No other body part presents the training dilemma of the calf muscles. They’re notoriously hard to develop, especially for bow-legged guys with little base to build upon.

On the other hand, it’s tough to overtrain the calves. The key to training the calves is not to look at them as an aesthetic-only afterthought or a secondary concern like so many guys who have massive upper bodies and twig legs. Instead, prioritize your calves for the important role they play in the movements of sport and everyday life.

Whether you want to run faster or jump higher, calves play a key role. Ankle flexibility and mobility is crucial to proper movement and the muscles of your calves—the gastrocnemius and the soleus—are responsible for extending the ankle. When you focus on building your calves and strengthening your ankles for functional movement and power, you’ll inevitably train them harder. The result? Better-looking calves.

These 10 exercises will help you achieve those goals.

Pete Williams is a NASM certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.