These are the best exercises for slim calves. We show you how to get slim legs in the living room, what promotes thick lower legs and what you can do about it.
In winter we hide them in jeans. At the latest with the first really warm spring days they come out: our legs.
But before we really let them out into the air, it's time for shopping. You like the skinny jeans, you grab them and go to the dressing room.
And then the horror: Halfway through, your calves get stuck in your pants. Or you do manage to put on the jeans, but they are tight on your lower legs. And that's despite the fact that they fit on top.
Skinny jeans are pure horror for you. Never ever would you feel comfortable in them.
You picture in your head how others will run away screaming when they see your thick calves in tight jeans or a skirt. We can reassure you - it's definitely not like that.
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But if the calves turn out firm compared to the rest of the body, the shopping trip can quickly end in frustration.
We all know the thing with the problem zones but all too well. Everyone has body parts that they are not so happy with.
Ok, away with the boring jeans. Here with really hip pieces of clothing. But especially midi skirts and culottes particularly emphasize the lower legs.
The legs quickly look a little stronger than they actually are.
Pure disaster? Don't be discouraged!
Wow! This simple exercise is already enough for slim calves!
If you want slim calves, you should definitely try our workout. These leg exercises for the lower legs shape slim calves and define the legs.
Why do I have thick calves?
There are many factors that can promote thick calves. Some of them we can influence directly, others not. Before you start calf training, you should first know where your lush calves come from. In fact, there are several reasons that cause our legs to become fat.
You love shoes with heel
If you wear high heels all the time, you may develop a muscular imbalance. Your calves will look particularly thick.
Keep your heels down as much as possible and avoid standing on your toes too often. In fact, if you often wear high heels, your calves will be very well trained. You build muscles that make your lower legs look muscular.
So your calves just look fat, but they're actually packed with muscle.
You move much too little
Those who exercise too little encourage fat deposits throughout the body. In short: we gain weight. Usually first on the belly, buttocks and hips. And then on the rest of the body. Sooner or later, the calves are also affected.
These 13 things happen when you don't move enough!
The dear genes provide for thick calves
Your mom, sister, aunt, grandma also have strong calves? Then it's going to be difficult for you. Our physique is defined in our genes. But even here it's not hopeless. The training will only have to be more intensive.
Your diet makes you fat
Now this is not just aimed at the calves, but the entire body. Try not to eat more calories than you can burn.
Too much salt, for example, can cause your body to form water retention. And that is known to make you fat.
You have water retention in the calves
Heavy and thick legs, which only occur in summer, are usually due to accumulated water. Standing and sitting for too long can be just as much a reason as hormone disorders or medication.
There's little you can do about that with exercise, but there are plenty of other good ways to combat Prevent water retention in the legs.
You won't believe how easy you can get slim legs!
So it works with the slim lower legs
Who does not want sexy, slim, graceful legs like a deer? Without the excessive hairiness of course :)
Basically, the question is: do you just have too firm calves or do you have a few too many pounds all over your body?
If you carry around excess pounds all over your body and only want to lose weight on your legs - in other words, if you only want slim calves - I have to disappoint you. It is not possible to specifically lose weight in just one part of the body.
But you can reduce the size of your calves. And you can do it by working on your overall weight. If you have a high body fat percentage, exercise can help you get leaner overall. So also on your calves.
Whether case A (only too fat lower legs) or case B (too many kilos on the whole body) applies to you, it is true: Without sport it will be nothing!
If you're really only concerned about your calves, you don't have to do any sweaty hardcore sports. Instead, they can get their lower legs into shape with targeted exercises.
Bad and good sports for calves
You're already exercising, but it's not helping? Maybe you're doing the wrong kind of exercise and it's even making your thick calves worse. In this case, too much strength training will not help you at all. You will lose fat, but at the same time you will gain a lot of muscle.
It will define your lower legs, but you won't get slim calves.
In addition, it must be said that it takes a long time until you get really strong calves. In between times strength training can therefore not hurt at all!
To really get to the long-awaited goal of slender lower leg to come, you should Endurance sports be sure to incorporate it into your workout. Running, swimming, cycling are good for the calves. But yoga and Pilates are also repeatedly touted as lower leg workouts.
Run long and slow
Running is a very powerful means of slender legs to get. But it's all about HOW you do it. In endurance sports, fast sprints don't help. But training in the endurance area.
So Longer runs instead of short sprints. The typical endurance athletes usually have thin legs and calves. Unlike sprinters. They have very strong leg muscles and muscular calves.
Do endurance training with a low resistance. Run slowly and longer. Prefer flat routes and no mountain tours.
Get the free running plan for beginners here!
Avoid the stepper
What makes your calves muscular is any exercise equipment that demands a lot from your leg muscles. Typical examples are exercise machines like a stepper. These movements are aimed at increasing the size of the calf muscles.
