Magic exercises and practical tips that will help you shrink your calves. How to reduce the size of the calf muscles: exercises for weight loss and stretching The size of the calf muscles in women

Full calves are often found even in slender and athletic girls. To prevent and eliminate fat deposits, it is recommended to switch to special exercises. You will also need regular stretching and a proper diet. Wraps and massage will also help.

Full, voluminous calves are often a consequence of genetic predisposition and body type. Often this part of the legs increases in size due to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Sometimes an increase in the calf muscles is associated with edema due to fluid retention in the body and vascular diseases.

The muscle mass of the calves is often loose and unexpressed. To reduce their volume, it is necessary to load the calves locally. Excessively full calves are due to excess weight, uneven weight loss, because... fatty tissue is distributed disproportionately throughout the body. It is difficult to remove swelling or excess deposits in a specific place; complex measures are required: diet, exercise, massage, drinking regime.

According to reviews from women, effective methods for reducing calves are stretching, drainage massage, fat-burning wraps and diet. If you have diseases of the blood vessels of the legs, you should consult a doctor, get the doctor’s recommendations, and carry out the necessary treatment.

Exercises to reduce calves

Squats without additional weight will help you reduce fat calves. The exercise is performed 20 times on the entire foot, the next 20 times on the toes. It is not recommended to do deep squats. The following exercises will help you get rid of fat calves:

Walking up the stairs. Give it at least 10 minutes a day.
Lifting on your toes. Place a chair with the backrest in front. Starting position: standing, arms relaxed, on the back of a chair. Slowly rise on your toes, fix the position, and lower yourself. Repeat 3 sets of 20 times.
Walking on tiptoes. At home, walk on your toes for at least 15 minutes/day.
Jumping rope. Daily intensive exercises with a skipping rope for 20 minutes will correct your figure and reduce the size of your calves.

Massage

Regular calf massage will help release congestion, which will reduce the volume. It is used not as an independent measure, but to increase the effectiveness of stretching, proper nutrition and exercise. To obtain the desired result, you should undergo at least 9-10 sessions.

The direction of smooth, leisurely massage movements is from the feet to the knee. Before the session, you must use massage oil. The procedure is performed like this:

The massage begins with light stroking of the calf muscles for 3-4 minutes from bottom to top.
They move on to kneading the muscles, grabbing them one by one with their hands, stretching and relieving tension.
Start the drainage movement: grab the ankle with both hands and pull it upward with tension. Repeat 3-4 times.
Finish the treatment by stroking for 2-3 minutes.

Wraps

To reduce the volume of calves, wraps are used. Such procedures are recommended to be carried out in the evening for complete muscle relaxation. Before wrapping, you should take a warm shower/bath, cleansing the skin and opening the pores. Afterwards you need to apply the composition in a layer of medium thickness. For wrapping, cling film is used, with a towel on top. Leave for 30–60 minutes, rinse, apply any moisturizer to the skin.

Wraps accelerate metabolic processes, stimulate the removal of excess fluid from the body, and accelerate the breakdown of fat deposits. To reduce the volume of calves at home, you can prepare the following compositions:

Mustard-honey. Mix 2 tbsp. l. mustard powder with 2-3 tbsp. l. water. Enter 3 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.
Honey-sea. Steam 2 tbsp. l. honey, mix with 2 tbsp. sea salt. The composition is not recommended to be used more than once a week.
Honey-butter. Mix 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. grape seed oil. Before use, warm up using a water bath.

Before starting stretching and flexibility exercises, you should warm up. To warm up your muscles, walk or jump for 10–15 minutes. Calf stretch order:

Stand facing a wall, step back with one leg, lock your heel and roll your body weight forward. Hold the position for 30–40 seconds. Repeat 2 sets 5 times.
Sit on the floor, stretch your legs, bend over and straighten your back, lean on your hands behind you, hold the pose for 20–30 seconds. Repeat 2 sets 3 times.
The starting position is the same. Pull your socks towards you and try to grab them with your hands. Fix your body position for 40 seconds. Repeat 2 sets 3-4 times.
Stand on the floor with your feet together. Bend down as far as possible. Hold the pose for 30 seconds. Repeat 2 sets 3-4 times.

Changing dietary principles

A balanced diet helps make your lower legs slimmer and more graceful. Drying the calf muscles is based on the following nutritional principles:

Divide your daily diet into 5-6 meals. This will speed up your metabolism and reduce the intensity of hunger pangs. Portions should be small (200-300 g).
You should eat food two hours before training and no earlier than 40 minutes after training.
Remove sweets, fast food, fatty and fried foods, sweet juices, and carbonated drinks from your diet.
The average daily calorie content should not exceed 1600-1700 kcal.
The diet should be dominated by plant and animal proteins, complex carbohydrates, and vegetable fats.

