Can your calf get smaller

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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of small calves and how you can bulk them up.

What are the causes of small calves? The pros of small calves. The cons of small calves. How to make your calves bigger. Share on Pinterest. The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M. What Muscles Do Lunges Work? The 10 Best Sustainable Activewear Brands for We've got the scoop. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M. Share on Pinterest. Stair calf raises. Seated calf raises. Lunge calf raise. Jumping rope. Next steps.

Read this next. Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M. Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. The 10 Best Sustainable Activewear Brands for The 10 Best Running Shorts for Women for The 7 Best Manual Treadmills for Home. Eat more lean protein, whole grains and fresh vegetables. At that rate, you're likely to lose 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week, which is considered a healthy weight-loss rate. Perform moderately intense exercise for 30 to 60 minutes five days per week.

Avoid exercises that pump your calves, such as stationary biking. Walking, running and swimming are better options. Perform strength-training exercises two days per week. If you exercise your calves, use light weights and avoid continuous pumping motions. Increase your overall activity throughout the day. Opt to go for a walk or play with your pets instead of watching TV. Walk farther to work or to the store by parking farther back in the parking lot.

Sit on an exercise ball or stand at work, or keep a free weight or a resistance band in your office. If you have fat calves because you're not exercising properly and, as a result, you're dealing with excess body fat, this can be remedied through exercise.

However, let's get one thing out of the way: Spot reduction is a myth. Meaning: If you're overweight, you can't get a six-pack just by doing situps every day, and the same goes for calf exercises. If you want to effectively burn fat, lose weight and get slimmer calves, it's crucial to take a whole-body approach when it comes to exercise. As recommended by Harvard Health Publishing , vigorous, higher-intensity activity during which you're breathing hard and sweating will help you slim down.

A good goal is minutes of fat-burning cardio per day. Swimming, dancing and boot camp classes are all great cardio workouts, and doing post-cardio Pilates for calves can help you get longer, leaner muscles. Read more: How to Slim Muscular Calves. If you're smoking, sitting too much and eating unhealthy foods, changing your lifestyle habits is critical, especially if you want slimmer calves.