I’m currently doing a Fitness-Tip Friday mini-series where I’m emphasizing a set of muscles that are significantly underrated as far as their overall importance – and therefore underworked by the vast majority of people! So far we’ve gone over the tibialis anterior, serratus anterior, flexor digitorum profundus, sartorius, and the erector spinae. (Note: if you just subscribed and want to view those, a catalogue of all previous FTF tips is included in the All-Access Basic Membership.) And this week’s underrated & underworked muscle is the soleus! And the benefits of working it will blow your mind!!
In a landmark study published last year, researchers discovered that properly activating the soleus has almost unbelievable effects on whole-body metabolism, blood glucose, and lipid levels!
For example, despite the fact that the soleus only makes up 1% of the body’s weight, when worked in a very specific way it’s capable of raising whole-body fat metabolism by between 200% – 300%!!!
I repeat, between TWO HUNDRED and THREE HUNDRED PERCENT!!! For some perspective on how disproportionate that is, all 600 muscles put together normally only contribute to about 15% of the body’s metabolic rate!
The researchers state “We are unaware of any existing or promising pharmaceuticals [drugs] that come close to raising and sustaining whole-body oxidative metabolism at this magnitude.”
WOW!!!!
The activated soleus also improves blood glucose levels by 52%, with 60% less insulin requirement for over three hours after ingesting a glucose drink, while also significantly lowering triglyceride levels.
Just… wow. It’s thought that the soleus achieves these incredible feats as a result of having the highest concentration of Type I (slow-twitch) muscle fibers of any muscle in the body. So instead of using glycogen for energy, it uses fats and blood glucose. But even that doesn’t explain the magnitude of these effects, so more research is being done to figure out just why.
But more importantly for you… how does one achieve this specific type of soleus activation???
The researchers call it the “Soleus Pushup”, or SPU. But it’s really just what I taught years ago in my 2-part YouTube video series on the “Soleus Secret”. And that secret is bent-knee calf raises!! Why? Because that position puts the gastrocnemius – the most powerful calf muscle – into active insufficiency… leaving all the load on the soleus (see GIF #4 below).
Here are 3 different ways you can perform them:
1. Of course, if you have access to a sitting calf-raise machine (see GIF #1 below),you can simply use that.
2. If you don’t, you can effectively create your own sitting calf-raise machine by sitting on a bench with the balls of your feet propped up on some weights or a platform, and then place a weighted barbell across your knees. (see GIF #2 below).
3. Or you can do calf raises while standing with bent knees on a Smith machine (see GIF #3 below), although it’s more difficult to use good form with that setup.
For each variation, since the soleus is so slow-twitch dominant, you’ll want to use a higher volume of reps while using relatively light weight. On top of the amazing metabolic benefits mentioned above, training your soleus will also significantly increase your total calf size, and enhance lower body strength and stability.
APPLICATION: Stop ignoring your soleus and start training it (the right way)!!!
Relevant Research Article(s):
1) A potent physiological method to magnify and sustain soleus oxidative metabolism improves glucose and lipid regulation
Related Dr. Gains YouTube Video(s):
1) The Soleus Secret (The Anatomy behind Calf Definition and Volume)
2) The Soleus Secret – Part 2 (for BIGGER & BETTER Calves)!!
GIF #1 – Sitting Calf Raise Machine
GIF #2 – Sitting Barbell Calf Raise
GIF #3 – Smith Machine Bent-Knee Calf Raise
GIF #4 – Sitting Bent-Knee Calf Raise Anatomy (Bottom-Up View)
Dr. Gains 
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