Calves! (No, not baby cows)

For guys who are gym rats, many of us have that one part we want to make bigger.  No, no, get your minds out of the gutter.   I'm talking about that one particular muscle group or a body part that we work and work and work at the gym that never seems to grow or change or progress the way we wish for it to do so.

For some, it's their shoulders; others, arms; many, their chicken legs.  For me, it's all three -- but especially the latter.  Chicken legs... (feel free to make your own clucking noises)

I will admit it.  I am vain sometimes, and often I will stare at myself in mirrors.  Glancing at what's right and very often focusing on what's wrong!  Sometimes I look at pictures of myself and do the same thing.  My eyes instinctively and immediately go to one area that I find unfavorable.

During this little one-year bodybuilding adventure I've decided to take,  it isn't my shoulders or my arms or my pecs or anything above the waist that concerns me (well, maybe abs, but that's a whole other post for later).  Instead, it is my legs.  I have run hundreds and hundreds of miles over the past few years, and walked many, many more.  I ran a half-marathon and a marathon in the space of four months a couple of years ago, and I still walk and run and spin and use my legs like crazy at the gym.  But they always seem to stay the same.  They get toned up, but they never really seem to get bigger.

I was staring at a picture of myself from the other day at a running event where I was standing next to three other runners.  Not only were they all obviously younger than me, I had scarecrow legs compared to theirs.  Maybe Olive Oyl's long-lost brother, whatever you want to call it. 

All this, after I've made it an effort not to be that guy at the gym who only focuses on his upper body and neglects to work on his legs.  Why can't I have those bulging calf muscles? I often ask myself, as I stand on my tiptoes and watch a miniscule gastrocnemius poke out (anatomy chart is below).

While looking at the same photo of the running group (I haven't included it here -- I will protect the innocent bystanders), I also realized that perhaps I should stop wearing tube socks and further subjecting myself to "standing out" in a crowd.

I'm doing legs two times a week now.  Plus, running and teaching a spin class.  Let's see what we can do and where we can go with this over the next year!

Where I'm at right now!  Front view.  I don't have a photographer yet to go behind me.

Where I NEVER want to be.  This is gross, and these abnormally overgrown calves look more like roasted turkey drumsticks than real human legs!

Basic anatomy and terminology, in case you're interested...

                   Oh, and here is a calf, too.  But not the kind I've been talking about. :)