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5.12 Muscles of the Lower Leg

Tibialis Anterior and Gastrocnemius

Anterior and Posterior view of the Tibialis Anterior and the Gastrocnemius
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0. Modified text labels.
Location of the Tibialis anterior
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0  Modified text labels

Tibialis Anterior

Action: Dorsiflexion

The tibialis anterior is named for its location and attachment on the anterior (front) portion of the tibia. It is the large muscle on the lateral aspect of your tibia.   

Location of the Gastrocnemius (lateral head) and Gastrocnecmius (medial head)
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 Modified text labels

Gastrocnemius

Action: Plantarflexion

The gastrocnemius is often referred to as the “calf” muscle.  

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The Foundations of Human Movement and Physical Fitness Copyright © 2025 by A.J. Stephen; Sarah Fraser; and Connor Dalton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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