that the best exercises and stretches for the soleus will be ones with the knees bent to at least 80 degrees (i.e. seated, bent over, or from a squatting position), whereas the gastrocnemius is best targeted with the legs straight (i.e. standing no-knee-bend leg raises).
Tight calf muscles will restrict ankle and knee movement and will make things that require ankle mobility uncomfortable. The tighter the muscle the more likely the soleus will strain, even though it is rare. Here are a few causes of tight calf muscles
The two best things you can do to keep your soleus happy and healthy is strengthen it often and stretch it occasionally. The exercises further below are what you need.
Although the soleus and gastrocnemius are not as attractive a muscle to train as the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, spending some time training your calf muscles will provide you some important benefits, such as...
Note: Seeing as the soleus and gastrocnemius are so close together in action, their benefits are closely tied too.
There are a couple of reasons why the calf muscles including the soleus are harder to grow and one of these reasons is likely not your fault:
To start, we will provide you with the 4 best exercises to grow and strengthen your soleus muscle, which is so often neglected in training. And then we will provide you the 2 best soleus stretches and a great foam rolling exercise for the calves.
By adjusting your normal hip extension exercise by raising your calf muscles on an elevated surface you will get to strengthen the soleus. Here’ you’ll do a traditional hip extension but with a heel raise at the top. You have the option of holding the hell raise or performing the heel raise with the hip extension each time.
How to do the Soleus Bridge:
Form tips: You can hold an isometric calf raise throughout the entire movement for more time under tension. You can also do this exercise as a single leg variation.
Programming suggestions: Performing this as a warm-up exercise for one to two sets of 10-15 reps will add extra volume to your soleus.
Like with the soleus bridge exercise, the soleus is trained in concert with other leg muscles. By holding on to a squat rack and keeping a vertical torso and shin you’ll be able to perform a calf raise with a bent knee to strengthen the soleus further. You have the choice of holding a partner or thick mobilization band if the squat rack isn’t an option.
How to do the Squat With Soleus Raise:
Form tip: Perform the whole movement with the calves contracted for more time under tension.
You can add resistance by using something like a loaded landmine:
Programming suggestions: Do instead of your usual calf exercise for sets of 15-20 reps.
To develop the soleus, you need exercises that provide a stretch and take the soleus through a large range of motion and the ability to add weight for strength and muscle. The donkey calf raise fits this bill. Here you will bend the knees to focus on the soleus, making it an all-around calf developer.
How to do the Donkey Calf Raise:
Form tips: Using a lighter weight, more reps, and performing with tempo will have you feeling the burn.
If you don't have access to the above machine, you can also do them with just your bodyweight (have a friend hop on your back for added resistance or wear a weight belt)...
or...
Create a set up in the smith machine...
Programming suggestion: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps at the end of your training will work well.
Unlike the donkey calf raises to perform this you don’t need a fancy machine to do the bent knee calf raise. This exercise is simple to load and perform and it can be set up in a few ways. For example, elevating the feet, performing in one leg at a time, or using dumbbells or weight plates for a load.
How to the Seated Bent Knee Calf Raises:
Form tips: Keep an upright posture to put less stress on your lower back.
Of course, if you have access to a machine, use it for seated calf raises. It'll be much easier to create good resistance and progressive overload. Check out our post on the Best Calf Machines available today that will help you grow your calf muscles.
Programming suggestion: Attack this move with higher reps in the 20-25 rep range for two to three sets.
Stretching the soleus is the same as strengthening it, you need to bend the knees: and stretch the way you usually stretch the calf muscle You’ll need a towel or a resistance band and maybe something underneath the knee for comfort. The beauty of this stretch is you will control the intensity of the stretch by how hard you pull on the towel or band.
How to do the Soleus Seated Bent Knee Stretch:
Form tip: Perform up against a wall for extra support on your back.
If you don't have a band, you can still do this exercise as such...
Programming suggestion: Do for 30 to 60 seconds after you have trained your calf muscles to reduce tightness and promote recovery.
Bending the knee like with the sitting soleus stretch with stretch the soleus and stretch the Achilles tendon from a different angle too. This is an intense stretch so please start slow and build up a tolerance for it before increasing the intensity by bending the knee more.
How to do the Soleus Bent Knee Standing Wall Stretch:
Form tips: Push hands into the wall harder or bend the knee more for more of a stretch.
Programming suggestion: Do for 30 to 60 seconds after you have trained your calf muscles to reduce tightness and promote recovery.
Foam rolling the calf muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius) is neglected because let’s face it, it hurts This area often gets tight, sore, and overworked. But when your calf muscles are sore and tight it may affect ankle mobility and calf strains if left unchecked. Pay attention to this area by sucking up the foam rolling pain for long term gain
How to foam roll the calf:
Form tip: Place your non-working legs ankle on the working leg's knee for a more intense roll.
Programming suggestion: Apply light to moderate pressure and roll 30 seconds to a minute on each side.
Being that the soleus muscle is a slow-twitch dominant muscle, it can handle quite a bit of volume. This means you could do the exercises above around 3 times a week, spread out evenly.
As for the soleus stretches, we recommend doing them for one or two sets on days that you do calves exercises (or the following day) OR just once or twice a week when you have time (i.e. in the morning or night). Just avoid doing them directly before a workout. Stretches can be done before a workout, but make them dynamic - meaning don't hold them for extended periods of time, just move in and out of the stretch to create some laxity. Static stretches are best done after workouts or during times you don't plan to workout for a couple hours.
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