Properly selected exercises for losing weight in the calf muscles and a balanced diet will help give you relief and remove fat deposits. To reduce the volume of the lower legs, it is recommended to follow some recommendations:

take regular breaks from training;
After exercise, stretch;
start your workout with a warm-up;
do not wear high-heeled shoes;
step on your foot correctly when walking: the weight should move from heel to toe.

Video

Are you unhappy with the size of your shins? Do they look disproportionately large and massive compared to the hips and torso? Do you want thin and thin ankles? If you tend to accumulate fat on your calves, we have the perfect solution. Just make a few changes to your workout, diet and lifestyle, and you'll have long, lean legs in no time. Read this post to learn everything you need to do to lose weight in your calves. We have selected the best exercises to reduce calf muscles, both in the gym and at home.

Gymnastics is a great way for girls and throughout the body. And although there are no methods for targeted reduction of fat deposits, still, if you perform effective exercises for losing weight in calves, the progress will be more noticeable. The exercises that we will offer you below can help reduce the size of your lower leg, build toned and sculpted muscles and make your legs slimmer and more beautiful.

1. Calf raises

Target: calves, hamstrings

Technique:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest straight, and shoulders back. Place your hands on your waist and look forward.
Lift both heels and balance on your toes.
Repeat this movement at a fast pace to feel your calves begin to burn.

Sets and reps: 3 sets x 25 reps

2. Seated toe raises

Target - shins

Technique:

Take one dumbbell in each hand and sit on a chair. Place your feet on the floor and place your hands with dumbbells on your thighs just above your knees. Extend your elbows slightly, keep your back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and look forward.
Keeping your toes on the floor, lift your heels.
Hold this pose for a second and then lower back to the starting position.

Sets and reps: 3 x 20

3. Sumo squat with toe raise

Target - calves, biceps and quadriceps, thighs, buttocks

Technique:

Hold a dumbbell with both hands. Stand straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Straighten your legs, keep your back straight, push your shoulders back, stick your chest out and look straight.
Bend both knees and lower your torso until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
Hold this pose for a second and then rise to the starting position. And right before your legs straighten, lift your heels.
Lower your heels, bend both knees and squat down again.

Sets and reps: 3 x 12

4. Plie calf raises

Target your calves, glutes and quadriceps.

Technique:

Stand straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Now squat down, keep your back straight, extend your arms in front of you and join them as shown in the figure.
Lift your heels and balance your body on your toes—almost like wearing high heels.
Lower your heels slightly and when they touch the floor, lift them back to the starting position.

Sets and reps: 3 x 12

5. Skaters

Target - calves, biceps and quadriceps, thighs, buttocks

Technique:

Stand straight, keep your feet together.
Bend both knees slightly and lift your right leg off the floor. Now bend your right knee completely so that your shin and thigh are at a 90 degree angle to each other. Lean forward slightly and get into a runner's stance (shown in the picture).
Sit on both your left leg and your right leg so that they are positioned wider than shoulder-width apart. And at the same time lift your left leg off the floor. Bend your left knee so that your shin and thigh are at a 90-degree angle to each other.
Again, jump onto your right leg and sit on your left leg.

Sets and reps: 3 x 12

6. Place your palms under your feet

Target: calves and hamstrings

Technique:

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Keeping your back straight, lean forward and slide your hand under each leg.
Slowly bring your head toward your knees and bring your elbows out to make the exercise easier.
Hold this pose for 5 seconds and then return to step 2.

Sets and reps: 2 x 3

7. Calf stretch

Target: calves and hamstrings

Technique:

Stand facing the wall. Place your right foot forward near the wall and your left foot behind it. Make sure your leg is facing the wall. Rest your elbows and forearms on the wall, shoulder-width apart.
Lower your buttocks until you feel a stretch in your left calf and thigh.
Switch legs and repeat.

Sets and reps: 2 x 3

8. Plank with knees down

Target calves, hamstrings, abs and shoulders.

Technique:

Get into a plank position on your forearms. Keep your abs tense.
Bend your right knee and touch it to the floor. Return to the starting position.
Bend your left knee and touch it to the floor.
Repeat.

