Muscles Worked
Gastrocnemius (the muscle at the rear of the lower leg)
Execution
(1) Stand with your toes on the block
of a standing calf raise machine, your heels extended out into
space. Hook your shoulders under the pads and straighten your
legs, lifting the weight clear of the support. Lower your heels
as far as possible toward the floor, keeping your knees slightly
bent throughout the movement in order to work the lower area of
the calves as well as the upper, and feeling the calf muscles
stretch to the maximum.
(2) From the bottom of the movement,
come up on your toes as far as possible. The weight should be
heavy enough to exercise the calves, but not so heavy that you
cannot come all the way up for most of your repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Gastrocnemius
Execution
(1) Using one of the various types of
leg press machines, position yourself as if to do a leg press,
only push against the foot pads only with your toes, leaving your
heels unsupported. Straighten your legs and press the weight up
until your knees are almost locked out. Keeping your knees just
slightly bent, keep your heels pressed upward but let your toes
come back toward you, feeling the fullest possible stretch in
the calf muscles.
(2) When you can't stretch any further,
press the weight upward with your toes as far as you possibly
can to fully contract your calf muscles.
Muscles Worked
Soleus (the muscle at the outer side of the lower leg)
Execution
(1) Sit
on the machine and place your toes on the bottom crosspiece, hooking
your knees under the crossbar. Slowly lower your heels as far
toward the ground as possible,
(2) then press back up on your toes
until your calves are fully contracted.
Muscles Worked
Quadriceps and leg biceps (the leg biceps are the muscles at the rear of the thigh)
Execution
(1) With a barbell on a rack, step under
it so that it rests across the back of your shoulders, hold on
to the bar to balance it, raise up to lift it off the rack, and
step away. The movement should be done with your feet flat on
the floor.
(2) Keeping your head up and back straight,
bend your knees and lower yourself until your thighs are just
lower than parallel to the floor. From this point, push yourself
back up to the starting position. Foot position determines which
area of the thighs you work the most while doing squats : a wider
stance, with toes pointing out, works the inside of the thighs
to a greater degree, while a narrower stance, with toes facing
forward, tends to work the outside more. The basic stance is usually
feet shoulder width apart with toes turned just slightly out.
Muscles Worked
Quadriceps and leg biceps
Execution
(1) Using a leg press machine, position
yourself under the machine and place your feet close together
against the crosspiece.
(2) Bend your knees and lower the weight
as far as possible, bringing your knees toward your shoulders.
Press the weight back up again until your legs are fully extended.
As with squats, you can vary your foot position on this exercise
to target certain areas of the thigh.
Muscles Worked
Quadriceps
Execution
(1) Sit on the seat of the leg extension
machine and hook your feet under the padded bar.
(2) Extend your legs out to the maximum,
making sure you remain sitting flat on the machine (don't let
yourself lift off and cheat up the weight). Extend your legs as
far as possible until they are locked out to achieve maximum contraction
of the quadriceps, then lower the weight slowly until your feet
are farther back than the knees and the thighs are fully stretched
out.
Muscles Worked
Leg biceps
Execution
(1) Lie face downward on a leg curl
machine and hook your heels under the lever mechanism. Your legs
should be stretched out straight.
(2) Keeping flat on the bench, curl
your legs up as far as possible, until the leg biceps are fully
contracted. Release and lower the weight slowly back to the starting
position.
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