Running

Run barefoot or in minimalist shoes like Vibram Five Fingers. To minimize the impact you land on the ball of your foot and absorb the shock with your muscles, the main ones being the calf muscles. First day i only did a mile and could barely stand the next day because my calves were so sore. Take your time so you don't hurt yourself but you can build distance pretty quick. My calves got moderately larger and significantly more cut. I think you need to do lunges for the glutes.
 
There is no need to run anywhere, and you don't have to spend hours in the gym.
Walk - walk everywhere that you can.

Don't take the car to the shopping mall or to work, WALK.
Having done shopping, put it all in a rucksack and carry it home on your back, pushing your calves.

And when you are walking anywhere really push out, lifting your heels to stretch the muscles - working the calves.

If there are escalators on a route, use them but walk on them - again pushing your calves, make it very deliberate. If you really have to take a bus or train to work, get off a stop or two early and walk the remainder.

I started when I was a boy, had a morning paper round, before school, which I walked, and here in the UK we put every paper in the letter box in the front door, not throw it onto the grass somewhere. Then I walked 3 miles to school, then returned home to an evening paper round. On Sundays I had a double paper round - all walking.

I then joined the Army, and served in the Commando Forces. Tracksuit trousers were always tight on me - they looked more light ballet tights, on account of my really strong legs.

I am somewhat older now and still have strong leg muscles.
Where as many guys who spend hours in the gym have scrawny chicken legs.
 
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I enjoy running a lot, but as for me what I've seen is that it tones up the whole body more in a sense. Thought, as previous poster said, I've heard that walking gives a tighter butt than running actually, I think they even mentioned that at the gym.. :eek: Strange, but who knows.
 
There is no need to run anywhere, and you don't have to spend hours in the gym.
Walk - walk everywhere that you can.

Don't take the car to the shopping mall or to work, WALK.
Having done shopping, put it all in a rucksack and carry it home on your back, pushing your calves.

And when you are walking anywhere really push out, lifting your heels to stretch the muscles - working the calves.

If there are escalators on a route, use them but walk on them - again pushing your calves, make it very deliberate. If you really have to take a bus or train to work, get off a stop or two early and walk the remainder.

I started when I was a boy, had a morning paper round, before school, which I walked, and here in the UK we put every paper in the letter box in the front door, not throw it onto the grass somewhere. Then I walked 3 miles to school, then returned home to an evening paper round. On Sundays I had a double paper round - all walking.

I then joined the Army, and served in the Commando Forces. Tracksuit trousers were always tight on me - they looked more light ballet tights, on account of my really strong legs.

I am somewhat older now and still have strong leg muscles.
Where as many guys who spend hours in the gym have scrawny chicken legs.

Thanks man
 
The bad news with the calves is that you got what you got. Yes, you can work them out and make them stronger, but they won't get huge like your quads, glutes, or pecs.

My brother and I have huge calves, we always have. I am an avid runner and swimmer. I run 25 miles a week and swim about 10 hours a week. I have a nice toned body with huge calves; I'm 6'2" 210 lbs 5% body fat. My brother is an big weightlifter / body builder, same height, 245 lbs and < 3% body fat when he competes. We have nearly the same huge calves. Where my are toned, his are bulging with muscle definition.

A body building buddy of his is way jealous. The guy has a great body, usually kills my brother in competition, but considers his calves average. They look great, lots of muscle definition but not the size of my brother's and mine. He says he just has to life with it, genetics gave him a short straw when it came to calve muscle size. He has told me the only way he could get himself calves the size of my brothers and mine is steroids and he will not do that.

Over the years I have heard this from a number of men and women bodybuilders. When we lived in the states and were going to our local gym the guy and gal body builders would always come up and complement me on my calves.
 
Although Tremaine is correct about walking, some of us like to run. I run 5k, stretch out, and then work out at the gym. I dream of running when I'm sleeping. And I live most of my life in cities where it is more convenient to walk everywhere and very inconvenient to own an automobile. Best of both worlds.

As for running, there is one thing about which I have firm (pun intended) evidence. If I quit running for several months my lower butt cheeks begin to sag. Running requires that I use a complete range of motion, especially from my stomach to my toes, as I keep my posture aligned to deal with the stress of the activity. Walking . . . well, power walking, requires the same range of motion. But how many of us are constantly aware of our posture when we walk? I was off my running schedule while recovering from knee surgery last year (not related to running). However, I still walked everywhere. The Squeeze took before and after photos of my ass. Off my running schedule for three months made me look like I've got a 65 year-old skinny wrinkled ass. Since I've been back to running 5K (not everyday, but most days . . . because I like it) I have a 65 year-old bubble butt that looks like it belongs to a gym rat in his mid 30s.

Of course, what you eat affects dramatically how you look. Don't overlook that aspect of staying healthy.

So, if you're young and within the physical norm for your body type, you should notice the same effect as a gentle butt lift. As for calves, from what I've seen people without major calves eventually get them from doing the correct series of exercises.

Shin splint tip: If you begin to develop shin splints (which are little scars in the smooth muscles covering your shins because you've damaged them from not doing what you can to stretch them before or after running), here's some advice that I received from an ancient ballet instructor who I swear was really an evil witch who ate little children. Well, maybe she didn't eat them, but she was never more happy than when she made them cry in ballet class.

Take 25 pennies (or similar size coin).
Toss them on the floor.
Pick up each coin using only the toes on your right food, placing each one in your hand.
Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the left foot.
Try to do this twice a day.

It works. It really does. You can do it while your watching TV.
 
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