Sets and reps: 2 x 12

9. Running

Target - whole body

Technique:

Before you begin, do a light warm-up, such as brisk walking or jumping jacks, and stretching.
Start running outside or on a treadmill. If you are running on a treadmill, set the incline to 3 degrees.
Run slowly and for a long time so that not only your calves, but your whole body loses weight.

Sets and reps: Every other day for 15-30 minutes

10. Single leg squats

Target - calves, biceps and quadriceps, gluteal muscles

Technique:

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart.
Raise your right leg in front of you, and also extend both arms in front of you, at shoulder level and palms down. This is the starting position.
Bend your left knee and do a squat. Keep your right leg bent.
Hold this pose for a moment, then straighten your left leg and return to the starting position.
After 10 repetitions, switch legs and do the same.

Sets and reps: 2 x 10

11. Climbing stairs

Technique:

Warm up by jogging or stretching.
Start going up and down the stairs at a moderate pace.
Focus only on your toes to work your calves.
Gradually increase your running speed over time.

Sets and reps: 2 x 3

12. Jump Squats

Target - calves, biceps and quadriceps, thighs, buttocks

Technique:

Stand straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart, straighten your chest, pull your shoulders back.
Pull your buttocks back, bend your knees and squat down, imagining that there is an imaginary chair behind you.
Raise your arms above your head and jump.
Land softly on the floor.

Sets and reps: 3 x 15

These are the 12 best and results-producing exercises that you should do at least 3-5 days a week to see results. Now, here are some diet and lifestyle tips that will help you get the results you want faster.

Avoid eating fatty foods such as waffles, bagels, pizza, hamburgers, processed meats, fried chicken and French fries. If you don't reduce the amount of fat in your entire body, you won't be able to reduce your calves.

Consume - Such as vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, healthy oils, lean protein sources (fish, eggs, lentils, beans), brown sugar (in limited quantities), whole wheat flour and quinoa will help you lose weight by mobilizing stored fat.

Don't wear high heels - All girls and women love nice shoes, but wearing high heels can make your calf muscles look bulky. Additionally, wearing them regularly without properly training your legs can also be harmful to your hips and lower back.

Avoid exercises that put too much stress on your calves. Your goal is to burn the fat off them. But doing too much weight training on your calves will only make them look fuller. So, first lose weight in your legs with the help, and then add.

Avoid high-incline cardio if you exercise—running or brisk walking are great for losing fat throughout your entire body, not just your calves. But if you do this on an incline of more than 3 degrees, you will eventually increase the size of your calf muscles again.

Avoid sprints - they are great for building muscle strength and power. But for now you should focus on endurance and long runs.

Avoid exercises with high knees - doing such exercises will build muscle. And if you build muscle without losing fat, your calves will look bulkier than before.

Get a massage—massaging your calf area can help increase the rate of fat mobilization

Avoid late meals - if you follow all the instructions during the day, but at night you break down and eat to satiety, then you will never lose weight. Brush your teeth before bed for extra motivation not to eat.

Here are all the ways to lose weight in your calf muscles and get slender and sophisticated legs. Fat in any part of the body is difficult to burn only if you do something wrong. Try these methods and surely you will see results. Good luck!

A slim figure is the dream object of most girls. For some, nature gave ideal proportions, while for others, it was necessary to work hard to achieve them. One of the most common problems is calves on the legs. Is it possible to reduce them and how to do this is a question that many want an answer to.

The calf muscles help a person move. Walking, running and jumping are the main activities where they are involved.

They can increase excessively in size for the following reasons:

Both predisposition and excess weight require a special approach to reduce the volume of calves in girls. To solve this problem, there are special techniques that will help get your legs in order.

Methods for reducing pumped calves

If a girl is involved in sports that require great strength in the calves, then over time these muscles acquire an impressive volume. If the problem of large calves bothers a person more than athletic achievements, then the very first recommendation is to stop this type of training.

In this case, the calves themselves become smaller over time. However, this result will not always be sufficient. In this case, physical activity will come to the rescue again. Only this time the training method will be different.

Here are its main features:

Working with light weights. No record-breaking approaches to lift maximum weight. The weight should be such that a person can do at least 20 repetitions with it. At first, you can work with your own body weight, without additional weights.
Lots of repetitions. There is no exact number. You need to load the muscle until you feel a strong burning sensation. Typically, this effect is achieved with 25–40 repetitions.
Avoiding explosive loads. To reduce the volume of the calf muscles, the loads should be low-intensity but long-lasting. The main task is to tire the muscle with light, but monotonous and long work.

