STANDING CALF RAISE

CALVES
LINEAGE STANDING CALF RAISES STANDING CALF RAISE
20 catalogued variants across band, barbell, bodyweight, cable.
DMG 60 · STA 9 · ★★★★★ · 20 VARIANTS
REFERENCE
Standing Calf Raise

MOVE LIST · 20 VARIANTS

STANDING

7 VARIANTS
POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: BAND&LOW EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 01

Stand on the middle of the band, holding the handles in your hands just outside your shoulders. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raise surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: BARBELL EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 02

In a squat/power rack, place a barbell across your upper traps, unrack the bar, and step back a foot or two. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raise surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

BARBELL icon
BARBELL
POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: BARBELL EQUIPMENT: BAND&LOW EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 03
A.K.A. Barbell Standing Calf Raise with Bands

Secure the bands on either ends of the barbell. Once secure step under the barbell and unrack the bar. Step back and simply rasie upward onto the toes and slowly return to the starting position repeating for reps

BARBELL icon
BARBELL
POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: CABLE&LOW EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 04

Stand facing a stack with the cable in the low pulley position. Hold the handle in one hand down by your side. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raise surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

How to do it

Steps :

1.) Start by setting up either a dip belt, rope or straight bar on a low pulley cable machine and placing either a step or block in front of the machine.

2.) Step onto the block with the balls of your feet on the edge and letting your heels drop down as far as possible without touching the floor.

3.) Then slowly raise your heels up as far as possible, squeezing your calves and hold for a count.

4.) Return back to the starting position.

5.) Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Slowly rise up onto your tiptoes, lifting your heels off the ground while keeping your knees straight and your abdominals engaged. Hold this position for a moment, feeling the contraction in your calf muscles. Slowly lower your heels back down to the ground, maintaining control throughout the movement. Repeat this exercise for the desired number of repetitions, making sure to keep your movements smooth and controlled.

CABLE icon
CABLE
POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: DUMBBELL EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 05
A.K.A. Dumbbell Calf Raise

Stand in an open space, holding onto something stable (like a counter, wall, or doorway) for balance with a dumbbell in your other hand. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raised surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

How to do Dumbbell Calf Raise :

Step 1: Place a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended down by your sides, palms facing in. Step 2: Stand upright with the balls of your feet on an elevated platform with your toes pointing forward and your heels extended off the back end. This is your starting position. Step 3: Exhale as you raise up on your toes as high as possible. Step 4: Hold for a moment and then inhale as you lower your heels back down as far as possible without actually leaving the platform. Step 5: Repeat for a complete set.

Pro Tip

Balance is important in this movement, focus on it consciously to limit the risk of falling. How To

While standing on a block or raised platform on the edge of your toes, hold two dumbbells by your sides. Exhale and raise yourself off the floor by standing on your toes. Continue raising yourself until you can no longer raise yourself up through solely your toes any longer. Inhale and lower yourself back down to the starting position.

DUMBBELL icon
DUMBBELL
POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: SMITH MACHINE EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 06
A.K.A. Smith Machine Standing Calf Raise

Stand on a block or weight plate set underneath the bar of a Smith machine. You can also just use the floor. Rest the bar on your shoulders and traps. Hold it with a shoulder-width, overhand grip and unlatch the safety hooks. Lift your heels by contracting the calf muscles to rise as high as you can on the balls of your feet, raising the bar up along the guides of the Smith machine. Hold this position for a second, flexing your calf muscles, then lower your heels back to the starting position.

POSITION: STANDING EQUIPMENT: BODYWEIGHT VARIANT 11

Stand in an open space, holding onto something stable (like a counter, wall, or doorway) for balance. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raise surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

Starting Position your feet are close to each other the balls of the feet are turned outwards a tiny bit hold your back straight you can hold your hands at your hips Correct Execution lift your heels as high as you can avoid swinging the hip hold the position for a moment the tiptoes do not move go back to the starting position slowly and repeat several times tips for the workout put a plank under the balls of your feet to increase the range of the motion by doing that, you can increase the difficulty a bit, this makes the calf workout even more effective you can also hold weights in your hands or put on a filled backpack to increase the resistance for the feet

ANY POSITION

6 VARIANTS
EQUIPMENT: MACHINE CALFRAISESETUP: DONKEY VARIANT 07
A.K.A. Donkey Calf Raise

Position yourself in a donkey calf raise machine with your feet on the foot plate, your torso bent at the hips and parallel to the floor with your forearms resting on the forearm pad and the back pad resting on your lower back. Drop your heels as low as you can to get a good stretch in your calves. Lift your heels by contracting the calf muscles to rise as high as you can on the balls of your feet. Hold this position for a second, flexing your calves as hard as possible, and then lower your heels back to the start position and repeat for reps.

