3 calf workouts for men

These won't only strengthen you calves, they'll also let you wear your shorts with confidence.

Strong legs help you with everyday life, as you’ll find it easier walking up and down stairs, lifting heavy objects (since you get all the balance from your legs) and just being mobile in general. Besides, you don’t want to look like the guy who suffers from chicken legs syndrome – larger upper body with skinny legs. It doesn't exactly look appealing – especially to the opposite sex. The truth is that the body needs a holistic training regime to be at its best. Candy Bukes of Travelling Trainers says guys should also include the following exercises in their training regime in order to build strong calves:

1. One-leg calf raise
Stand on the edge of a step or wooden block and hook your one foot behind the back of the non-dominant heel. Hold on to a banister or anything that would keep you steady. Let your non-dominant heel drop low as if it will go off the step and push up and down for 15 reps. This can be done three times on each foot.

2. Seated calf raise
Sit on the end of a chair or bench with your legs bent at 90º, place your feet on a wooden block or a stack of books and hold some weights on top of your knees. Lower your heels as far as they can go, then slowly raise them a high as you can. Do 15 reps.

3. Explosive calf jump
Bend your knees and squat straight down until you are at a 45º angle. Then make a quick explosive jump into the air as high as possible, and return to the same squatting position when you land. Do 20 reps.

Email Candy Bukes on candy@travellingtrainers.co.za