Watching athletes, you can notice an interesting fact. Those whose task is to quickly do a record amount of work have a large volume of muscles. An example is sprinters. They are big and powerful.

The second example is marathon runners. They are thin and slender. Their task is to produce low-intensity but continuous work. To reduce the volume of pumped calves, you need to make them hardy “marathon runners”.

Losing weight in calves if you are overweight

How to reduce calves on your legs - this issue is extremely important for girls. If their excessive volume is caused by excess weight, then this issue can be solved by losing weight. It is impossible to get rid of calf fat locally. You'll have to lose weight entirely.

It is important to limit your daily caloric intake.

How many calories to consume is an individual question, but there are approximate values:

You need to choose a value based on the closest desired weight. If a girl weighing 75 kg wants to lose weight to 60 kg, then caloric intake should be reduced gradually. First, up to 2100 kcal per day, after reaching 70 kg - up to 1950 kcal per day, and so on.

To lose weight, simply monitor the number of calories you consume. But in order for the body to become slim and elastic, it is necessary to monitor the quality of food consumed. Eat less fast food and more green vegetables. Avoid overeating at night and reduce your intake of sweets.

To ensure that your legs not only get smaller, but become slender and seductive, you should add exercises to train them.

Stretching exercises to reduce calves

Stretching your calves after a workout helps the body rid this muscle group of lactic acid faster and also prevents spasms and cramps.

Useful stretching techniques that will allow you to effectively recover and reduce the size of your calf muscles:

Tilts

Calf bends stretch the legs and waist, strengthening the body and toning these muscle groups.

How to properly perform shin bends:

Lift to the leg

The complex is similar to the previous one, but is performed while sitting.

Calf raise

Fitness trainers know how to reduce calves on the legs for girls. They recommend including mandatory calf raises in your training regimen. If you follow the correct technique, the exercise is considered the best technique for reducing the size of your calves.

Correct practice technique:

When the exercise becomes simple, you need to start doing it for your legs one by one.

Lunges

Lunges are an excellent exercise for comprehensively strengthening the leg muscles. It is useful not only for calves, but also for thighs and buttocks.

Stand upright, feet at a distance of 20–30 cm. Hands are lowered down parallel to the body.
Take a medium-length step forward. You can stretch your arms forward for balance. The front leg bends at an angle of 90°. The thigh should be parallel to the training surface. The back leg bends at a right angle, the knee almost touching the ground.
Stay in the pose for 1 second. Get into the starting position, leaning on your back leg.
Repeat for the other limb. The total number of repetitions is 10 rubles. for each leg.

Raising the knees to the sternum

The complex promotes the development of the muscles of the thighs and lower legs.

It needs to be done as follows:

Lie down on the floor. Legs lie together, toes extended.
Bend your leg at the knee, pull it towards your sternum, trying to place your knee on your stomach as much as possible. Socks are still pulled up. Hold for 1-2 seconds.
Without lifting your knee, try to straighten your leg. Now you need to pull the socks in the opposite direction. Fix at the top point for 1 second.

Leg abduction

The lesson is aimed at tightening the buttocks, stretching the back of the thigh and lower leg.

To reduce the calves on the legs using the “leg abduction” exercise for girls, it is recommended to attach an expander

Stand upright. You can hold on to something for stability.
Smoothly, without bending, move your legs back alternately. The body leans forward at this time.
Fix the leg at the highest point for 1-3 seconds. Slowly lower it to the starting position.
Do at least 10 repetitions on each side.

Complex at home

How to reduce calves on your legs - this is not an easy question for girls at home. But the task is doable. The set of measures will consist of stretching and exercises that do not require sports equipment.

With stretching, everything is clear - what and how to pull was discussed above. All that remains is to list the exercises that you can do at home.

Rope exercises

The most accessible type of exercise. In isolation, it includes the calves in the work, effectively loading them.

For jumping to be effective, you need to follow the technique of performing the exercise:

The jump should be low. Literally 2–3 cm to jump over the rope.
You need to rotate the rope with your hands. The forearms and shoulders are completely excluded from this process.
Your back should be straight and your legs slightly bent.
Jumps are performed exclusively on the toes in order to emphasize the load on the calves and eliminate the impact on the spine.

Alternating calf raises

Spread your feet one and a half shoulder widths apart, turn your toes out and squat slightly. The pose is similar to that of sumo wrestlers before a fight. Your back must be kept straight.

Without changing your position, you need to alternately rise on your toes, first with one leg, then with the other. This exercise statically loads the hips and trains the calf muscles.