EQUIPMENT: MACHINE EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 08

How to Do Standing Calf Raises Place your toes and the ball of your feet on the foot support. Place the shoulder pads against your shoulders and stand upright in the starting position. Lower yourself down by bending your ankles in a controlled movement. Push yourself up by extending your ankles. Commentary Standing calf raises train both the inner (solues) and outer (gastrocnemius) calf muscles simultaneously.

A variant of the exercise is seated calf raises, in which the gastrocnemius is shortened and therefore somewhat disengaged, thus isolating the work to soleus.

Stand on the foot block of a Standing Calf Raise machine on the balls of your feet and duck under the shoulder pads. You should have a comfortable separation between your feet and your toes should be pointing forward. Start with your heels down as far as possible in a good stretch. Keep your knees straight and stiff but not locked. Rise up onto the balls of your feet and squeeze, moving only at the ankles.

CALFRAISESETUP: LEANING BACK VARIANT 09

Stand in a doorway with your feet inside of it. Use your arms to hold onto the door frame or, if using a counter, grab onto the counter with your feet up against the bottom of the counter (a counter with a sink works well because it allows for a better grip). Keeping your grip on the door frame or counter, extend your arms to allow your body to lean back as close to a 45-degree angle as possible. From this leaned back position, perform calf raises, holding the peak contraction at the top of each rep for a full second. Repeat for reps.

CALFRAISESETUP: LEANING FORWARD VARIANT 10

Standing in a doorway or near a counter, move your feet back from the doorway or counter about 2 feet or so. Lean onto the door frame or counter, supporting your body with your hands. From this leaned forward position, perform calf raises, holding the peak contraction at the top of each rep for a full second. Repeat for reps.

CALFRAISESETUP: TOES OUT VARIANT 12

Step onto the platform of a standing calf raise machine so that only the balls of your feet and toes touch it and your heels are in the air. Place your shoulders snugly underneath the pads. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion), your toes pointed outward, and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the platform - you should feel a stretch in your calves in this position. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible, maintaining the toes-pointed-out foot position. At the top, your heels should be significantly higher than the platform. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position.

CALFRAISESETUP: TOES IN VARIANT 13

Step onto the platform of a standing calf raise machine so that only the balls of your feet and toes touch it and your heels are in the air. Place your shoulders snugly underneath the pads. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion), your toes pointed inward, and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the platform - you should feel a stretch in your calves in this position. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible, maintaining the toes-pointed-in foot position. At the top, your heels should be significantly higher than the platform. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position.

STANDING ON ONE LEG

6 VARIANTS
POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG EQUIPMENT: CABLE&LOW EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 14

Stand facing a stack with the cable in the low pulley position. Hold the handle in one hand down by your side. If you have a raised surface like a wooden block or step, place the balls of your feet on that with your heels off of it suspended in the air. If you don't have a raise surface, just do calf raises on the floor. Start with your knees slightly bent (and keep them this way throughout the range of motion) and your heels dropped toward the floor below the level of the surface/platform. Flex your calves to extend your ankles as high as possible. Squeeze your calves for 1-2 counts at the top, then lower back to the start position, feeling a stretch in your muscles at the bottom.

How to do it

Steps :

1.) Start by setting up either a dip belt, rope or straight bar on a low pulley cable machine and placing either a step or block in front of the machine.

2.) Step onto the block with the balls of your feet on the edge and letting your heels drop down as far as possible without touching the floor.

3.) Then slowly raise your heels up as far as possible, squeezing your calves and hold for a count.

4.) Return back to the starting position.

5.) Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Slowly rise up onto your tiptoes, lifting your heels off the ground while keeping your knees straight and your abdominals engaged. Hold this position for a moment, feeling the contraction in your calf muscles. Slowly lower your heels back down to the ground, maintaining control throughout the movement. Repeat this exercise for the desired number of repetitions, making sure to keep your movements smooth and controlled.

