Does Running Make Your Calves Bigger?

Are you unhappy about your calves being thin? Are you looking for ways in which your calf muscles will start looking fuller and rounder?

Running is a great way in which you can tone and strengthen your muscles. It is a natural process that is the easiest to perform. It doesn’t require any gym equipment.

Running induces functionality in your entire leg. When you propel your body forward and push it further off the balls in your feet, every major muscle in your calf is put to work.

While running, the calf muscles undergo a slow-twitch and a fast-twitch, thereby pushing the entire body weight off the foot. Therefore, the calf muscles are the strongest muscles of the body.

Does Running Build Calves?

Yes, running does help to build bigger calves. If you are trying to gain muscle, your muscles will develop after undergoing a process of wear and tear. When your body undergoes an intense workout, the individual muscle fibers, known as myofibrils, are ripped.

This induces the satellite cells at the place of injury. These satellite cells repair and replace the myofibrils that are damaged.

As the healing process begins and the satellite cells start repairing the muscles, the cross-section of muscle fibers gets spurred. The muscle cells also have to go through hypertrophy which causes the enlargement of the individual muscle cells.

When you run, the growth of the muscle cells through hypertrophy gets triggered. However, you can notice the growth in the size of your calves only after weeks of training. When you take a forward stride, the angle between your leg and your foot increases.

The movement of your legs is dependent on two muscles- the large muscle called gastrocnemius, which runs from the top part of your calf underneath the hind portion of your knee to the middle of the calf, and another muscle known as the soleus, which extends from the top of the calf to the base of the heel, positioned underneath the gastrocnemius.

When you run, these two muscles work in coordination with one another. When you make running a routine, your muscles keep developing over time and your calves will get pumped up.

When you plan to incorporate running for the development of your calves, you need to plan your workout strategically. To promote muscle growth, you need to plan an interval workout by alternating light running or jogging with sprinting. You may also count on incline running or resistance running to kickstart the growth of muscles.

If your calf muscles are thin, incorporating these into your exercise plan may be a great way to gain mass.

However, rest is also an important component of your exercise if you wish to increase the size of your calf muscles. After you have had a heavy workout, you will have to give your muscles the required time to recover. Therefore, after you have finished your strenuous run session, make sure you give your body adequate rest. You also have to massage the calves.

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Wrapping Up

If you take up running after a long gap, you may experience a slight soreness, which is quite normal. Nevertheless, if the pain persists for a long time, you might need to halt for some time and consult a doctor.

If you follow these steps, you will be gifted with well-shaped and toned calves that you are craving!