Gun

Pistol squats are a powerful tool for comprehensive leg training.

Technique:

Stand up straight, feet together. Hold onto any support with your hand.
Squat on one leg, extending the other leg forward. The free leg does not touch the ground.
At the bottom point, keep the heel of the supporting leg on the ground.

The exercise is repeated 3–5 times with alternating legs. Gradually you need to increase the number of repetitions to 10.

Workout in the gym

Working out at home is good, but working out at the gym is more effective. This happens because the fitness club has the opportunity to use additional equipment and weights. They increase the effectiveness of training, allowing you to quickly achieve the desired result. Here are examples of exercises that work.

Leg press

Exercise in a special simulator.

Unlike the usual pressing technique on this apparatus, to reduce the calf muscles it is necessary to use the following technique:

Place the legs at the bottom of the platform. Your heels should be in the air.
The legs are slightly bent and do not change their position. All work is done exclusively with socks.
No additional weight is installed on the platform. She squeezes up only with her toes. The speed of execution is high, the amplitude is small. The number of repetitions is until there is a strong burning sensation. At least 20–30.

Calf raises with dumbbells

The exercise is similar to the previously discussed calf raise. For best performance, you need to hold a dumbbell in each hand. The weight is individual, but such that you can perform 15–20 repetitions. The technique is a smooth lowering and a quick rise.

Exercises for losing weight over pumped calves

In addition to the methods discussed, it will be effective to add cardio exercise. This will help to comprehensively influence the lower leg muscles and systematically reduce their volume.

High-intensity cardio should be avoided - no running with weights or jumping with additional weight. It is also necessary to control your diet so that excess calories do not go into unnecessary building material.

Run

One of the best ways to reduce your calves. Slow running over long distances is most effective. It is best to run in the fresh air - oxygen saturation of the blood contributes to better results.

To reduce the size of your calves, you should not run sprints - with such a load they can only grow.

Elliptical trainer

Sometimes there is no physical opportunity to run. If you have flat feet, running is contraindicated, and often there is simply no suitable landscape around. In this case, an elliptical trainer will help.

The principle of working with it is the same as when running - minimum intensity and maximum duration.

Swimming

Swimming does not specifically target the calves. Its benefit is the overall strengthening of body muscles and improved blood flow. This improves metabolism and stimulates fat burning.

Swimming alone will not help reduce the size of your calves. But it can increase the effect of other exercises.

Exercise bike

Effective only when working at low intensity.
No interval programs, just monotonous pedaling with a low level of difficulty. To achieve the effect, you need to exercise for at least 40–60 minutes in a row.

For girls who want to learn how to reduce calves on their legs, the following advice from professionals will be useful: follow a diet, stretch your muscles after each workout, exercise regularly and don’t skip workouts. Subject to these conditions, any result is achievable. The main thing is discipline and perseverance.

Article format: Mila Friedan

Video on how to reduce the volume of calves on your legs

Exercises that will help reduce the size of your calves:

An ideal figure is achieved by regular training and following a proper diet. And if the fight against problem areas around the waist and hips is more or less successful, then getting rid of large calves is not an easy task. The results of training will begin to make themselves felt no earlier than three months later. In this case, you will have to watch your diet and do the right exercises.

Causes of Big Calves

The problem of large calves can be solved only if you know exactly about the “culprits” of their appearance. There can be several reasons for voluminous shins:

Swelling of the legs

It’s easy to check if your feet tend to swell. When you take off your socks, pay attention to whether there is a rubber band mark on your feet. If it is clearly visible, then the calves swell precisely because of this physiological deficiency. Another way to check is to press your finger in the area of the dry bone. After this, a hole should remain there, which will gradually disappear. If such a dimple does not appear, the skin is elastic and immediately straightens, then in your case the problem is not swelling.

Solution: a diet that excludes fatty and salty foods, as well as taking diuretics as prescribed by a doctor.
Genetics

To check whether genes are to blame, just look at your parents and relatives. If full calves are inherited, then the problem will be much more difficult to solve. Another way to identify genetically large calves is to tighten the muscles. If they “sit” high, then the shin looks smaller and thinner. Otherwise, it is impossible to influence the length of the calf muscle, but you can correct its shape by avoiding certain exercises.

Solution: exclude any exercise that leads to the growth of the calf muscle (ballet, stepper exercises, incline running, walking on a rotating stair trainer, sprinting, exercise bike and any cardio with resistance).
Overweight

Calves are one of the problem areas that are the last to shrink when losing weight. Therefore, even if you have lost weight to the bone, your lower legs may still remain full. Moreover, the habitat can be not only the subcutaneous space, but also the intramuscular space.

