Calf Muscles - The second heart
We should ALL be doing calf raises and working our calf muscles hard.
Understanding the “Second Heart”
The “second heart” is a nickname for your calf muscles — specifically the soleus and gastrocnemius — which act as a natural pump to help return blood from your lower legs back up toward your heart
How it works
When you walk, climb stairs, stand on your tiptoes, or even flex your ankles, your calf muscles contract. This squeezing action compresses the deep veins in your lower legs, pushing deoxygenated blood upward. One‑way valves inside these veins open during contraction to allow upward flow and close during relaxation to prevent blood from flowing back down
. Without this pump, gravity would make it harder for blood to return to the heart, especially when you sit or stand still for long periods
Understanding the “Second Heart”
The “second heart” is a nickname for your calf muscles — specifically the soleus and gastrocnemius — which act as a natural pump to help return blood from your lower legs back up toward your heart
How it works
When you walk, climb stairs, stand on your tiptoes, or even flex your ankles, your calf muscles contract. This squeezing action compresses the deep veins in your lower legs, pushing deoxygenated blood upward. One‑way valves inside these veins open during contraction to allow upward flow and close during relaxation to prevent blood from flowing back down
. Without this pump, gravity would make it harder for blood to return to the heart, especially when you sit or stand still for long periods
61-69, M
