Do you feel calf swelling in your glutes? Don't worry, it's normal (but here's the catch).

During calf raises, the glutes and hamstrings move to some extent. The glutes are not isolated, but they contract to keep you in the standing position. However, if you are bent at the waist in some way, the glutes are activated to a greater degree. Also, if your calves are lifting heavy weights, there is a tendency for the hips or knees to carry some of the weight, which brings the glutes or hamstrings into play more.

Does calf work increase glutes?

Calf raises are the main muscles of the calves: gastrocnemius, soleus and plantaris. But you may also notice other muscles in your posterior chain (the muscles that make up the back of your lower body), such as your glutes and hamstrings, get involved. This is more noticeable if these muscles are weak.

The glutes and hamstrings are activated during the calf raise

What you should be aware of is that the glutes and hamstrings move to a certain extent during calf raises.

Well, actually, more so when doing standing calves.

Basically, both your glutes and hamstrings go through an isometric contraction to stay in a standing position while “carrying” a load.

This is true anytime they are “weighted” by something in a standing position.

So, having a heavy bell on the back of your shoulders before squatting will see the glutes and hamstrings contract separately.

Performing standing biceps curls does the same thing, but on a smaller scale.

And even holding two shopping bags again involves isometric contractions in the glutes and hamstrings.

Now, in reality the glutes (or hamstrings) are not actively involved in the calf raise.

However, I think it's important to warn them that they will be “triggered” in some way.

If it weren't for them, as soon as you picked up a load, you'd basically fall over and hit the ground.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I hope you get my point.

So, with a one-arm kettlebell calf raise, with a barbell, or a calf raise machine, the glutes are strengthened.

Realistically, this means you shouldn't feel high with calf raises, but I know some people do.

I will touch on this point in a minute.

They are hanging on the hips.

Although calf raises seem to be the easiest exercise to perform, this does not mean that they are never performed with poor technique.

In fact, I consider it one of the most common practices of calf raising to not feel the calves working due to incorrect form.

Earlier I talked about pushing off the toes, as opposed to lifting the heels My article on Calf Hurts Your Legs..

And this is one of the many mistakes that make you feel the calf lift on the target muscles, the calves.

What I often see is people bringing their hips into play during calf raises.

This is usually done by hanging it slightly on the waist.

In fact, you might not even know it if you're doing it.

The movement is usually so small that it may not be noticeable.

It's as if you can get your body into a modified Romanian deadlift stance.

Therefore, your hips are pushed back slightly and your torso is angled slightly forward.

By doing this, you are activating the glutes to greater effect.

It is for this reason that if you take this body position during the seated calf raise, you can feel it in your mastery.

In fact, this brings the hip flexors into the equation, which is why some people complain of tight hip flexors or hip flexor pain every time they do calf raises.

Additionally, this hip-hinge-style pose can force you to bend at the knees, which activates the pelvic floor muscles for greater effect.

All these small mistakes are taking the impact of the movement away from the calves and creating stress on different parts of the body.

And this is why you usually feel the “burn” in the glutes rather than the calves.

You are using too much weight.

The main reason your hips or knees come into the equation during calf raises is because you're trying to lift too much weight.

In fact, you can, again, cheat on calf raising without even realizing you're doing it.

That's why I think it's generally best to increase body weight on calves at points before they gain weight.

You may find that you're cheating by using nothing but your own body weight, so you have no hope of doing the exercise correctly when using extra load.

Anyway, back to the point, maybe you are using too much weight during calf raises?

of Calves are obviously very small muscles compared to quads and other leg muscles.

So it's very common to let the big muscles, the glutes, take over during sets.

Just doing this will not train the calves, and the glutes (or other leg muscles) will receive all the stimulation from your movement.

You can tell if you are using too much weight because there is a tendency to bend at the knees or hang back into the hips.

In addition to using light weights, I suggest starting with the mind-muscle connection.

You can do this by first performing a few reps of bodyweight calf exercises (or using the calf strength test I mentioned above) and focusing on using your calves.

So, don't push through your toes, simply raise your heels.

Perform each rep slowly and in a controlled manner.

At the top of the movement, hold for a count of 3 and really engage the calf muscles.

After completing a few bodyweight reps, you can increase the weight.

However, focus on using the right method as mentioned above.

So, be slow and controlled, hold up and really squeeze the calf muscles.

If you're trying to go through your reps at a breakneck pace, it means you're using too much weight.

And this is when you overstimulate the glutes.

Try variations of calf raising

One thing I will say is that calves typically respond better to diversity.

So, perhaps looking at the above example of using too much weight, you can change this with the next exercise.

So, maybe do your first calf workout with 8-12 reps, and another workout with 15-25 reps later in the week.

You can change the leg position with each set.

So, have your toes point forward for one set, point inward for the next set, and point outward for another set.

You can also change the equipment (or lack thereof) you use for calf raising.

I know many people who swear by working calves on the leg press machine (or hack squat) compared to other methods.

Normally there is no glute involvement and the calves get a real hammering.

I've already talked about using bodyweight calf exercises in addition to weights.

💪 Complete calf workout routine 🦵
Do exercise	Representatives/groups	Primary muscle	Secondary muscle
Increasing the weight of the fixed plate	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Increasing the weight of the board	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Soleus	Gastrocnemius
Single leg seated calf raise	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets on each leg	Soleus	Gastrocnemius
Single leg standing raise	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets on each leg	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
It raises the pulse.	15-20 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus are equal
1.5 Calf raising	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
3-way calf raises	12 repetitions (each direction), 3 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus equally, with emphasis on different fibers due to changes in direction.
Wall drive calf raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Squat calf raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus and quadriceps as stabilizers
Raise a calf	Hold for 30-60 seconds, 3 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus are equal
Toe walking	30-60 seconds or set distance, 3 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Glute bridge calf raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Soleus	Gastrocnemius and glutes
Single leg glute bridge and raise	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets on each leg	Soleus and glutes	Gastrocnemius
Calf Raise Circles	10-12 repetitions (each direction), 3 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus equally, involving different fibers in a circular motion
Brought to you by mybodyweightexercises.com

In addition, you can change the type of load you use.

You have the choice of single-arm dumbbell calf raises, two-arm dumbbells, barbells, smith machines, sandbags, resistance bands, and of course seated or standing calf raise machines.

Basically, if your glutes are feeling the burn with your current calf raise variation, try something else.

I know we tend to look for the “best workout” for all different body parts.

When it comes to calves, we consider standing calf raising to be the best way to train gastrocnemiusAnd he sat down to train Lonely.

However, a few strains can help burn your calves and take the stress off your glutes.

Key learning points

• During the standing calf raise, the glutes are always moving in some way.
• If you feel your glutes, you're probably slouching at your hips or using too much weight.
• Make sure your body stays straight for each rep.
• Do not bend at the knees or hips when doing calf raises.
• Perform calf raises in a slow and controlled manner.
• Contract your calves at the top of the movement.
• Try calf raises with both weights or your own body weight, and also change your foot position to hit different parts of the calf muscles.

See if you know My article on raising calves will make you feel like you need to pee!