Solution: remember, fat does not go away locally, so the solution to this problem in this case will be total weight loss. And don’t forget to be more active, that is, walk, run and play sports more often.
Large muscle mass

Sports are great, but even that can contribute to bigger calves. By the way, a defect caused by sports is considered the most difficult problem and reducing calves can be very difficult.

Solution: As is the case with genetics, eliminate any exercise that leads to muscle growth (we repeat: this is incline running, sprinting, stepper, as well as any cardio with resistance).
Frequent wearing of high-heeled shoes

You certainly look attractive in high heels, but there is a downside to this pretty picture. Every day, wearing high-heeled shoes, your calves are subjected to many hours of training, which ensures their growth. After all, the main load goes to the lower leg, the thigh muscles work in a semi-relaxed mode. This is where leg disproportion arises.

Solution: Walk less often in high heels and perform special exercises to strengthen all leg muscles.

Is it possible to reduce calves on your legs?

If the cause lies in swelling, then it is advisable to consult a doctor. After all, such a deficiency may indicate certain malfunctions in the body. It's also hard to argue with genetics. In this case, you can only slightly adjust the shape of the lower leg. In all other cases, it is possible to reduce the volume of your calves, but the approaches will be different.

It is worth understanding that in the case where large calves are associated with excess weight, it is possible to reduce them only by completely getting rid of extra pounds. Fat does not disappear locally, and it is the last to disappear from problem areas.

Interesting: the ideal size (girth) of the calves should correspond to the girth of the biceps of the arm.

How to Determine Muscle and Fat Calves

To figure out whether you need to lose fat or lean muscle mass, take the following test. It consists of two steps:

Pinch the top layer of fat and skin with your fingers.

If the fold turns out to be impressive, then you need to lose weight. In this case, you need to adjust your diet and add cardio training to your daily routine. If the fold is small, then reducing the calves is possible by performing special exercises. Let's consider each case separately.

How to reduce pumped calves for a girl

As already mentioned, a similar problem appears if you get too involved in sports or constantly walk in heels. In general, the origins of fullness of the calves are the same - the main emphasis when walking or training is always on the toe, and not on the heel. Cardio training will help you get rid of unwanted volumes on your calves. They are designed so that during exercise the calf muscle lengthens. This leads to a decrease in its volume.

Cardio for slimming calves

The main rule regarding cardio activity is work without resistance and long duration (40-50 minutes).

The following types of cardio activities are prohibited::

treadmill with incline;
running uphill;
sprint (running at high speed);
stepper exercises;
walking on a changing staircase simulator;
exercise bike and other resistance cardio equipment.

Types of cardio that help reduce calves:

running or walking on a treadmill without an incline;
elliptical trainer;
exercise bike without resistance;
burpees;
swimming.

Long walks have a positive effect on reducing calves. For walks, choose smooth roads without ups and downs. Only in this case will your calves become slimmer without gaining excess muscle mass.

Special exercises to reduce calves

Many girls immediately have a question: after all, by training their calves, they will become even bigger and it’s better not to touch them at all. In fact, it's the other way around. Even if you leave them alone for a few months, a year doesn’t matter. The result will not please you. The only way to work on your calf muscles is to do the right exercises along with cardio.

The most effective exercises are toe raises. Execute them in the following mode:

Burpees – 5x15.

Stretching exercises to reduce calves

Stretching the muscles in case of such a problem is a necessary measure in working on reducing the size of the calves. There are three stretching exercises. Use as you choose or alternate between them.

Exercise 1. Remember school, they taught us the simplest, but very effective stretching exercise. Sit down on the floor, stretch your legs straight in front of you. Bend your torso towards your legs. Try to press as close to your legs as possible and reach your feet with your hands. Use your hands to pull your socks towards you. Hold for 30 seconds, return to the original position.

Exercise 2. The second exercise is even simpler. Stand facing the wall, lean on your hands. Take one leg back (knee straight) and swing forward towards the wall. You should feel a stretch in the calf muscle of the abducted leg. Change the position of your legs and repeat the exercise.

Exercise 3. Standing facing the wall, lean your toe against the wall, while your heel is on the floor. The position should be such that you feel a stretch in the calf muscle. Hold for 30 seconds or perform a series of rocking movements. Repeat the exercise for the second leg.

Home workout plan:

number of workouts per week – 3;
rest in exercises between approaches – 30-40 seconds;
stretching exercises for the calf muscles after each approach;
cardio - slow running for 40-50 minutes after doing the exercises.