CABLE icon
CABLE
POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG EQUIPMENT: DUMBBELL EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 15

Stand on a wooden block or other raised structure to allow for a full stretch on the calves. Hold onto a stable structure for balance with one hand and hold a dumbbell in the other hand. Start with one leg on the block so that your heel hangs over the edge of the block and is dropped down towards the floor. Bend your non-working leg and hook it behind your working leg. Perform calf raises by dropping your heel as low as possible and then raising up on the ball of your foot as high as possible. Hold this position for a second and contract your calves as hard as possible before lowering your heel and performing another rep. Perform for reps, then switch legs and repeat.

Step 1: Place a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended down by your sides, palms facing in. Step 2: Stand upright with the balls of your feet on an elevated platform with your toes pointing forward and your heels extended off the back end. This is your starting position. Step 3: Exhale as you raise up on your toes as high as possible. Step 4: Hold for a moment and then inhale as you lower your heels back down as far as possible without actually leaving the platform. Repeat as necessary.

Pro Tip Balance is important in this movement, focus on it consciously to limit the risk of falling.

How To While standing on a block or raised platform on the edge of your toes, hold two dumbbells by your sides. Exhale and raise yourself off the floor by standing on your toes. Continue raising yourself until you can no longer raise yourself up through solely your toes any longer. Inhale and lower yourself back down to the starting position.

DUMBBELL icon
DUMBBELL
POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG EQUIPMENT: MACHINE EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 16
A.K.A. One-Leg Standing Calf Raise

Stand on the foot block of a Standing Calf Raise machine on the ball of your right foot and duck under the shoulder pads. Your toes should be pointing forward. Bend your left leg and hook it behind your right leg. Start with your heel down as far as possible in a good stretch. Keep your knee straight and stiff but not locked. Rise up onto the ball of your foot and squeeze, moving only at the ankle. Hold this position for a second and contract your calf as hard as possible before lowering your heel and performing another rep. Perform all reps on the right leg and then repeat on the left. Although the description is given as starting with your right leg, I recommend switching it up each workout and starting with the left leg. You can also do this exercise holding a dumbbell in your hand instead of using the standing calf machine.

POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG CALFRAISESETUP: LEANING BACK EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 17

Stand in a doorway with your feet inside of it. Use your arms to hold onto the door frame or, if using a counter, grab onto the counter with your feet up against the bottom of the counter (a counter with a sink works well because it allows for a better grip). Keeping your grip on the door frame or counter, extend your arms to allow your body to lean back as close to a 45-degree angle as possible. From this leaned back position, perform one-leg calf raises, holding the peak contraction at the top of each rep for a full second. Repeat for reps on both legs.

POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG CALFRAISESETUP: LEANING FORWARD EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 18

Standing in a doorway or near a counter, move your feet back from the doorway or counter about 2 feet or so. Lean onto the door frame or counter, supporting your body with your hands. From this leaned forward position, perform one-leg calf raises, holding the peak contraction at the top of each rep for a full second. Repeat for reps on both legs.

POSITION: STANDING ON ONE LEG EXECUTION: UNILATERAL VARIANT 19
A.K.A. One-Leg Standing Calf Raise (bodyweight)

Stand on a wooden block or other raised structure to allow for a full stretch on the calves. Be sure there is a stable structure to hold onto with your hands to support yourself on the block. Start with one leg on the block so that your heel hangs over the edge of the block and is dropped down towards the floor. Bend your non-working leg and hook it behind your working leg. Perform calf raises using just your body weight by dropping your heel as low as possible and then raising up on the ball of your foot as high as possible. Hold this position for a second and contract your calves as hard as possible before lowering your heel and performing another rep. Perform as many reps as you can on one leg and then switch to the other leg until you reach muscle failure. Keep switching legs back and forth without any rest until you can do no more than 6 reps per leg. That concludes one set.

PRONE

1 VARIANT
POSITION: PRONE EQUIPMENT: MACHINE EXECUTION: BILATERAL VARIANT 20
A.K.A. Hack Squat Calf Raise

Lie face down on a hack squat machine with your chest and stomach flat against the back pad and your shoulders underneath the shoulder pads. Place the balls of your feet on the end of the foot plate so that your heels hang off. Release the safety latches to support the weight with your shoulders and lower your heels to get a good stretch on the calves. Extend at your ankles to lift your heels as high as possible and hold this position for a second as you contract your calves as hard as possible. Lower your heels back to the start and repeat for reps.

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