The muscle on the lower part of the back of your leg is the gastrocnemius and soleus, also known as the calf muscle. Because of factors like genetics, excessive training and fatty tissues the calf muscles can appear to be too large for the rest of the leg and appear out of proportion. Many people suffer from calf muscles that are too large and want to do something about it. This article will go over some of the best methods for reducing the size of calf muscles.
The best exercise is cardiovascular exercise. This will burn off any excess fatty tissues that surround your calf muscles. Try walking, jogging, or swimming. You want to avoid any exercises that may build up your calf muscles such as sprinting, fast running, uphill running, incline treadmill, jumping rope, etc.
You want to strength train also. The key to making muscles longer and leaner is to use a much lighter weight and do more repetitions. What you don’t want to do is use heavy weights and do less repetitions. What you want to do is take a very light weight and do exercises like calf raises. Do around 25 – 30 repetitions. Anything below 20 may build muscles instead of elongating it. Use 5 to 10 pounds of weight. Try not to use any weight over 30 pounds. Use just enough weight so that you feel muscle exhaustion at around 30 repetitions.
Stretching is also good because it elongates your calf muscles. Try yoga or pilates for a really good stretch. Also make sure you stretch really well (for at least 15 minutes) before and after you exercise.
Surgery
There are different types of surgeries you can do to reduce the size of your calf muscles. Selective Neurectomy removes the calf muscle nerve. This causes the muscle in your calf, the Gastrocnemius to wither away. The muscle in the calf is reduced by about 2.5 centimeters. This method works and the recovery time is relatively short but because the soleus muscle is left alone to carry the burden it can work harder and this results in an awkwardly shaped calf muscle.
A more reliable and accurate method is a method known as a partial muscle resection. This procedure works by the surgeon removing part of the muscle to create the desired size and shape. This surgery often causes scarring and takes quite a long time to recover (6 months to a year).
Also available is a procedure known as a total excision of medial gastrocnemius. This procedure completely removes the medial gastrocnemius. This is the most invasive off all the surgeries, leads to potential scarring, and takes a very long time to recover (6 months to a year).
Learn More About Getting Slim, Smaller, And Sexy Calves:
How To Make Your Calves Smaller With Joggin And Stretching
How To Make Your Calf Muscles Slimmer With Calf Muscle Exercises