The same goes for jumping rope, by the way. Excessive jumping rope can make your calves bigger.
Walking/running or driving uphill
Are mountains your great passion? You love to overcome big climbs - whether on foot or by bike? Then I have some bad news for you: All sports in which you have to climb steeply make for muscular calves.
The steeper, the more our calves are challenged. To make sure we still make it, our body puts on lots of muscle. And that in turn leads to slim calves turning into thick lower legs.
Next time better choose less steep mountains and prefer longer and flat routes.
Stretching for the calves
Stretching is a real secret weapon against thick lower legs. Because stretching can lengthen strong calf muscles.
Your legs will look thinner and slimmer. This is also the reason why many stretching exercises are hidden in my favorite leg exercises.
By the way: I find this YouTube video very successful. It lasts 10 minutes and you get to see an effective workout for the calves in it. if you want to train especially effectively, combine my favorite exercises with the exercises from the video.
The best leg exercises for slim calves in the living room
Slim calves You will only get it if you train the right lower leg muscles. To be precise: the gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus muscle. We specialize in these two lower leg muscle groups in our workout.
Very convenient: you don't need to go to the gym for these exercises. You can do the Lower leg workout easily perform at home. Here come the best exercises for slender calves in the living room.
Tip: For exercises performed on one leg, it is best to fix a fixed point in space. This will help you keep your balance.
That's why you should stretch your calves regularly!
But what I can say about myself: It really does get better with time. When I first started stretching, it was terribly difficult. I realized how immobile I was - scary! 😅
I usually work out at home myself. The fitness platform Gymondo is great for that. You sign up once and can then choose from 60 programs and 570 workouts. All you need is a workout mat and a little space in your living room.
There is a wide range of yoga sessions or pure stretching sessions. But also workouts that specifically target the legs.
You can do abs, legs, butt one day and legs and arms the next. Just put together whatever you feel like doing. With less than 8 euros per month and unlimited access to the workouts, the investment will soon pay off.
Before you really get started, it's important that you start with a few Warm-up exercises start. For this I have prepared squats with jump and the jumping jack - by the way, both are good exercises for slim calves at the same time. What a luck :)
Squats with jump for warm up
- You start this leg exercise with a normal squat. Make sure your knees don't rise above the tips of your toes. Push your butt down until it is level with your hips.
- And now you jump into the air with momentum. Stretch your body properly. When you touch the ground, you immediately go back to the squat position.
Do at least 20 repetitions of this.
The jumping jack as a warm up
- And with the jumping jack at the latest, we really get the circulation going. After the jumping jacks you'll be nice and warm :)
- In the starting position you have your legs slightly open and your hands rest on your body.
- Now jump into the straddle, raising your arms. Your hands touch above your head. Now jump back to the starting position.
Do 20 repetitions to be warmed up.
These are the 15 best warm-up exercises!
Warm up calf muscles and feet
Since a lot of calf exercises are done on the balls of the feet, you should prepare your feet for them. Here is a very easy exercise for this
- Stand with both legs on the exercise mat.
- Now alternately lift the right and left heel from the floor. Let the sole of your foot circle on the mat. Do this for about 30 seconds per leg.
Don't be alarmed: Your feet may crack a little at first.
This is quite normal. They are usually not used to being stressed like this.
Slim calves with calf raises
- If you have a poor sense of balance, stand facing a wall. Those who can keep their balance well can do the exercise without leaning.
- Open your legs to about shoulder width. Stand on the balls of your feet. Lift your right leg off the floor and bob up and down with your left.
- Do 20 repetitions per leg. Then shake both calves and start the same calf exercise with the left leg.
You'll love these exercises for stretched calves!
Stretch slim lower legs
- Stand upright and slowly raise the lower leg. Raise the thigh to hip level if possible.
- Now stretch the lower leg forward very slowly. Feel the stretch. Then bend the lower leg again.
- Do not let the thigh sink in the process.
- Do 2×8 repetitions per leg.
Important: Work without momentum. The point here is not to move quickly, but to stretch!
Touching the floor with fingertips
- Stand upright and open your legs a little. Lean forward upside down. Touch the floor with your fingers.
- Important: Do not bend your legs. The point here is that your legs are stretched. If you bend your knees, this effect is lost.
If you're not with as agile, there's a trick that will help you get to the floor with your fingers.
With this trick you finally get your hands to the floor!
The swinging V for slim calves
- Stand upright and raise your right leg about 30 to 50 cm off the ground. Stretch it forward at a slight angle and extend the tips of the feet through.
- You can stretch your arms out to the side. This will help you keep your balance.
- Hold the leg in the air for about 5 seconds before lowering it again and then lifting it again. Without putting it down in the meantime. Do 5 repetitions before changing sides.
