Gastrocnemius Muscle Anatomy
& Exercises 101: The Calf Muscles

This gastrocnemius muscle anatomy lesson has all you need to know about this calf muscle, including the best exercises.

This muscle is also known as the "gastroc" for short.

It's the largest of the two calf muscles. The gastroc is found on the back and sides of the lower leg, and on top of the soleus muscle.

Like the soleus, the gastroc's essential role is to perform plantar flexion (i.e. standing on your tippy toes)...

...Although, it only plays an active role in plantar flexion when your knees are straight. And so, you should use both seated and standing calf exercises. which is seated calf raises shouldn't be your only lower leg exercise choice.

It's common to see people at the gym doing endless reps on all calf exercises because they think that calves respond best to high reps. But this won't cause growth because the gastrocnemius (which makes up the bulk of the calf) is a fast twitch muscle, which responds to heavy weight and low reps.

The glossary at the bottom of the page defines all terms in this guide.

Gastrocnemius Muscle Anatomy

Medial Head

• Origin
  • Posterior Side of the Medial Condyle of the Femur
• Insertion
  • Achilles Tendon of the Calcaneous
• Function
  • Knee Flexion
  • Plantar Flexion (Ankle)

Lateral Head

• Origin
  • Posterior Side of the Lateral Condyle of the Femur
• Insertion
  • Achilles Tendon of the Calcaneous
• Function
  • Knee Flexion
  • Ankle Plantar Flexion

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Gastrocnemius Muscle Exercises

Exercises. Below is a list of the exercises that most directly workout the gastroc muscle.

• Standing Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Calf Presses
• Hamstring Exercises (e.g. Leg Curls, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, etc.)

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Related Calf Muscles

Related Muscles. Muscles that perform similar functions include the following:

• Soleus

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Gastrocnemius Muscle Glossary

Functions

• Ankle Plantar Flexion. Elevating your body onto the balls of your feet by raising your heels. You can perform this by standing on your tippy toes.
• Knee Flexion. Curling your leg backward and upward by flexing the back of the thigh (hence the "leg curl" exercise). You can perform this action by trying to kick yourself in the butt with the bottom of your foot.

Anatomy

• Achilles Tendon. The tendon on the back of the lower leg that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone.
• Calcaneous. Heel bone.
• Condyle. The "knuckles" or rounded bulges on the joint of a bone.
• Femur. Thigh bone.
• Lateral. On, or extending toward, the outside.
• Medial. On, or extending toward, the inside.
• Posterior. Back, or rear.

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