Walk or run. Running and walking for weight loss is an ideal way to “dry out” the calf muscles. The main condition is that there should be no climbs or slides along the route. Otherwise, there will be a risk of making your calves even larger. For the same reason, you should not get carried away with step aerobics.

This training regimen must be followed for a long time and the exercises must be performed regularly. The result will not appear as quickly as you would like - do not expect the first results before three months.

How to reduce fat calves

Excess fat appears on all parts of the body, including the calves. But it does not go down evenly. Getting excess volume off your legs can sometimes be quite problematic. And even when the waist has almost reached perfection, the legs can still disappoint with excessive fullness. Here, nutritional adjustments play a major role in reducing calves. Cardio and special exercises will speed up the results.

There are several nuances regarding problem areas:

fat in these places is the last to be lost;
There is no local fat burning, i.e. fat (for example, from the calves) will not go away, the person loses weight everywhere;
Correction of problem areas usually takes a long time (about a year or more).

In this case, work on problem areas is carried out in three directions at once - proper nutrition, cardio and special exercises. The last two are discussed above (How to reduce pumped calves).

Nutrition adjustments

There is no special diet for reducing calves. You can choose a diet yourself or with the help of a nutritionist, but take into account several important nuances:

To improve metabolism and prevent excess calories from being deposited in the fat depot, you need to increase the number of meals. This is 4-5 times at the same time.

What can you eat

Eat slow carbohydrates. These are those that slowly break down and gradually feed the body with energy. These include brown rice, buckwheat, durum wheat pasta, whole grain bread, bran bread, and almost all types of cereals.

Your menu should include enough protein. These include meat, fish, nuts, eggs and dairy products. Eat lean meats: rabbit, chicken (fillet), turkey, veal and beef without fatty layers.

Include fiber in your diet. It coats the walls of the stomach, prolonging the feeling of fullness in the body, and also helps remove toxins and harmful substances. The main sources of fiber are greens, vegetables, fruits (no more than two, as they contain a lot of sugar), bran, and whole grain bread.

Eat the right fats. Many people think that fat makes them fat. In fact, fats play an exceptional role for the body; without them, the absorption of many vitamins and other beneficial substances is simply impossible. But this applies to the right fats. Nuts, seeds, fatty fish, flaxseed and olive oil, and avocado are especially useful.

Don't forget about water balance. Drink more clean, unboiled water. Avoid coffee, alcoholic and carbonated drinks.

What not to eat

Avoid fast food, salty, fatty, fried and smoked foods. Steam, bake or boil foods.

Avoid mayonnaise, sauces, and ketchups. Instead, use natural yogurt as a dressing.

Forget about unhealthy sweets. Replace sweets, pastries, desserts with honey, dried fruits, dark chocolate, fitness bars and plain ice cream.

Other Ways to Reduce Calves on Your Legs

In the fight for slender calves, you can additionally use cosmetic procedures. The most effective are clay and kelp wraps. Massages show good results. But a caveat needs to be made here. Cosmetic procedures alone do not solve the problem of large shins. They should be used in conjunction with stretching, exercise and proper nutrition.

If you are not ready to go through the difficult and long path to slender legs, even here there is a way out - liposuction. This procedure refers to the operating room, during which fat is removed from problem areas through small punctures. After it, you immediately become the owner of ideal body proportions.

A few practical tips from fitness trainers, nutritionists and cosmetologists will help in the fight against large shins. They will answer the question of how you can reduce calves on your legs:

Watch your diet, walk more and stretch your calf muscles more often.

So, the conclusion is this: shins are large for a variety of reasons. For every problem there is a solution. The most difficult cases are large muscle mass and genetic predisposition. In any case, to lose weight in your calves, you need to eat right, take long walks on flat terrain more often, and stretch your muscles.

Svetlana Markova

Beauty is like a precious stone: the simpler it is, the more precious it is!

31 Mar 2017

Content

There are several ways to reduce calves in girls: liposuction, drying, weight loss. The optimal option is selected individually, based on the woman’s desires. To achieve a quick result in the fight against calf muscle volume, it is recommended to use several methods at once.

How to remove fat from calves

Many women who are impressed by thinness want to always be slim, fit and beautiful. To achieve this result, they go on diets, exhaust themselves with long daily workouts, intense physical activity, and actively play sports several days a week. At the same time, excess weight goes away, but the problem of thick calf areas, which cannot be reduced instantly, remains unresolved. What to do in this case?