Tip: It helps if you shake your legs before switching sides.
Lift both legs from the floor
- Quite simple but effective is this calf exercise.
- You simply stand on the balls of your feet at the same time.
- Rock your heels up and down. Do this for at least 30 seconds.
If that's too easy for you, you can put on weight cuffs and strap them around your legs - like in the picture.
That's why you should stretch your legs right now!
Leg raises and stretches for slim calves
- With this full-body exercise, you're not only doing something good for your calves, but also for your butt and arms.
- Start in a full plank. This means that your hands are under your shoulders and your arms are extended. Place your feet on the balls of your feet.
- Now lift the left leg upwards. The right leg is stretched tightly and the heel of the right leg is as close as possible to the floor.
- Raise and lower the left leg 10 times without putting it down. Then change sides.
Important: The leg lying on the mat is not bent, but well stretched. Feel the stretch and try to get as close as possible to the mat with the heel.
Angled leg pull for slim legs
- Pull the left thigh slowly and controlled to the chest. And then slowly lower the leg again to just below the level of the belly button.
- The supporting leg is not bent but extended.
- Lift the leg 10 times before changing sides.
Important: The pelvis must remain straight. Pull the knee to the upper body and not keep the upper body upright.
Slim calves with the mountain climber exercise
- This exercise is also about stretching and lengthening your legs. And by the way, you also work your abdominal and arm muscles.
- Place your hands under your shoulders and stretch your arms through. The back is straight and the legs are stretched backwards.
- Now pull the left knee to the chest. Make sure that the right leg is fully extended and you feel a pull.
Do 10 reps per leg before switching sides.
Touching toes while sitting
- Oh what an easy exercise that was when we were kids.
- However, many adults find it very difficult to reach their toes. With this exercise you stretch not only your legs, but also your arms.
- Sit down on the exercise mat. Stretch your legs forward without bending them.
- Bend forward and touch the tips of the shoes with your fingers.
- Try to breathe away the pain of stretching. Hold the position as long as you can. Then shake your arms and legs and repeat the exercise.
Squats for slim legs
- They are the butt exercise par excellence, but can quickly become an exercise for the calves thanks to a few small changes.
- Instead of normal squats, here you stand on the balls of your feet.
- Lower your butt until it is level with your knees. And then you go up again. At the same time your heels touch the floor.
- And then with the squat, lift your heels off the mat again.
- Do at least 15 repetitions. And 3 passes.
This is what happens when you do squats every day for a month!
Slim calves exercise standing
- Now it's back to balance. :) Lift the right leg until the upper and lower leg form a right angle. The knee is approximately at hip level.
- Now circle with the tips of your toes in the air. The heel always remains in the same place.
- Circle in the air for at least 15 seconds per leg. Then switch legs and do 2 more reps per side.
Yoga exercise: dog looking down leg exercise
- And we stretch the legs one more time to be able to get slim calves. A number of yoga exercises are also suitable for this purpose.
- The best example is the dog looking down.
- Stand upright and place your hands on the floor. Your legs are extended. Your arms are also stretched, your back is straight.
- Now very gently press your heels onto the mat.
- Hold the stretch feel the pull. Hold the position for at least 20 seconds. Breathe in and out deeply during this time.
Planks as an exercise for the lower legs
- This exercise for slender calves requires full body tension once again.
- Place your elbows under your shoulders. Lift your entire body off the floor. Make sure that your back and abdomen do not sag.
- Stretch your legs well. If this is too easy for you, you can try to push the heels to the floor. As far as you can.
Step up as a workout for the lower legs
- And now we're going full throttle again. Grab a step, a box or, as in the picture, a suitcase.
- Place alternately the right and left leg on it. But not at a snail's pace, but at a rapid pace. Hop, hop, hop. Just like running, give it full throttle! :)
- Do this for at least 30 seconds. Then take a short break and repeat the process 2x more.
Cool down after the exercises for slim calves
- Since we have now put our lower legs under a lot of strain, they have earned a little rest. The Fascia roller is the perfect training tool for the Cool Down.
- Sit down on the exercise mat. Place the massage roller under your right calf. Lift your buttocks off the floor and support yourself with your arms.
- Roll the fascia roller up and down between the heel and the back of the knee. If you like, you can put both legs on the fascia roller.
- But you get more pressure when you do it one at a time.
Cool down after calf workout
And finally, you run on the spot again. Sometimes more on the heels, sometimes more on the ball of the foot. This is a real relief for your stressed calves.
30 Day Squat Challenge for a tight butt!
Our conclusion
To some extent, slim calves are either innate or not. Exercise can help stretch the lower legs and basically reduce body fat. The more excess kilos you carry around, the more likely it is that your legs are also fat.
However, many habits in everyday life also contribute to thick calves. Like often wearing high shoes or exercising with the stepper.
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