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Q. Joni, my calves are huge, and I find myself reluctant to by a skirt or ever show my legs. What exercises should I avoid? -- Amy A. Calf muscle size and shape is largely determined by genetics, but I do have a couple of suggestions for you. A general rule of thumb to follow is that heavy weight exercises are more prone to increase muscle size, and lower weight higher repititon exercises work well to shape an tone. Since your calf muscles are bigger than what you would like, than be sure not to lift heavy weight when perfoming calf raises of any kind. If you would like to add some shape and tone to your calf muscles, do some standing calf raises using only your body weight. This will work the gastrocnemius, which is the smaller of the two calf muscles, but the most defining. Do three sets of 20 to 25 repetitions. Stand on a step and hold on to something for balance. Slide your feet off of the step so you are just on the balls of your feet. Lower your heels down to a good stretch. Then lift your heels up as high as you can. Use smooth and controlled movements. Keep your abdominals tight and shoulders back when doing this exercise.
Other recently asked questions: WorkoutsForWomen.com provides home exercise programs for today's busy women, under the guidance of a certified personal trainer.
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