Triceps Surae – ‘The Calf’

The Triceps Surae, as the name suggets, is made up of three muscles – the Gastrocnemius, soleus and the plantaris. The main function of these muscles is to perform plantar flexion at the ankle joint, resulting in the generation of propulsion forces for walking, jumping and leaping. These muscles are essential muscles during locomotion and weight bearing activities. This area most commonly gains injury in sports involving high running, or if the volume of running load is increased, accelerated and decelerated. Calf muscles can also become injured when they become fatigues during sports or activity. 

• The Gastocnemius makes up the majority of the ‘calf’, and is vital in both walking and posture. It is made up of two heads – the lateral and the medial head and covers three joints including the knee, ankle and subtalar joints. The Gastocnemius produces flexion of the leg at the knee joint and plantarflexion at the ankle, and most effective when the knee is ended and the ankle is plantarflexed.
  
  
• The Soleus crosses two joints including the ankle and subtalar joints, and lies deep to the Gastocnemius. This muscle plays a role in stability when in standing, and is most effective when the knee is in flexion and the ankle is in plantarflexion. The Soleus is constantly contracting when the body is positioned to stand or walk.
  
  
• The Plantaris is a small muscle that has a long slim tendon. This muscle has similar actions to the Gastocnemius, however, is considered insignificant in knee flexion and ankle plantarflexion.

The Soleus and Gastrocnemius fuse to insert onto the heel bone (calcaneus) through the Achilles tendon. 

Now that we’ve done a quick whistle stop tour of the muscles and function of the Triceps Surae, let’s look at how we strengthen them!

How do we strengthen the muscles of the Calf?

There are numerous exercises to choose from to strengthen and stretch the Calf muscles, here are just a few (click on the exercises to see a demonstration):

Strengthen:

• Standing Calf Raise
• Single Leg Calf Raise
• Seated Calf Raise
• Leg Press Calf Raise
• Seated Calf Raise Machine
• Smith Machine Calf Raise

Stretch:

• Calf Stretch (Gastrocnemius)
• Calf Stretch (Soleus)
• Calf Stretch on Step