I’m a people watcher sometimes. OK, maybe more than just sometimes. 
I take interest in how some people choose their workouts. I often notice we as a society suffer from the ‘copy-cat’ syndrome. We see an ‘in-shape’ person, or someone who looks ‘fit’. Something about them, you’re wishing you had. Whether it’s their physique, or how slim they are, or maybe it’s how strong they look, or how much weight they lift. Irregardless we want to emanate them, be like them, or simply look like they do. So simplicity tells us, that if I do what they do.. I’ll look like they do! RIGHT?! 
If only that were true.
I love how the lay-person wants to workout like the professional bodybuilder. If they do what the bodybuilder does, then they too will have that chiseled, massive look. Heh heh.
If you’re aspirations are to become a bodybuilder, then by all means GO FOR IT! I wish you the best. If on the other hand you are looking to lean down, or get stronger, or be more fit, lose weight, etcetera, etcetera. Then you may want to rethink your plan of attack in the gym.
Take for instance the seated calf raise.
A great exercise for the bodybuilder, a useless exercise for the lay-person.
WHY?! I can only imagine the reaction I’m going to get from some individuals.
Let’s talk anatomy.
The calf muscle, yep that mass of muscle behind your shin. It covers from the back of your knee to the back of your heel. I won’t go into the gross anatomical structures of the knee other than the two muscles that compromise the ‘calf’. You have your Soleus muscle and the every popular Gastrocnemius muscle.
The Soleus muscle outlined in Green and the Gastrocnemius (Gastroc) outline in red. We all know about and love to look at the Gastroc, its the show stopper muscle. That muscle that everyone sees on athletes and bodybuilders. However the Soleus is not well known. Probably due to the fact it has no physical appeal.
Ironically the Soleus is the work-horse of the calf complex compared to the Gastroc, but that’s a whole other subject.
So, whenever someone wants to ‘build’ their ‘calf’, they are usually referring to the Gastroc. So they do what everyone else does, calf raises of course.
Well unfortunately the action of the muscle is dependent upon the position of the knee. Calf raises can be seated or the better and more effective exercise would be standing calf raises.
Irregardless of how you ‘stand’ when doing this exercise the main point being that your knees need to be in the extended position and not flexed at the knee. They do not have to be locked in extension, but must be extended instead of flexed.
Why you ask?
Back to anatomy basics of the calf complex. The seated (flexed knee) as opposed to the standing (extended knee)calf raise, recruit and isolate the two different muscles in your calf. This is due to the origin and insertion sites of each muscle.
The Soleus originates below the knee joint, on the fibula and tibia as shown above on the right hand side. The Gastroc originates above the knee complex, on the ends of the femur (your thigh bone) as shown on the left hand side. These two pieces of information are CRITICAL in determining which muscle is trained during a seated calf raise and a standing calf raise.
During the standing calf raise your are using both your Gastroc and Soleus. In most cases the majority of the movement is from your Gastroc muscle complex. Now sit down. When you sit down and do the seated calf raise, you are actually removing the Gastroc muscle from the movement. You are now isolating your Soleus muscle complex. It may look like your Gastroc is being worked, and yes your ‘calf’ will feel the burn, but the only muscle being worked will be your Soleus. The Gastroc is simply an assistor muscle now, and helps stabilize your ankle complex and support the Soleus during plantar flexion of your ankle (which is the raising of your heels off the floor).
Still don’t believe me?
Try this on for size. Stretch out your calf muscle, by doing a static wall stretch. The run of the mill stretch, lean on the wall place one foot forward and the knee bent and place one foot back with the knee straight. Keeping your back heel on the floor bend with your front knee to stretch out the back calf. The farther forward you lean, or the farther back you put that rear foot the more you feel the stretch in your calf on that back leg.
Well now while your in that position, bend the posterior knee, ever so slightly. You only have to bend it maybe15 degrees, just enough to take your back knee out of extension. Did you notice the difference in the feeling of the stretch? You went from feeling the stretch in the meat of your calf muscle (your Gastroc), to feeling the stretch farther down your calf towards your heel (your Soleus).
That feeling changed because you bent your knee and removed the ‘meat’ of your calf’ (your Gastroc) out of the equation.Anyone who is an avid or competitive runner knows this first hand and has felt the difference.
The same principle applies when exercising those individual muscles.
So back to my original statement. A great exercise for the bodybuilder, a useless exercise for the lay-person.
You get the benefit of exercising this muscle during the standing calf raise, in fact your working both muscles, the Gastroc as well as the Soleus. Why would anyone other than a bodybuilder need to isolate their Soleus muscle?
I’m willing to bet, the majority of individuals who do this exercise are performing it simply because someone told them it ‘works your calf muscles’, or they suffer from the copy-cat syndrome I spoke of early in this post.
The next time you’re wanting to ‘work’ your calf muscles, be sure to find an exercise that leaves your knees straight, and not bent. You’ll be glad you did.
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Posted by Sean on June 4, 2008
I read this a long time ago. It was a dear Abby letter from a wife getting a divorce.
I’m posting this as some food for thought for those that I know and do not know that may be having a tough time deciding if where they are is where they should be.
- If your parents or siblings have doubts about him, pay attention. Listen and check it out.
- If your intended has nothing good to say about his ex, beware. This is a pattern. Divorce is rarely only one person’s fault.
- If his children have nothing to do with him, do not believe him if he says his ex brainwashed them against him. Ask the children.
- Look closely at his credit and job history. They are sure predictors of what your life will be like.
- If he’s over 30 and has no money, do not let him move in with you, and don’t marry him until he’s financially solvent. If he has any respect for you (and himself), he’ll insist on it.
- Be sure in your heart that you can live with him AS IS. You cannot change who another person is without destroying who they were.
- This is a biggie. Be aware if he has no friends. It is not true that they all chose to side with his ex.
- If your friends dislike him, pay attention. This is also true if he hates your friends.
- If he has more than one DUI and still drinks, RUN!
- If he is one personality at work or with others, and another person alone with you, RUN.
- If he has nothing to do with his parents, investigate why. Do not take his word for it.
- If he’s an expert at everything and brags a lot, understand that he will turn off a lot of people, eventually maybe even you.
- If he has sexual problems, go with him to a doctor before you marry him. Believe me, his problem will become your problem.
- If he is emotionally or verbally abusive, it will only get worse. Yelling, name-calling and glowering are classic signs of an abuser.
- If he is never wrong and never apologizes, everything will be “your fault” forever. And after years of hearing it, you may even start to accept the blame.
- If he does something wrong and says, “That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t ( ),” that’s another sign of an abuser.
- And if he’s mean to children, pets or animals, recognize that he’s pathological, and the next victim could be you.
I would like to bring up some facts about these helpful hints.
This applies to BOTH genders, not just the man.
This was originally posted in September of 2004, and still holds true today.
If your mate exhibits even just ONE of these behaviors, please do not take it lightly. I speak from experience, they only need to have ONE of these behaviors to turn your world upside down.
Lastly a simple quote: 
‘Take the time to do it right and you won’t have to find the time to do it over.’
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(yes unfortunately I live in that type of climate here in the North East)
We also won’t even skim the surface on the debate of water vs. sports drinks either.
So it’s safe to say drinking water is good for the body. Drinking more will definitely hydrate your body. As to 
Now this lil’ trick does not exist in a bubble and is in no way a substitute for true medical advice and medical analysis, but it’s an easy and inexpensive trick.