The lower leg is always under heavy load; subcutaneous fat acts as a protective barrier, so the female body uses it up very slowly. How to reduce calves in this case? Experts recommend doing gymnastics, running fast several times a month, jumping, giving up carbohydrates and limiting vegetable fats in your diet. Walking, regular walks, squats, and their comprehensive strengthening will help reduce large shins.

The main ways to make your calves thinner:

sports, a set of specially designed exercises;
drying, stretching;
liposuction;
massage.

Before choosing the appropriate method that will allow you to achieve thin calves, it is necessary to establish the cause of the fullness. It can be:

regular swelling of the limbs;
genetic predisposition;
gait;
accumulated fat.

How to reduce inflated calves

Over-pumped calf muscles are an equally serious problem that arises from excessive stress on the legs (you can pump up the calf muscles if you set aside minimal time for stretching). How to reduce calves if they are overly pumped:

Exercise 1: sitting on the floor, tilt your legs towards your toes, pull your toes towards you, then away from you. Hold them in each position for one minute. Perform 3 approaches - this way you can reduce the volume of the problem area by 1 - 2 centimeters.
Exercise 2: In a standing position, bend one leg, put the other one slightly forward, pull the toe towards you, bend towards the straight leg, stand in this position for 30 seconds, then change legs. This exercise will help reduce the problem area after 5-6 sessions.

You can reduce inflated calves if:

reduce the load on your legs;
exclude long-term performance of the same type of exercises;
Replace running with walking;
Before each workout, stretch your muscles well;
periodically resort to drying.

How to quickly lose weight in your calves

If the calf muscles appear thick due to the accumulation of excess fat, it is recommended to go on a diet to reduce them. In addition, it is recommended to exclude fatty and spicy foods from the diet, foods containing carbohydrates, vegetable fats, climb the stairs every day, and control the amount of water you drink per day. A set of specially selected exercises that can be performed at home will also help you quickly lose weight in your calves.

Exercises for calves

Pay attention to the beautiful legs of ballet dancers or gymnasts - their calf muscles do not contain anything superfluous and can be considered the standard of beauty and perfection. The following exercises to reduce your calves will help you quickly solve the problem:

you need to stand up straight, spread your legs hip-width apart, take a deep breath, and as you exhale rise on your toes (at first it is recommended to perform this exercise for the calves 20 times, over time the number of repetitions can be increased to 30 to reduce the problem area by a few centimeters);
Having taken the same position, spread your feet to the sides, transfer your body weight to one leg, bend the other at the knee, inhale, rise onto your toes, do the exercise alternately on each leg at least 15 times.

Calf stretch

How to remove calves on legs using this method? To begin with, as experienced trainers advise, you need to thoroughly warm up your muscles to prepare them for intense exercise. Otherwise, you may get injured or sprained. It is recommended to perform the following exercises daily:

exercise 1: stand facing the wall, step back with one leg, fix the heel, roll the body forward so that the knee moves towards the wall, hold the position for thirty seconds, repeat with the other leg;
exercise 2: sit on the floor, stretch your legs, bend over, straighten your back, lean on your hands from behind, fix the pose for thirty seconds (this stretching of the calves will help relax tight muscles and make them more flexible).

Drying the calf muscles

How to reduce calves this way? It is necessary to change the mode of water consumption and nutrition. At the same time, do not forget that drying the calf muscles is not losing weight, but getting rid of subcutaneous fat while maintaining muscle mass. Fats and carbohydrates, which are deposited in the form of liquid, creating unnecessary volume, should be excluded from the diet. The fewer carbohydrates a person consumes, the faster fat is burned. To improve the effect, it is important to use various aids and vitamin complexes.

Calf liposuction

Before reducing your calves in this way, you need to evaluate all its pros and cons. What is calf liposuction? This is a surgical operation during which the shape of the calf muscles is corrected, allowing you to quickly reduce their volume without grueling training. It involves preliminary liquefying subcutaneous fat with a special solution and removing it from the body. Disadvantages of liposuction:

the need to use anesthesia, which will help facilitate the operation and reduce pain;
the presence of a number of contraindications;
long recovery period;
high cost of the procedure.

This method of reducing the calf muscles helps to relax the tight muscles and makes them flexible. Massage of calves is carried out for 15 – 20 minutes. It has a strengthening, restorative effect, normalizes blood circulation, prevents swelling, relieves fatigue and a feeling of heaviness. Before reducing the volume of the calf muscles by resorting to massage, you must first consult with a specialist.